first time installing distributor

[merlin3]

what reading should i have at the end of the plug wire?

[88fordf150]

Take one of your spark plugs out and ground it against a metal part on the engine while a buddy cranks over the engine. While the engine is cranking over you should see the spark at the plug tip.

[Lattimer]

If the spark at the plug isn't strong enough it may not fire. I've had new HEI modules crap out really quick before. Accel modules always seem to fail on me.

Is the distributor new or used? What brand?

Ground a plug against the block and look for the spark. It should be easily visible and white or blue-ish.

[litew8]

I might be mistaken but you do not want to actually ground it but rather come very close instead. Like 1/16 of an inch, but not too far away from the bare metal to where it isn't possible for the spark to jump. You should see a strong arc, again someone correct me if I'm wrong - the arc's color will tell you its health. I think red/orange is bad? It's been so long (high school) since I've had the need to do this I could be wrong.

[69chevytrucker]

put a timing light on each wire one at a time to see if each plug is getting spark

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by litew8

I might be mistaken but you do not want to actually ground it but rather come very close instead. Like 1/16 of an inch, but not too far away from the bare metal to where it isn't possible for the spark to jump. You should see a strong arc, again someone correct me if I'm wrong - the arc's color will tell you its health. I think red/orange is bad? It's been so long (high school) since I've had the need to do this I could be wrong.

If you don't ground it, you won't see a spark at all. The metal part of the plug is normally grounded to the head, and has to be to complete the path and generate a spark. You might get a spark to jump the distance if you are close enough, but it doesn't tell you anything.

If the park is orange, its weak.

[merlin3]

so today i tested the coil,pickup, module and wires everything checked out fine so i did the coat hanger trick in the cylinder also took valve cover off and both pushrods were loose at t.d.c put the distributor in and it starts up,runs for 5 seconds with me putting the gas half way to the floor then it dies.i tried rotating the distributor 1/4 turns but it is still the same.

[69chevytrucker]

well if it ran for 5 sec then you got the timing right now i would think you have a fuel supply prob maybe bad pump or plugged filter

[litew8]

Originally Posted by Lattimer

If you don't ground it, you won't see a spark at all. The metal part of the plug is normally grounded to the head, and has to be to complete the path and generate a spark. You might get a spark to jump the distance if you are close enough, but it doesn't tell you anything.

If the park is orange, its weak.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding. We're not talking about using a spark plug, only a screwdriver. The spark will jump to the bare frame/bracket (metal) because it wants grounded (Never touch the screwdriver while testing). The color of the spark and if it sparks at all tells you a lot. OP, I'd continue looking if you are certain you ignition is proper - check fuel/pump etc... If you are getting good spark, have compression and gas flow - there's no reason it shouldn't continue to run. Maybe a huge vacuum leak? A few things you can check further to better isolate the issue.

[merlin3]

i have a new mech.fuel pump and new filter.i have a hose going into a 6 gallon gas can and a new line going to carb.

[cwilkie]

I'll be tackling this next weekend when I change intakes...

[69chevytrucker]

Well did it run nice. For 5sec or did it pop and fart

[litew8]

Earlier you said "and the spark is a dull orange color" - that might be the issue. Coil possibly bad.

[mikeshome]

you may just have so much gas in the cylinders now that it has totally flooded your plugs ,when you try starting have choke open and hold gas to the floor.

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by litew8

Maybe I'm misunderstanding. We're not talking about using a spark plug, only a screwdriver. The spark will jump to the bare frame/bracket (metal) because it wants grounded (Never touch the screwdriver while testing). The color of the spark and if it sparks at all tells you a lot. OP, I'd continue looking if you are certain you ignition is proper - check fuel/pump etc... If you are getting good spark, have compression and gas flow - there's no reason it shouldn't continue to run. Maybe a huge vacuum leak? A few things you can check further to better isolate the issue.

Gotcha. Not the way I would do it, but it works.

I have a spark plug with a wire and an alligator clip hose clamped to it. Put the clip on a ground, put the wire on the plug. Crank it over and watch it spark (or not, as the case may be). Works well and is pretty easy.

[Lattimer]

Since it ran a little, pull the plugs and see how they look. Wet or dry?

If it ran ok for the short time without backfiring out of the carb, then the timing is good enough.

Could be too much or not enough fuel, or weak spark. Something as simple as a float needle can wreak havoc on you and cause something like this. So can a weak coil.

[litew8]

Originally Posted by Lattimer

Gotcha. Not the way I would do it, but it works.

I have a spark plug with a wire and an alligator clip hose clamped to it. Put the clip on a ground, put the wire on the plug. Crank it over and watch it spark (or not, as the case may be). Works well and is pretty easy.

Cool. You're method is equally good - though with your method (I guess) you are testing (primarily) if the spark plug itself is good. Testing the wire only will allow you to see if the coil/dist is in proper working order. Not to say you couldn't determine that with using the spark plug instead, but to eliminate the plug itself and isolate the coil/dist I'd check without the plug.

[litew8]

Any luck?

[John Gilbert]

Funny you should ask. The July 2014 issue of Classic Trucks has an article on how to do it. Plus using a clear HEI distributor cap to make it extra easy. I'll see if we can get the article posted on www.ClassicTrucks.com in a relatively short time frame.

Or in the meantime maybe Walmart has it on the newsstand.

[merlin3]

no,have not had any luck i called a friend who owns a shop that i send a lot of customers to but he will not call me or come by.

[MattSt]

Originally Posted by merlin3

so today i tested the coil,pickup, module and wires everything checked out fine so i did the coat hanger trick in the cylinder also took valve cover off and both pushrods were loose at t.d.c put the distributor in and it starts up,runs for 5 seconds with me putting the gas half way to the floor then it dies.i tried rotating the distributor 1/4 turns but it is still the same.

I had the exact same issue when I installed my HEI and new SMI carb. I somehow got a screw stuck to the bottom of the gasket and it was sucking air in between the carb and intake. It would run at 2300 or over but not idle. I took the carb off in a fit of rage (I thought the float was stuck) and noticed the gasket had a big crown in the middle. DOH.

Worth a shot. Good luck.

[litew8]

I was thinking the same thing. Check carb to intake and any other area where vacuum occurs.