Did I slip a tooth?

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Cope

Cope

Fusing with fire
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Dang car won't start.
New distributer, new cap, rotor, wires and coil.
I pulled #1 plug and the valve cover to make sure I didn't put the distributor in backwards and it still won't fire?
Not even a pop, she just cranks. Carb is pumping fuel and I have fuel pressure.
Battery is also new and cranking fast.

The only other thing I can think is that the timimg chain slipped?

Any ideas on what to check or what I should be doing?

71 dart, 318.

I'm at my whits end whit this.

Thanks again for your time and advice.
 
Have you verified your getting a good strong spark to the plugs? Points or Electronic ignition? Stock or Aftermarket?
 
Mag pick up distrubter.
MSD coil, wires and 6AL.

I'll pull a plug and check spark later today.
 
upload_2017-8-25_18-33-18.jpeg


yep ! you sure did.....
 
The car was running. Burned a few wires on the headders, then got new wires. Car was not running good. Checked the old dizzy and it was walking in the buishing. Got a new one and no fire.

Distributer is 2 or 3 weeks old, not a reman.
As are all the rest of the parts except the 6AL.
 
My neighbors 68 GTX wouldn't start one day . I couldn't figure it out so he brought it to a local shop.
His rotor had popped up off the keyway and was not turning under the cap ! I had never seen that happen before.

Did you check for spark? Maybe the ballast resistor ?
 
OK LET'S START ALL OVER.............

"The car was running.........."

THEN WHAT??? Step by step?

Check spark do you have any?
Check fuel do you have any AT THE CARB?
 
I don't run a resistor.

The start button is up on the halo bar so I'm waiting for my girl to come over and help check spark.

I think everyone is on the right page, I need to check spark. I'm thinking it's not sparking for some reason.
 
I have fuel at the carb and it is spraying when I pump it.

Changed wires, then distributer and coil.
Cap and rotor came with the new dizy.
 
You can check for spark by yourself. "Rig a wire to a plug, etc, and prop it up from the coil tower to a ground AKA lay it up on the firewall to hood interface. Operate the key and watch

Recheck the rotor / cap look for damage that you did not break the rotor
 
Forgot rotor? Ask me how i know...
 
Is the 6al msd box have a power light on ?
 
Ok I jumped the 2 wires off the MSD box and I get a great spark off the coil wire.
When I hooked the wires back up and check spark at the plug I got nothing.

Somewhere from the distributor to the plug is the issue.

The disteibuter, cap, rotor, wires and plugs are new.
How big should the air gap be from the star wheel to the pick up in the dizzy, maybe the new one is out of adjustment?
 
Nevermind.:D

About .008 with a non magnetic feeler gauge, although I have never had a problem using a steel one.
 
Last edited:
Per the MSD troubleshooting page, I jumped the green and violet wires. When the jumper is pulled the coil wire should spark. (It dose)
This tells me the MSD box is working, it's not getting signal from the distributor or the spark is not making it out of the cap.

That's why I'm thinking maybe I should adjust the air gap on the pick up? Maybe the gap is to far and it's not triggering the box?
 
It's not the air gap, I adjusted it and still no fire at the plug..

I know fire is going in to the cap, so it's either not getting to the rotor or not getting out the cap..

I pulled up the little tab on the rotor just incase it was not touching the little post.

So I guess I should just try a new cap?
 
Cope said:
It's not the air gap, I adjusted it and still no fire at the plug..

I know fire is going in to the cap, so it's either not getting to the rotor or not getting out the cap..

I pulled up the little tab on the rotor just incase it was not touching the little post.

So I guess I should just try a new cap?
Click to expand...
This does not make sense. If you are getting fire from coil to cap it has to get to the plugs. The pickup in the distributor should pulse the coil to fire. Look for a problem with the pickup in the distributor.
 
I'm confused............Set the thing up as close to possible as RUNNING. That means if necessary, pull the distributor so you can turn it by hand and see if that generates spark. If it DOES then YOU HAVE A

bad coil wire (high tension wire from coil to cap)
bad rotor (spark "punch through" to shaft or other problem)
cap is so wet and so carbon fouled that it acts as a short......doubtful but could happen and HAS
 
From your haphazard explantation it could be BAD PICKUP in the distributor or reluctor gap adjustment

You need to tell us SPECIFICALLY wire by wire what you did and what the symptoms are............

Did this distributor you are now trying to use EVER work that you know of? If not.........it's suspect......

WHY did you change the distributor..............?

Is the MSD new? Have you been running it? ????
 
Ok pulled the distributor out of the drive gear and spun the rotor by hand. The coil is firing and pick up is working.

That just leaves it to be a bad cap or rotor..

I have a spare cap so I'll try that, if that don't work it MUST be the rotor, right?
 
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