BTW what is that little pipe on the side of the passanger side block?

 

Pop the dizzy cap off...there it is. Kinda cresent shaped with wires feeding from it.

Just replace that, there's no need to replace the entire distributor.

Pipe on the right side? You need to be more specific.

It may be part of the Thermactor (smog pump) Emission System, but I'm not staring at Ford microfiche slides for lawd knows how long, till I get more info.

 

Thanks that helps im gonna give that a try this weekend. The pipe looks like a dipstick hole(but not), smog pump is removed, should that be plugged?

 

Ok well I a really really at wits end now.. I replace intake manifold and bought a new dissy. I have spark now without holding wire over the coil, but still no start. Well I shouldnt say that cause it started but only ran for about 2 seconds. I'm so lost I think I just got suckered into buying a blown engine, but i dunno. Been at it a month, 800 bucks later and same exact thing nothing new from when I first bought. If anyone knows please help!

 

Have you tried pouring in a little raw gas and see if it will run for a second or two? If it will, then you've proved that the ignition system has at least enough integrity to run. At that point you can eliminate it and move to other things. Have you tried it?

 

Yeah I did try that and still no go on gas in the carb.

 

He's asking if it will run if you dump gas (or spray carb cleaner or starting fluid...sparingly) down the carb will it run for a second. That'll confirm you have a fuel delivery preoblem. I've noticed that some carb cleaners wont burn well enough to make a cold engine run in the wintertime, but only when it is real cold oout

 

If it runs by holding the wire away from the coil or distributor that means that it, for some reason, is not getting sufficient voltage from the coil to get a good hot spark at the plug. Increasing the air gap in a wire will cause the coil to build more voltage. A coil will only build enough voltage to fire the gap at the plug plus the gap in the rotor to cylinder pickup prong. You should have the full battery voltage (12.5 DCV) in the "start" position. When the key is released, it will go through the resistor wire and be less. Check the splices and connections in those 2 circuits. Number Dummy fixed you up with his info on all that.

If you have a 40K volt coil and it only takes 6K volts to fire the gaps, plus the resistance of the wires, then 6K Volts is all the coil will build. That is a characteristic of coils. That is a reason you should run resistor plugs on most systems. Capacitive Discharge systems behave a little differently.

My $.02 is that somewhere you have a weakness in your spark system. Because of your possible carb problems, you could also have an extremely rich mixture which a normal spark will not ignite. Another $.02 worth . My thinking is that if you are absolutely sure about the firing, you might consider that you are very rich, not lean. Check pwr valves, float levels etc. You might also try unhooking the fuel feed line at the carb and routing it to a fuel can. Crank until it blows all the fuel out of the intake and cylinders. It may crank for a little when the mixture gets right. Then adding fuel into the carb THEN BACK AWAY and try to crank, if it starts to run, then you know it was flooded. With a fuel smell in the oil, it means you are pushing raw fuel past the rings into the pan. LOL

 

well thats lots to process..lol I don't have a 40k coil just a stock one I have replaced the coil. the coil read 8.9* something. which is 8900k about right? I have tried sprayed carb cleaner and adding gas and seems to come with same result but I'll try again. It is possible that the battery doesnt have enough juice to start the engine, but it does crank and starts with choke open and dissy push as far to radiator hose as possible, but still only runs for a second then dies(runs like crap). I don't know if I made any sense here.. lol it early.

 

Distributor might be out a tooth or more. You say you turn the distributor all the way one way and it tries to start?

 

possibly stopped up catalitic converter?

 

Two things come to mind from a similar problem. 1)Disconnect and plug vacuum advance at carb. Still haven't solved that one, but its running fine on just centrifical advance. 2( My primary jets were clogged.

 

Ok well here is an update on my problems... I found out that I had absolutly no vacuum, so I pulled the intake manifold and reinstalled and sealed properly, replace the plugs and wires and bam! It idles wooo! At first it idled awesome and I could rev it up and everything was going well, this was even before I set the timing. I turned off the engine and it would not start again, so I went off and replace the dissy out again, and bam it started back up but ran like hell.. It backfires through exhaust at idle and through reving, but also when reving up and let of it will backfire through the carb and a big flame comes out... everything i've read is pointing towards ignition, but it is set properly. Any ideas?

 

set the timing

 

Double check those plug wires for correct order, easy to swap one when working on it.