Not firing up!?!?!

-
Button

Button

74 Dart Swinger
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
565
Reaction score
23
Location
Killeen, Texas
You can follow our car at the link below and see the car show we were at last weekend;
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=44709&page=15
The problem started before the show when the car would occasionaly let out a small backfire when idleing the few days before the show. Then when driving, it ran very rough, accelerating poorly and feeling as if it was on 7 cylinders. We got to the show and were coming home when the car died two blocks from home, suddenly dying and rolling to a stop. It would turn over and fuel wasn't an issue as we could see it getting plenty. But it sounded as if it just wasn't getting any spark. An old man came out to the road from his house and said he thought our coil was bad. It was an Accel Super coil pulled from a junk yard Dodge truck over a year ago and had been doing fine. However I thought I'd swap out the Accel with the stock one and see what happened. No change, it still just turns over spewing fuel out of the carb and not firing. The wires, distributor, cap and rotor are all new. I'm dumb-founded on what the problem is. Any ideas? And, what should the "ideal" timing be set at? Would this greatly affect the car? The distributor is not loose.

000_1566.jpg


000_1567.jpg


000_1568.jpg
 
I would start with the basic stuff.

Is it getting fire? Put a timing light on it and look for the strobe.

Has it jumped time? Install a piston stop and turn the motor over by hand and look at your timing mark on the damper.

I would start there. Got to be spark or timing if you are getting fuel.
 
Sounds like your not getting any spark, pull the coil wire at the dist and hold near ground while cranking the engine. If no spark check the plugs at the ballast resistor and ign box for corrosion also check the bulkhead connectors. If that checks out ok then its probably the ign box or ballast resistor.
 
Use a test lite or voltmeter to check for voltage to coil first and work back to ballast resistor and ign box if nothing. Check the easy things first. Just because things are new they can still fail.
 
We replaced the Ballast resistor today, with a $4.32 new one from Auto Zone. I was really hopeing this would work considering the condition when I removed it from the firewall. But the car continued to NOT start, so now it's on to something else. More to follow.

000_1580.jpg


000_1581.jpg
 
Today we tried pulling the Ignition Control box, (seen in last picture with the black goo running from it) and swapping it out with one from our running parts car, a 75 four door Dart. Still having the same issue so I don't believe the Ballast Resistor or the Ignition Control Box are the causes. What are the "bulkhead connectors" and where are they located? Might sound like a dumb question but I honestly don't have a clue. Is that a grounding strap?
 
Button said:
Today we tried pulling the Ignition Control box, (seen in last picture with the black goo running from it) and swapping it out with one from our running parts car, a 75 four door Dart. Still having the same issue so I don't believe the Ballast Resistor or the Ignition Control Box are the causes. What are the "bulkhead connectors" and where are they located? Might sound like a dumb question but I honestly don't have a clue. Is that a grounding strap?
Click to expand...

Your bulk head connectors are right behind you drivers side valve cover on the fire wall. There are three plugs there that plug into the fire wall. Pull them out carefully to avoid breaking the clips and check them for corrosion. I would also look at the rotor. I have actually had one break before on a chevy and cause the same problem.
 
I have the same issues going. Mine is a 65' cuda with a 273 V8. I started with battery,plug wires,plugs,cap,rotor,points,condensor,coil,starter,starter relay,voltage regulator and resistor. New resistor started smoking soo that was swapped back to old. After all that i still had rough idle and lack of power. Then went on to the fuel system by rebuilding carb and adding new fuel filter. Still rough idle and little power. I have a new fuel pump to install and hope that helps because if not I have hit a wall. Any advice?
 
DixieCuda said:
I have the same issues going. Mine is a 65' cuda with a 273 V8. I started with battery,plug wires,plugs,cap,rotor,points,condensor,coil,starter,starter relay,voltage regulator and resistor. New resistor started smoking soo that was swapped back to old. After all that i still had rough idle and lack of power. Then went on to the fuel system by rebuilding carb and adding new fuel filter. Still rough idle and little power. I have a new fuel pump to install and hope that helps because if not I have hit a wall. Any advice?
Click to expand...

How old is the gas in the car? What is the old fuel pume pressure reading and flow output? No need to replace the pump unless it's out of specification as if it's OK it won't cure anything. You should take these tests if you just where it comes out of the fuel filter so you are checking it as well.

What's the history on the car/engine, have yoyu done anything to it prior to it running bad before you put in all the new parts? Is there any ticking going on with the valve train? Are the valves set correctly? (I believe the older 273's had a mechanical cam which needed the valve lash set) Have you done a compression test recently? What do the spark plug electrodes look like?
 
I havent the foggiest idea of the pump pressure. That was just my next move along my twisted path. The car ran great prior to the battery dying. I didnt touch or add anything before this adventure. There is no ticking or valve noise from the motor. I think the timing is set wrong right now. The plugs look okay but that could also be because they are new. The old plugs looked pretty old but didnt have any oil or corroded.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top