OK guys stick with me cause I'm gonna give a little back ground. I'm putting on a 96 E350 serpintine belt system. While I was at it, I decided to put on an old edelbrock intake and a new 750 edelbrock carb. I'm using the new alternator, powersteering pump, and I'm going to put in AC and use the new AC compressor. Now, I got everything bolted up and I couldn't get it to start. I pulled the distributor and put it back in twice. Then I realized I had hooked up the fuel line to the PCV hook up on the CARB and vise versa. I fixxed that and found my oil pan full of gas. I changed the oil and tried again. NOTHING. The engine turns over, but will not catch. I checked the firing order and figured out that I had it in the right numerical order but going clockwise around the distributor instead of counter CW. I fixed that and cracked the distributor cap. Replaced the distributor cap and rotor, and now it seems close, but I think my battery is so low it is having a hard time turning over. It is turning slow. I've got it staticaly timed at 10 BTDC and the rotor right at #1. Also, I bumped the coil and it was REALLY hot. Is that normal when trying to crank and engine? Also, the coil is just hanging there as I haven't decided where I'm going to mount it. I'm going to have to extend the wires to put it on the intake somewhere. I'm going to go get a battery charger tomorrow and would really like any helpfull hints. It is supposed to rain monday and I'm tired of riding my little honda 250 to work.

Thanks
Austin

 

Are you certain you have #1 piston at the top of the compression stroke when you install the distributor and point the rotor at the #1 wire? If you have spark and gas, it should fire even with a bad coil.

 

Thanks GeorgeD,

I will check again after church. I did the finger over the hole trick while watching the balancer. The first time I passed 0 there was no pressure then I went another 360 (crank) and when I started to get close to 0 I felt the pressure so I brought it up to 10 BTDC, and then droped in the distributor with the vac advance pointing straight forward and the rotor pointing at #1.

Thanks
Austin

 

that much gas in cylinders fouled the plugs.r/r or remove and dry them.good luck.

 

So I have been trying everything to get it to start up. The engine was having a hard time turing over and I thought it was a timing issue, so I pulled an reinstalled the distributor four times. I noticed that the engine was really hard to turn w/ the breaker bar, so I started pulling the plugs again. Pulled them all and took off the belt so all I'm turning is the crank. It was just as hard to turn. So I put oil in each cylinder. Now it is easy as pie. I'm thinking that when all the gas went in the engine it washed down the cylinders and took all the oil off. I changed the oil twice w/ none of it got to the cylinders. I'm letting the cylinders "soak" tonight and I will hook everything back up and try again in the morning.

Thanks
Austin

 

OK guys still won't fire. I have the order right. I have the distributor in the right spot on the compression stroke. The balancer TDC is correct. Why won't it fire. I've got spark. I've got gas. There is one other thing, some PO put a white mark at 20 ATDC on the balance. Maybe he knew something I don't. If all else fails then I will set the distributor to fire #1 then.

All comments welcome.

Thanks
Austin (walks to work)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dablack
[B]Thanks GeorgeD,

I will check again after church. I did the finger over the hole trick while watching the balancer. The first time I passed 0 there was no pressure then I went another 360 (crank) and when I started to get close to 0 I felt the pressure so I brought it up to 10 BTDC, and then droped in the distributor with the vac advance pointing straight forward and the rotor pointing at #1.


The timing mark has to be at TDC, not 10 degrees before TDC, at the top of the #1 compression stroke when you install the distributor with the rotor pointing to the #1 plug position in the distributor cap.

If you're installing the distributor at 10 degrees before TDC, your timing is still off. That's why it won't fire.

 

George,

Thanks, I will give it a try.