So as posted before, we just picked up this modified for the wife. It has an early Ford 215 inline 6. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=270221&highlight=wifey After chasing down some parts and getting the carb tweaked, we put this ******* back together last night and tried to fire it up. It would turn over fine but had the familiar sound of crossed plug wires. We messed with the wires and the points but could not get it running. When the firing order calls for 1-5-3-6-2-4, does the 1 start at the cylinder closest to the radiator or the cowl? We tried both, but it wont start. It kept kicking and backfiring. I dont think the DIZZY is 180 off, but you never know. Any suggestions guys?
Im prettysure on almost ALL inline motors, the first cylinder facing the road(radiator) is number one. If it sounds lie a boat under water(crossed wire sound) and the plugs are connected right the dist may have a problem. hope i could help.
That is definatley in the back of my mind, but I really find it hard to believe the guy before me pulled the dizzy. Its going to get checked though. Thanks for the replies guys. Anyone else?
have you taken the valve cover off and whatched the valves as you bring it to t.d.c, it should be on the firing stroke after the intake valve closes and the piston is at t.d.c......just a shot....hope it helps....good luck
no worries, i forgot to add, after that proceedure check where the rotor is pointing, if its not pointing at your num-1 wire...no big deal just rearrange the wires at the dizzy per you firing order....let us know when you figure it out.....good luck
So we checked TDC and the rotor was pointing at number 1. What next? We were told to check and make sure the valves werent sticking causing it to backfire. Any other suggestions?
You need to have no1 on the firing tdc. Look to see where the rotor is pointing, and thats where no 1 plug wire should be then start your 1 5 3 6 2 4. Then your timed. you might need to turn the dist. to fine tune.
did you check for TDC on compression stroke? take out #1 spark plug,put your finger over spark plug hole and crank (bump) over motor, when it blows your finger away from spark plug hole your on compression stroke. if your timing mark goes past mark just back it up until it lines up. pull your dist cap and see if rotor is pointing to #1 spark plug on the cap. good luck.
i know exactly where you are coming from man. i got a 292 y block that never fired up, asked for help in this forum, y-block forums. got the best help a guy could ask for. unfortuantley we couldnt get it. now its going to a mechanic on monday the 16th. i suggest looking at my public profile and checking all the threads i posted, i have one with pages upon pages of replies. alllllll with the info you prolly need for starting your I6. hope that helps you out
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=256447 there is a link to the thread with the most replies. i had another one with 44, but thats because a push rod came out and i thought i had solved it. if its backfiring it could be the timing, or firing order. check those out.
It's a Ford ..failure to fire is a safety feature Make sure not only the rotor is pointing at number one but both vavles are closed .rock the rockers Otherwise one more round! If they still aren't rockkin' better adjust the valves
Hhhmmmm....i have to axe what condition is the dist cap, rotor, points and gap, condensor, plug wires, plugs and the dizzy its self in? are you pulling the dizzy out to set the points gap, is there any play in the dizzy shaft and the body, if its set up corectly in starting to think the spark is jumping??? just shooting blind here....hoping it helps, man it sounds like your close if its turning and popping........i wish you were closer i like to figure this stuff out.........may the force be with you
Just curious is there enough gas getting in into the chambers if not put a good amount of gas in the carb but don't open the throttle just leave it then check if you are getting spark out of the wires by putting a screw driver in the end of the wire and putting it to metal and have someone crank it to see if there is spark or use a extra spark plug that will work as well. the rotor turns clock wise starting from number one.
does it have spark??? check the wire that runs from the distributor to the coil, make sure its not grounding out anywhere. also, does it have a ballast resistor on it? if so inspect that thing and make sure it hasnt gone bad.
DID ALL THAT! We got spark and fuel. Would a stuck exhaust valve stop the motor from firing and make it backfire? Also, the cap seems a bit loose when its strapped down. It is the correct cap, just seems a little loose. Could that cause it to not start? THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP! WERE ALMOST THERE!
It does have a ballast resistor. I think i should change that out along with the cap and coil. The wires look brand new.
Ya, it sits in the groove, but moves a little bit. I tried to get it on there snug but it doesent want to stay tight. Ill try again tonight.
is it getting spark out of the distributor? have you pulled the plugs out? hows the compression? maybe the timing chain is ****ed. compression test that *****
We pulled a plug wire, put a screwdriver in it, set it against the valve cover nut and it sparked. So we have spark. Ill try the compression test tomorrow.
So ya have spark, its in the timing or if you removed the starter or solenoid wires may be crossed also starter switch may be bad or wired wrong
i have a chevy 250 and went through similar problems. I installed a performance cam and gear from clifford, there were 3 marks on the cam gear and i was sure i had picked the correct one. I got a stock gear and lined up the keyways to check and i was off. i don't know if your engine was running when you got it (too much reading) but that took me a while to figure out.
You'd be surprised how many cars get parked and eventually sold because of this. I personally have messed with (none were mine) 3 cars that people bought dirt cheap, and this was all that was keeping them from running. Check it first.
Had the same prob my intake was full of dirt dobber nests. Figured gas and fire should run right, took me 2 days to catch it.
Ill check that when i get home. The motor wasnt running, but is damn close. Ill look for that also. Thanks.
Hey bud, did you watch to see which way the rotor rotates while the engine cranks? (clockwise-counter clockwise)? If it makes spark, you know the firing order & you know which way the rotor spins, you should be able to make the damn thing run unless the valves aren't closing or something like that.
Auto-mechanics 101,day one. Cl*** turn to page 1 in youtext books. Paragraph 1. engines require compression,spark,and fuel to run. These are the three main ingredients. The rest is called tuning. Check these first. Drink a six-pack and call me in the morning>>>>.
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