Just swapped my 3a-c for a 3a, won't start.

[gervin]

I recently swapped out my old blown 3a-c for a running 3a that I bought from Petros . Everything has gone fairly well so far. Right now the car is turning over but will not start. It sounds like it is not getting any fuel or something. I have tried using starter fluid with no luck, only small backfires. Here is the link to a short clip of it turning over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpW0jijVQ8k . What steps do you suggest to take when trying to get it to start?

Also I have found these plugs coming off the wiring and I have no clue where they go. I found them below the starter. Any clue what they are for?

[takza]

Valve or ignit timing issues? Plug wires wrong?

[Petros]

If you are squirting starting fluid in it and there it will not start, it sounds like you do not have any spark, or the timing is way off. Ground a spark plug where you can see it and check if you have spark (I just put a screw driver in a spark plug wire and hold it about 1/4 inch from any metal while it is cranked). If no spark you will have to see what is wrong with the distributor/coil/inginter. Do you have the wires to the distributor plugged in? IF you have spark it might have the timing way off. When you installed the distributor did you make sure the rotor was pointing at cyl. no. one, and it was as TDC?

Set the crank at TDC, verify that #1 is at TDC (and not #4) by removing the valve cover and see if the valves are closed, or are teetering between intake and exhaust. A quick check is to just rock the rocker arms back and fourth, when #1 cyl. is at TDC,they will have clearance that you can feel when you rock the rocker arms, and #4 will not have clearance since one is on the down ramp, and the other on the up ramp. Another way is to rotate the engine with your finger in the spark plug hole and see if air blows out past your finger.

Than remove the distributor cap and see the center rotor is pointing at spark plug wire #1, if not your distributor has to come out and you reposition the rotor so when all the way in it is pointing at #1 wire pole location.

It should start once you get it close enough. You will have to then set the timing with the vac advance disabled.

You are almost there, sort out the spark problem. Good luck

[Petros]

The wires, the small plug looks like the oil pressure sender, which is right behind the alternator on the side of the block. Did you remember to install your old oil pressure sender?

They could also be temp sender wires, small one goes on the sensor on the front of the head, the green one on the sensor on the water outlet next to that valve with all the vacuum lines on it.

The wires typically snakes around behind the alternator, and wraps up , over the front of the valve cover next to the timing belt cover, and then down to the sensors on the other side of the head. There is usually the clip to hold them on the front of the head.

[gervin]

I believe I have got the ignition timing correct. I pulled the plug in cylinder 1 and turned the engine until I felt the air come out. Then I got the distributor rotor pointing at cylinder 1. I am going to try and see if I have spark using the screwdriver method you just told me.

I did remember to install the oil pressure sender unit. Those wires were actually the temp sender wires. They were never hooked up on my last car strangely so I have never seen them hooked up before.

I will let you know if I have spark soon.

**EDIT** Just checked and I do in fact have spark. So this means the timing must be way off? **EDIT**

[Petros]

It could be off. A way to check even without the engine running is to put on your timing light, and have someone crank it while you are pointing the light at the timing mark (better to do this in a darkened shop). If you have spark and it is timed properly, you will see the timing mark somewhere near the right place when it flashes. Make sure the battery is charged and possibly jumped with another car so you do not run it down while doing this, even then only do it for short bursts (5 to 10 sec.)

Note that if your distributor is 180 deg off, the timing will still look okay, so you have to make sure you are indeed fire on no. 1 at TDC. I have done this before and only got sputters and pops out the back.

Sometimes if you are only a tooth off on the dist (which is easy to do, I have done lots of times), the timing will be off by 40 or more degrees, you may not even see it. If you do see it and it is way off, and turning the dist the full travel limit does not bring it into the right place, you are off a gear tooth or two. Pop out the distributor, and do the whole install again (with the engine with #1 at TDC).

If you have a weak or erratic flash with your timing light, it could be you have a weak or erratic spark, and you need to determine if there is something wrong with the distributor, or the power supply to the dist. Or swap out a spare distributor if you have one. I had mine go bad after some other engine work and it would not start, I thought I did something wrong until I swap out my spare distributor and it started right up (having a spar is handy, only about $7.50 from Pull-a-part).

Good luck.

[gervin]

Just a quick timing question to make sure I am doing this 100% right... So when I try and get the #1 cylinder at TDC I turn the engine until a feel the air release out of the #1 hole then I line up the white timing mark on the pulley with the timing mark on the engine, or do I just leave the pulley at the spot that it is at when the air releases?

[keith]

Go to
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3103&p=23801&hilit= ... ing#p23801

[gervin]

It runs! Thank you to everyone for your help! I finally figured out how to get the timing right on the distributor.

Now it's time to tackle my next problem.... It is idleing around 3k lol. I'm sure some vacuum lines are hooked up wrong and the timing on the car is off so it's time to start digging into those problems.

[gervin]

So all my vacuum lines seemed to be hooked up but when I turn the car on it shoots up to about 4k rpms! I don't even like to let it run for more than like 5 seconds. Anyone have any clue where to start? Could this be vacuum line incorrectly hooked up?

[Neu]

check your idle screw on your carborator...

disconnect your throttle cable from the carb, see if that's pulling on it.

Uh...otherwise maybe some vaccuum components are shot?

[ARCHINSTL]

Ditto on the throttle cable to start -disconnect it from both the carb bell crank and the accel pedal (liniment afterwards...).
Anyway, a good time to lube the cable with light oil from the carb end - raise the cable on high to introduce the lube - put a shop towel, or a plethora of paper products on the inside to catch the excess - it is amazing how this can help, after not being lubed for 20+ years.
Tom M.

[gervin]

I disconnected the throttle cable and that didn't help. Then I messed with the idle screw and get it to start up at about 1.5k then it slowly starts creeping higher and goes up to 2.5k. I have only set the timing on the ignition, should I set the timing on the rest of the engine before messing with this?

[Neu]

Brain fart, but I dont think you can set the timing with it idling all crazy.

It sounds like your vaccuum advance on the distro isn't working. Are the two vacuum lines hooked up back there?

[gervin]

Brain fart, but I dont think you can set the timing with it idling all crazy.

It sounds like your vaccuum advance on the distro isn't working. Are the two vacuum lines hooked up back there?

They are now

So I got it running all nice, and took it out for a test drive. Everything was going good until the radiator blew up!
I'm going to go buy a new one tomorrow.