Question on a 78 pu

[BigTerry]

I have a friend with a 1978 chev truck wit a v8. He having big problem with it.. He drove off into a ditch full of water.. So far we drain the crank case added fresh oil.. Pull the plugs flipped the motor to make sure there was no water in cyl. Trying the truck won't fired up.. My friend and his brother did a spark plug check to see if they were getting fire.. They told me the spark was very weak.. He replaced the coil.. Spark look better much better.. Well no start.. He has bypass the ignition switch because the housing was toast! The truck has been running since he did that.. My ideas of what wrong is the starter solenoid is bad .. I thinking that there two circuit a start circuit and a run circuit! Right? My thinking is that the solenoid is shorting out the run circuit.. Is this correct on my thinking on why is not running? I haven't mess with a electrical on any trucks since the late 90's he need help real bad he on ssi so he cannot afford to buy another truck.. Thanks guy for any info we can use!

[100%Chevy]

How deep in the water?
Did you clean inside the distributor cap?
If the engine went under water,there may be water puddled in the intake.And,air filter may be wet.
Did water get in the gas tank?
The exhaust may have water in it too.
It should have the HEI ignition so no problem from the starter.
Try using starting fluid(ether) to see if it will fire.
Mike.

[Dead Parrot]

Ah, the flooded engine recovery drill. This is what my dad and I did to restore to running a 64 Impala, a 68 Impala, a 29 Model A truck, and a lawn tractor after they wound up under 8 ft of water after an fast 8" rain.

Depending on how deep into the ditch it got, you will also need to drain and get new fluid and filter for the transmission and drain and replace the power steering fluid if equipped with PS.

Make sure to install a new oil filter.

If the rear end was under water, replace that oil as well.

Pull the distributor cap and clean any dirt and debris from the distributor. Make sure everything is dry. A little water in the cap goes a long way on messing up spark. If there is corrosion in the cap, clean or replace cap. Double check the little button in the top of the cap. Leave the distributor disconnected.

With the vehicle outside:

Pull the plugs and pour some kerosene or diesel down the intake. With the plugs off, crank the engine slowly. The result is messy but does a good job of clearing water and dirt out of the intake and combustion areas. Crank it over for a bit with the plugs out.

Clean and dry the plugs, they may be wet, dirty or corroded. May need new ones.

Install the plugs and reassemble and connect the distributor. Spray off the kerosene or diesel from the engine compartment and from under the vehicle. Let everything dry.

Once everything is dry, pour a little(think tablespoon) gas down the carb and crank it. May take a couple of attempts. When it does fire, you will get a lot of smoke at first as the kerosene burns off. Run it until it gets warm, then shut off and drain and replace engine oil and filter. You want to lose any dirt and mud that found its way inside the motor.

Neither of the Impalas had water in the gas tanks. Your result may vary, so check the gas filter frequently until you are sure no water is present.

Expect electrical system issues from the areas that were under water. A light spraying with WD-40 can help if done soon enough.

[BigTerry]

It didn't get that deep.. We did replace all the fluids.. Gas tank didnt go under at all.. I wondering before he cut it off that it suck up enough water to strip the teeth off the timing gear and it out of time? He by pass the ign sw to get it running months before he put it in the ditch I wondering if that sw need to be on.. He said he never had to put it after he bypass it... Or could the toggle sw he using could be bad?

[BigTerry]

My friend said it for sale if anybody want it!