Help!!!!

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DixieCuda

DixieCuda

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I am looking for help on a few silly things but hey I am new so I am allowed at least 3 dumbass questions. First question,,,,how do i remove the three pices of chrome trim from under the back window of a 66' Barracuda? Second question,,,,,can someone please tell me the firing order and wire placement on a 273 V8? Third How the hell do you get the starter off and out of a 65' Barracuda?

Reasons for these questions,,,,1) Got a guy who may sell me the trim if he can remove it from the car. 2) I tried to do a tune-up on my 65' Barracuda and for some reason I think the wires are wrong because the cars studders and has no pick up. It is also extremley hard to start. 3) Since the tune up consited of new battery,new sparkplug wires,new sparkplugs gapped to 35, new distributer cap,new rotor,new condensor,new coil, new battery terminals, thermastat and gasket. The only things left I didnt touch were starter, aletenator,and points. I have a oil temp sensor and a temperature sensor left to install if I knew where they went.

So please guys and dolls help me papapapapleeeeeeezzzz!!!
 
http://www.earlycuda.org/images/Tech/wiringdiagrams/65ValiantBarracudaB.jpg

there should be the firing order.

i had to replace my starter last fall, it was a pain, but it should be a few (3?) bolts, and you will probobly have to turn the steering wheel (i think to the right) so the sway bar will move out of your way.

and im not sure about the chrome pieces. but i think there may be a few bolts in the back, right by the window. above the separator for the trunk. again, i dont know i havent done that yet.
 
You Are ''The Man''!!! I will definately go there and look. As for the starter,,,I was wondering if all I had to do minor surgery. Didnt know if moving the wheel would help.
Now the chrome things,,,I havent looked at mine so I dont know but from just looking at the outside it looks like has the be bolted from underneath in the frame rib holes.

Thank you again!!!

If anyone else has more info please pass it along
 
Also is it common for a new resistor to smoke? I thought it might be burning off the stuff the put on them to help keep it clean during packaging but it kinda freaked the wife out so i put the old one back on,,,no smoke. In the past 4 days I have ran into more issues.
 
I did this starter swap last month, the older larger heaveir one has a top bolt that is virtually impossible to get at. Worse if you have headers. Then you have to move it around your centerlink,steering arm etc. Get it out and sit it on the centerlink. Turn your wheels all the way to the right. It might just fall on the floor like mine did. The newer LIGHTER mini starter you can pick up at a scrap yard out of any six or eight magnum motor is easy, slides right in, Mine came out of a 91 Dakota. Also try and pick up some 1/2 moon wrenches (top bolt is a *****)

1222-250x103.jpg
 
your plug wire issue sounds instead like a timing issue. First make sure you have the firing order correct. Then get a timing light and dial it in. I'm guessing that if it ran fine before the tune-up, then you probably turned the distributor a little when replacing parts. If you don't have a timing light you can usually time it by ear and get it pretty close. Just start it up, loosen the clamp, and turn the distributor a LITTLE bit either way until you find the sweet spot. If the car started before you attempted the tuneup, the problem is likely not with the starter. Leave it in there until you've exhausted other, simpler options first.
re: smoking resistor, I don't think thats common. I put in a new one and it didn't do that. Usually when electrical components smoke, it means they are getting too much current through them. Did you mess with any other wiring when you did the work?
The oil pressure switch is located near the distributor at the top rear of the motor. You should be able to find a place to tap into the cooling system somewhere on the front of the intake.
 
also you said you didn't touch the points but did you check the point gap settings?
 
I dont remember turning the dist . As for points,,I have no clue how to set the gaps and getting electrical infor on these cars are a pain. If the old resititor doesnt smoke how could the new one be getting to much power? If I can get it to start running smooth at idle and in drive I won't change the starter. I just figured that since it was hard to start then replace it and altenator.

Heres the story in a nut shell,,,,drove the car all last weekend ran fine. Parked it covered it and then Thursday it was hard to start and then wouldn't start after making clicking noises. I changed the battery,installed new dist and rotor, put in Accel yellow wires(the kind you have to crimp yourself), added a Accel ''superstock'' coil,changed resistor, changed the condensor but didnt touch the points( just loosed the nut to slide in the wire connector). It started right up real easy. Had a little lope in the idle(just figured that was from the new parts) Then took it for a test drive it would ''burp'' every few seconds like a tiny back fire. Didnt have hardly any pick up. Back at the house I made sure all plug wires were down and tight. Went for second test drive,, kinda hard to start again, same rough idle, during the drive it totally shut off and I coasted into a parking lot. Took about 20 mins to get it started again. Had to drive home 2 footed to keep it running and is still died and coasted to a stop in my driveway. Havent touched anything today except drain the oil and try to figure out how to get the starter out and swapped.

