Guys, appreciate all of the suggestions/information. Have not popped the hood on the truck for 3 days. Bad weather (working just under an open shed roof) / New Years stuff / and now wife's clothes washer on the brink. She gets top priority. Will update as to progress later.

 

Hello, finally took a look at the truck yesterday. BTW, the washer is working and the Wife is happy. So... the gas pump is working great, pulled the gas line off at the carb and gas kept squirting just fine as the starter turned the engine over. But the gear on the cam that would turn the dizzy is still not turning. Still have not looked under the valve covers to see if lifters are working. But it got me to thinking about the cam dowel may have sheared or worked its way loose between the cam and the timing gear. Can this cause my symptoms?
1. If the dowel is stuck in the cam can it be removed with the cam still in the engine? Do not believe I have the skills and facilities to pull the engine.
2. Can replacement dowels be found. If so, how do I know the size?
3. Can the gear on the camshaft that turns the dizzy come loose from the camshaft like the gear on the bottom of the dizzy can?

Know that the only way to tell is to look at the camshaft gear, eccentric and dowel but I hesitate to do it again if there is not a relatively simple fix. Have some health issues that are flaring up so my energy is limited.

 

I like that idea also for testing a plug

 

Was that a single spark or a steady series of sparks as you were cranking the engine? If a steady series of sparks I do not know how that would happen unless the dist is turning. Another way to test to see if either the points or electronic ignition is working is to put a test light on the neg. coil terminal and crank. If you see the test light blinking then the ignition is being switched by either point or electronics as the case may be, if that would be the case than you either have an issue with the coil, rotor or distributor cap. I have over the years found that once in a great while the rotor will crack on the inside and the electric spark grounds itself to the distributor shaft so if you have spark at the coil wire going into the distributor but nothing coming out that is the first part to replace. If it was only a single spark as you turned key off and on then yes you may have a distributor rotation issue. Again the only way I know you can get a steady series of sparks is if the distributor shaft is turning, how else could the electronics get a signal to trigger the coil? Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.

 

May have made a mistake about the spark from the coil wire. Now I know that that the distributer is not turning at all. The gear on the bottom of the dizzy is tight but the gear on the camshaft that is supposed to turn the dizzy gear is not turning. Have yet to determine if the camshaft turns at all will do that when I am felling better.

 

So if the fuel pump is pumping when you crank the motor over the cam has to be turning in my book.
I also have never seen a cam pin shear off to make the cam stop turning but it is turning because you have fuel pumping.

???? You can have 1 spark when you turn the key off after cranking the motor.
What gets me is how do you know this???? Have you pulled the dist. out to check the roll pin in the gear on the dist.? Try driving the pin out because if it sheared off it would look good and the gear may get jammed on the shaft. I have heard of this happening.
The cam gear is it bolted on to the front of the cam shaft? To check the cam gear look down inside the dist. hole and crank the motor over does it turn? It may with out any resistance on it, don't know any way to check other than to pull the timing cover but again I have not heard of thing like that happening.
Dave ----

 

Not sure I have ever been into a FE engine but looking at a motor manual the fuel pump eccentric is to the radiator side of the timing gear. The dist drive gear is part of the cam so there is no way it would be loose on the shaft. Since you have said the fuel pump works and the dist gear does not turn than that leaves really only the key being sheared or something closely related at the front of the cam. The only other issue I am anticipating; I would guess you probably will find some bent valves due to the cam stopping.

How I would approach it is to double and triple check that the dist drive gear is not turning. If it is not than your going to have to pull the timing cover again to discover what has happened. Once that is corrected than run a compression check to see what you have. Not what anyone wants to hear I know.

 

???? You can have 1 spark when you turn the key off after cranking the motor.
What gets me is how do you know this????

Really not that hard to see if you have a second person to run the key or position the end of the coil wire where you can see it as you run the key. You do need the coil wire out of the cap and held away from the block a short ways so you can watch for the spark. Not always will you see a spark but often when the key goes to off and the coil breaks down you will see that single spark.

 

You are right about what you can see down the dizzy hole and the eccentric being on the side of the large timing camshaft gear and that the only way to see it is with the timing cover off. Not sure about the bent valves yet. Have put much effort into turning of dizzy gear am sure it is secure.

 

another one bites the dust....

 

I am sorry that I have not responded sooner but I am currently under the wenches and test equipment of the medical community. when I get out of the hospital I will get back to trying to get the truck running. Even if I have to hire some one to do the work for me.

 

Get well soon. We're pulling for ya.
Mike

 

 

Meant wrenches like to turn a nut not winches like certain tainted ladies and you are so right Nurses 'rock' they are the ones to count on to keep you alive.

I finally popped the hood and with a few helpers got to work on the truck. Was a loose Cam bolt that allowed the cam dowel to unseat. Minor abrasion to the chain and timing cover. Replaced chain just to be cautious. Used a larger washer within the eccentric. New set of gaskets, cleaned up metal flakes, used air hammer to set cam bolt, put everything back together (water pump, radiator, shroud, alternator, replaced oil filter and tomorrow will replace oil. Because of oil replacement hold up will have to wait to crank it up to see if I fully fixed or just some. Will update when I know more

 

Did you use some thread-locker on the cam gear bolt and torque it to spec?

Paul