Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

I have a 350 SB that will not start....
I have fuel getting to the carb, plugs are moist but not flooded.
I have fire to the plugs.
When turning the motor over, it wants to start... but just won't.
I changed the coil in the HEI and tried again (thinking I wasn't getting enough spark)-- still no dice...
So I re-timed it by hand, TDC and re-aligned the rotor in the HEI..Just to make sure.
Still no dice...
The only other thing I can think is the modulator in the HEI is bad, or that the motor has jumped time.
This motor is fresh, it has about 4 hours on it, and the HEI is brand spanking new.
Please Help me out with some ideas.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

When you say you retimed it, was the dizzy out, or did it line up ok?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

sounds like timing to me!

When I set it, I always use a timing light, even setting it by hand. Basically, I find TDC with the truck, making 100% sure I am on the compression stroke using a compression tester with the gauge taken off (makes a whistling noise when air goes through it), then stab the dizzy base in. After I have the base in, I install the cap + wires as close to where they should be as I can, and button it up, less the timing adjustment bolt.

I then turn the ignition to ON, and put my inductive timing light onto plug wire number one. I then grab the dizzy cap, and turn it back and forth. Every time you spin past number 1, it should fire, and make the timing light flash. So, get it set as close to number 1 as you can, then tighten the dizzy cap a bit more, and try my best to start it.

Sometimes you gotta put the idle screw way in so it'll keep running long enough for you to get around front, and set the timing with the light properly.

Make sure you unplug your vac advance when you set the timing, and that your idle is low enough that you arn't getting any mechanical advance. This is crucial, cause as you get closer to the proper timing, she'll idle a bunch, due to you having the idle screw in, so set it to where it should be, turn the idle down, set it again, turn the idle down, set it, etc etc.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Module or pickup coil in hei ?, timing chain jumped ?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

look at the little peg(can't remember th proper name for it)inside center of cap they will burn up over time.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Open port on the carb or intake???

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Make sure you have 12v in "start" and "run". I have seen where they have 12v in start but as soon as you let go of the key to the run position there is no 12v anymore. It wants to start but then quicky dies when you let go of the key......M2C worth

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Could it be 180 degrees out on the distributer? You said the engine had 4 hours on it . Did it just all of a sudden decide not to start or did you get a backfire and then it wouldn't start?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Russell,
I know I have the motor at TDC, by my finger, exhaust sucks and compression blows my finger out...
Balancer and marker lined up at zero, a little retarded by close enough to start... Rotor at #1 plug...
My problem is that it won't start, Once I get it running I can finalize the timing.
I need to easly determine in the chain jumped.
I guess I could check to see it fire and mark happens at the same time.
but thats kinda tough being a one man army...
I have an old HEI, i'll try and clean up and drop it in tomorrow and see if I can eliminate it to the Distributor

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Vet vet,
It ran fine, then sat up for about 2 years, I started it up on Super Bowl Sunday, ran great, Then Monday I moved it out and let it run for a few minutes, when I went to put it up, it ran real rough and real rich, the barked a little when I shut it off.
Then today it just wouldn't start.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

I hate to be such a simpleton here, but do you have good gas?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Mike,
Yea, I drained and refueled

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Could it be stuck floats in the carb? Maybe gummed up?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

did you run a new wire to the HEI or is the original (resistor circuit)wiring being used ???

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

68 Cajun,
If the floats were stuck, wouldn't the plugs be saturated?
The plugs now are pretty dry, but I can see fuel dripping down the throat when I hold the primarys open and work the accelerator pump.
I also tried to start it spraying Gumout directly down the primarys while turning it over.

Cdowns,
I did run a new wire during the restore, I checked volatge with the key "on" at the harness going into the "BAT" terminal on the cap- I have 12.4 volts
What do you think besides that - do you think I should check if its holding voltage while I am trying to start it ???
appreciate the help guys.
Cypress

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

sounds like a problem with the dizzy or timing
remove cap and turn over make sure rotor in turning smooth
my first try would be to pull the dizzy out. and inspect
bottom gear, screw-clip crap near poll piece.bad broken poll piece wire
got a points dizzy to put in.or another hei to test
make sure rotor is at number 1 on cap on tdc

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Im thinking its a fuel problem. If it ran fine one day & bad the next & you didnt change anything in between It cant hardly be a misaligned distributor or rotor. If the module went it wouldnt try to start like you said its doing. Id try a fuel filter or easier yet dump a little gas in the carb & see if it runs good for a second or two. If it does get a new pump or see if theres a carb crab. Good luck with it...corn

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

You have gas fouled plugs.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

check condition of rotor and cap...badly cracked or broken. I had that problem. Check the simplest and go for the worse. check wiring to HEI, then cap/rotor, then firing order, then plugs and so on. You'd be amazed how many little things keep an engine from starting.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

You mean rotor button?

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

SPARK PLUGS. Take one off, conect the wire and ground the plug on top of the engine and crank the engine over so you can see how much spark is going true the plug.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Or condensation in the cap. WD-40

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Check for spark at the plugs.

Change the plugs out (if you have some more around).

Try leaving the key "on" and jumping the starter to eliminat an electrical problem while the ignition switch is at "start."

You say it was running as is a few weeks ago, so that eliminates the distributor being 180 out. Gas is fresh, so that's out. The only other thing I can say is maybe the valves aren't adjusted right/too tight and are either hanging open or staying closed or something else mechanical inside the engine.

Good luck with it, I hope it's something simple.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

if i understood you this thing sat for two years ,any one move in the exhaust system while it sat ,ie mud dobbers ,mice ,kids toys ect.

Re: Experienced Mechanic needs another opinion
 

Check the fuel filter in the carb?