Any clues????
 
To make myself sound even more retarded,,,,,, I keep seeing the firing order just listed as numbers and it saying the distributor runs clockwise. With that being said does the number 1 wire goto the 6 o'clock position or the 12 o'clock,,if I am standing at my front bumper looking down on the cap?
 
i had the same problem a couple weeks ago, with it just dying. mine was from a overheated coil. so i moved it to the fender wall and replaced it with a msd blaster coil. but if you hear clicking when you try to start it, that might be from the starter relay. but all this might be point related. i dont know, i never had to mess with points.
 
and when i took the top bolt off the starter, i used a socket wrench and went over the steering column. it sucked, i only moved it one click at a time, took forever lol.
 
The rear window trim is held on by nuts. I think they are 9/16". You will need a deep socket and an extention. Inside the car their may be 2 plastic trim pieces below the window. Each is held on by 2 screws. With these removed you can get to all of the nuts for the left and right trim pieces. The center section is accessable through the oval holes in the ceter below the window.
 
DixieCuda said:
To make myself sound even more retarded,,,,,, I keep seeing the firing order just listed as numbers and it saying the distributor runs clockwise. With that being said does the number 1 wire goto the 6 o'clock position or the 12 o'clock,,if I am standing at my front bumper looking down on the cap?
Click to expand...

Did you replace the wires one at a time or just pull them all off the distributor at once? If so then you need to get the engine back to TDC on #1 cylinder before putting the wires back on. (do all the following with the battery and coil disconnected so it doesn't catch and start up, chopping your hand off...) Remove #1 spark plug. Get a friend to put their finger over the hole and then turn the engine over by hand with a large wrench on the balancer bolt until friend feels compression coming out the spark plug hole. Check to make sure the timing mark on the balancer is more or less at zero. reinstall spark plug. check rotor position in the distributor. install spark plug wires in correct order with #1 wire at the rotor position. This should get you in the ballpark.

The point gap is critical. go to the parts store, ask for a new set of points for it. when they look it up they should be able to give you the gap specs. use a brass feeler gage to set the gap. You may have nudged the points when you loosened the wire.

Again if the car started at all the then problem is not the starter itself. It might be the solenoid but I suspect that it is timing/points/ignition related given the other symptoms you described. So check your plug wires/firing order/points gap/timing in that order and I suspect that you will make enough progress to at least get it running decent again. Remember it ran fine until the initial non-start (which I suspect was a bad battery) so it WILL get back to the state once you get everything sorted out. Don't get discouraged and keep at it. Next time, remember to replace parts one at a time, checking to make sure it runs good each time. That will save you the headache of trying to eliminate multiple options like this.

Keep working and let us know how it goes. We're here to help!

-Tim
 
also you mentioned you used the accel wires that you crimp yourself, its quite possible you have a bad crimp on one or more wires that is preventing it from firing on those cylinders. Use your old plug wires and see if that helps it run better. Then you could replace the wires one by one and see if any of them cause it to run badly.
 
My guess is points. You need a dwell meter to make sure the gap is set right, after installing. Per the '66 FSM 28-32 degrees dwell is needed. Point gap is .014 to .019 ". Setting points is sometimes a matter of trial and error depending on your skill. Its easier to set them with the distributor pulled shoot for the mid range of the measurement, something like .017". Make sure to install the dist in the same spot with the rotor pointing in the same direction as well. If your motor is stock, then an initial timing setting of around 10 BTDC should be a good starting point. Remember to put a thin film of dist grease on the rotor and rubbing block, do not get the points greasy.

You might also check your vacuum advance to see if it is leaking. Put a length of hose on the adv nipple and suck on it with your mouth. Hold your tongue over the tubing in your mouth and see if the vacuum dissipates - watch the arm on the vac adv unit inside the dist to see if it falls back relatively fast. If so, its bad. If it holds vacuum, its good.

