truck cranks but wont start

[sleepertruck72]

I was gonna get some beer but my truck wouldnt start, I got the beer but my truck still wont start. It cranks but I dont have a tester to see if maybe the dizzy isnt getting juice. Any help would be appreciated. Tomorrow I will mess with it after work. I am guessing it may be the dizzy not getting juice but I dont know for sure I may just get a cheap tester to find out. Any suggestions ?

[1971c20]

i had the same problem check the fuel filter if its dry then your out of gas or your fuel pump is wack, if its wet then check your lines and if thats clear check your accelerator pump, to do this just poor some gas into the carb and if it fires up for a couple seconds then it is the accelerator pump. Hope its a fuel problem because those are pretty easy to fix

[chevy72blu]

If its a sudden thing, my guess is an ignition issue. I agree- check 12v at the dizzy. Cracked coil wire will get ya also.

Pour a little ether/gasoline in your carb and crank it. If she fires, you know you have a fuel delivery issue.

[No3Fan4Ever]

Originally Posted by sleepertruck72

I was gonna get some beer but my truck wouldnt start, I got the beer but my truck still wont start. It cranks but I dont have a tester to see if maybe the dizzy isnt getting juice. Any help would be appreciated. Tomorrow I will mess with it after work. I am guessing it may be the dizzy not getting juice but I dont know for sure I may just get a cheap tester to find out. Any suggestions ?

Quit drinking beer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

could be alot of things, but my recent experience was with a bad coil;
getting yourself a simple tester is a good start

[mrein3]

To make an engine run you need fuel and you need spark. A real quick way to see if it is a fuel issue just pour a little bit of fuel in the carb. If it fires spits/studders/maybe runs for a second you have a fuel issue. If the gas in the carb doesn't change your symptoms you need to check for spark.

[cdowns]

hei or points dizzy? has the truck ever been tuned up or had any other maintenence to try and keep it in a running condition?

[mr48chev]

We are assuming that you drove the truck in, parked it and it wouldn't start the next time you went out to drive it to the store.

As mentioned above it takes Fuel/air, ignition spark and compression all at the same time for an engine to run.

Two things that are a necessity in a trouble shooting kit are a good test light and a multimeter. You don't have to go too wild on the multimeter and there are lots of them available for under 10 bucks. the main thing you need to have are a DC volt scale and an ohm meter. I've got a Suntune unit that I picked up at either Schucks or Auto Zone on sale that I tend to use all the time.


Check the obvious first:
Does it actually have gas in the tank?
Is fuel getting to the carb? Usually you can take the air cleaner off and look down the carb while working the throttle by hand and see the squirts from the accelerator pump.
Problems could be plugged filter or bad pump.

Are you getting spark?
I usually start at the plug wire and see if I am getting a spark there and work back through the system. Just make sure you don't have a gas leak on the engine.
If no spark, is there power to the coil/distributor?

If it has the stock ignition.
Make sure that you have power to the coil when you are cranking the engine because if the resistor bypass wire isn't connected it won't usually start while cranking.
If you have power to the coil check the points and see if they are working.

If it has an HEI the usual culprits are the coil or the module and some times the wires on the pickup coil.

For both the point style and HEI Coils there are test procedures posted on the net that involve checking resistances in the circuits in the coils.

If the rotor doesn't turn when you crank the engine you have probably lost the gear on the timing chain and have to replace the chain and gears. I have had that happen to me when I put a customer's car on the front end rack and it wouldn't start when I was finished aligning the front end.

[sleepertruck72]

Thanks guys for all your help, even the stop drinking beer
I ended up replacing the fuel filter because I it kinda was time to. I got a cheap test light(mine is at home as I am visiting Orange County 350 miles away) The dizzy was getting juice but wasnt sparking the plugs. I found out by trying to shock myself with a spark plug on the no. 1 wire while my wife cranked the motor. I was told that was a for sure way of knowing
I hope it is true. Well I popped the top off the dizzy and the rotor seemed fine but dirty I cleaned it off and I also removed the coil ( I think) where the wires run through and noticed the little spring was either loose or broken I am not sure what its supposed to look like so I put it all back together and tried to start and she fired right up. How often a I supposed to replace any of these parts on the dizzy ? Just for more info it is a GMPP Crate motor 350 HO Deluxe. It came with the dizzy (HEI)spark plugs and wires installed, and intake and Holley 600 cfm vacuum secondary also. Thanks again for all your help, I got more beer coming if anyone wants to kill some time

[Longhorn Man]

I inspect my cap and rotor every year or so, and end up replacing it either anually, or semianually. I don't know the 'recomended' span though.
I know I would replace it with new parts before driving 350 miles home,even if it seems fine right now.

[LONGHAIR]

Yeah, replace that stuff by choice....and under your control, not on the side of the road.

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

Yeah, replace that stuff by choice....and under your control, not on the side of the road.

Man, I second that emotion


As an aside, because I'm lazy, when I have a cranks/but won't start problem; I have somebody crank the engine while I spray some starting fluid (or carb cleaner) down the carburetor.
If it fires using ether, but won't run, it's a fuel problem. If it just cranks, it's electrical.
It's quick and easy.
Then I start trouble shooting from there.