Let us know how it works out for you !
 
When you remove the nuts holding the rear chrome trim, use a magnetic insert or some heavy grease in the socket. If you drop the nuts inside the interstructure, they're gone until you can strip the car, turn it up-side-down and give it a shake! :) Be carefull with that rear plastic trim. If it's like all of mine, it's as crispy as a potato chip at this point. By all means, replace the points and set the dwell/timing. The alternator won't effect the way the engine runs (until the battery goes dead anyway). There is no oil temp sender. There is an oil pressure sender which is right next to the distributor. The water temp sender is up front next to the heater hose nipple on the passenger side of the intake. Neither of those will effect the running of the engine either.
 
When I started this mission,,,I did one wire and plug at a time, but then realized the new cap was on wrong. Meaning that the little notch was on the wrong side. So then I tried to replace the wires accordingly. I fully think that i brain farted and messed the wire patterns. I put the coil back in the same location that it was previously but will move it. The reason i am replacing the starter is because of it taking so long to crank before. As for the sensors I am replacing them to see if that is why the dash gauges don't work not because of the ingnition issues. I am going out right now to try the wires,,,will be back this evening to tell you the outcome good or bad.
 
Ok,,,I went thru each wire and found 2 that were crossed. Fixed those and even made sure the nut on the condensor wire was tight. Changed the oil and temp sender. Tighted all connections at the starter,battery and altenator. Crossed my fingers got in and turned the key. It fired right up and had a very poor idle that was very rough and lopey. Then noticed it has started to blow dark smoke. Now I am stuck!! I didnt change the starter so that goes back. Oil pressure switch is going back too because the one they gave me at the parts store looks like a bell, the one on the car doesn't look like it at all.

So with the return money I am going to buy points,feelergauge and a timing light. Any thing else I should add?
 
DixieCuda said:
Ok,,,I went thru each wire and found 2 that were crossed. Fixed those and even made sure the nut on the condensor wire was tight. Changed the oil and temp sender. Tighted all connections at the starter,battery and altenator. Crossed my fingers got in and turned the key. It fired right up and had a very poor idle that was very rough and lopey. Then noticed it has started to blow dark smoke. Now I am stuck!! I didnt change the starter so that goes back. Oil pressure switch is going back too because the one they gave me at the parts store looks like a bell, the one on the car doesn't look like it at all.

So with the return money I am going to buy points,feelergauge and a timing light. Any thing else I should add?
Click to expand...
Keep the starter, you will need it , trust me.
 
Replaced points,,voltage regulator,starter relay and went through every connection three times. I found a bad connection at the relay and that the regulator was toast. Now it starts real easy again. It just has a little bit of a rough idle. The smoke is starting to go away. i think it may have benn from the ''sea form'' I used to help clean the system. I got a few more kinks to work out. I want to thank any all who have offered advice. I still am looking into why the gauges dont work even if the sensors have been changed and fuses are all good. Funny thing is i thought my boat was going to cost a small mint. I forget how much fun these things are.
 
Wiring exposed to salt/brackish water? If not the tinned/real expensive wire-corrosion up the wire. Start ohming from sensor end to gauges. Want to buy another I/O boat? lol. Have one.
Have a 1988, Think I ended up replacing most of the wiring, and de-rigging previous owners electrical engineering.
 
No more boats for me,,thank you though. With all that has been going on with the car I have yet to even get the boat out on the water. As for the gauges,, for now I bought the simple three cluster for under the dash. Granted I said i wouldn't do that but gotta do something until I get the others fixed. Now to figure out how to hook these up. I got a set that seems to only have spanish instructions. To think I wanted to cruise the Cuda this weekend,,,,yeah i must have been dreaming.
 
Depending on the year - check your voltage regulator on the gauge pod. It brings the voltage down from 12 to 5 which is what the gauges operate upon. Its a small rectangular box about 1 inch long by 3/4 wide by 3/4 inch tall and plugs into the back of your speedo pod. Real time engineering makes replacements which are supposed to be cat's meow on these things, and are a plug in.
 
Why mess with points, go and buy electronic ignition set up with orange box, elctronic distributor and ballast resistor. Mopar performance or summit sells complete set up. Easy to install and runs smooth? JMO I have done this on my old 66 and now on new 65 formula s. One of the first things I did to eliminate problems with points and such.
 
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