Alright, my friends 82 TA was running fine, then it just quit when he was coming up the hill to my house. We went down to look at it, put some transmission fluid in it, and it started again and it drove back up to my house. We just decided to take my GP to work and we left his car at my house. When we got back home, it started, and we noticed that it was smoking some *black*. It never smokes, so we turned it off, and it hasnt started since.

It's got a 305 and it's an automatic, by the way.

We added some oil, cause it was almost out. We, cleaned the carb, checked to make sure it was getting fuel, it's getting fuel. We checked to see if it was getting spark, it's getting spark. The oil and the coolant look fine, both look new. We've sprayed about half a can of starter fluid in it and it still wont do ****. It'll turn but it just wont start.

Could the timing chain be broken?

I dont know what else it could be...

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

 

Count your blessings. You have a carb, they're so much easier to troubleshoot than EFI.
Do the accelerator pumps squirt a shot of fuel when you open the throttle?
That's the starting point, then you work your way out from there.
Black smoke... Hmm??
Does it have a fuel filter? If so what kind?
Those itty bitty factory Qjet filters bypass when they're loaded up. That is if it's like the one I have. Then they can let dirt into the carb, leading to a stuck float and flooding.
What about the choke, is it stuck on?

A couple ideas to get you started.

 

Yeah, it's had problems w/ the choke. It's been sticking open, and making it diesel sometimes when he shuts it off. I tried to check to fuel filter, but i dont have any metric tools. I'm old school, all SAE for me buddy. But anyway, when i tried to use other tools to check the filter, it wouldnt do crap. I couldnt loosen the nut w/out twisting the fuel line. It was pretty aggrivating. But yeah, it's still shooting out a little jet when you pump the gas.

I dont think the problem is fuel related though. Cause it wont even start when you pour some gas into the carb, wouldnt even start w/ i shot starter fluid into it.

Well, thanks for the help, but please keep helping, we really need some help.

 

Well if you want to check the timing chain since you mentioned it as a possible concern...pop the dizzy cap, disconnect the coil, and crank the motor. Just to see if the rotor even spins. Could the ignition timing have walked on you possibly, say a loose dist. holddown clamp? Sorry I can't help much...I know sh*t about carbs.

Also since it has issues with the choke sticking...and you mentioned black smoke (rich mixture)...you sure the thing didn't foul out a couple spark plugs?

 

A bigass black cloud would indicate a rich condition, then I'm guessing you guys pumped the pedal a bunch, poured starter fluid and gas all down it trying to get it started, sounds to me like you flooded the hell outta it, maybe fouled some plugs. Pull a couple plugs out to see if they're fouled black to verify. If the choke is sticking closed it will be too rich and won't want to start either, make sure it is working properly. I'd let it sit awhile and see if she'll start later after some of the crap ya'll poured down the carb dries out....

 

I'll check the dizzy thing you mentioned.



I pulled the #1 and it was pretty black, but it would still spark when i had it grounded and had my buddy turn the key.



How do you fix the timing if you cant get it to start?


I really appreciate all this help...

-slim

 

Well you cant really check the ignition timing with the car just cranking...it has to be at a normal idle speed. If I'm SURE the problem is timing I'll have a buddy crank the motor while I slowly rotate the distributor within the normal mvoement range until it fires...but I'm not so sure yours is a dist. problem.

Before you even touch the timing...look at it...does it look out of position. Look at where it is, then grab it at the top and try to rotate the housing without loosening it. If you can move it without applying a lot of strength....then it's loose and MAY have rotated. But I THINK the motion of the cam, etc...will make a distributor advance itself if it's loose, not retard itself. Which is why I think it's not a dist. problem for you. Retarded will keep it from running I believe...I think if its over-advanced it will start but ping like a ****.

 

Don't do a thing to the timing til you'vre checked it with a timing light.
If you're suspicious that the timing chain may have jumped a tooth then a timing light check will confirm or eliminate that as a possibility. But only if you haven't messed with it.
I'll go along with ray87z, you probably flooded it.
I'd almost bet that a new set of plugs will produce some positive results.
This pot o' stew here already has too many cooks stirring it.
I'm outa here.

 

you said you have gas from the carb......

you said you have spark on number 1 when grounded....

it should then start if you are givin it air, check that bad choke hold it open with a screw driver.

car sounds like it has not been maintained if you added.

trans fluid
engine oil

i would change all plugs, fuel filter for sure, oil change as you may have that all gassed up an nasty might as well do cap rotor and wires while your at it. and then take a fresh look at it.

 

agreed with all above posts, espescially Jeffw's. After you do what Jeffw's said, if that doesnt work then buy a carb rebuild kit..

 

it's back from the dead.

It was alot of stuff. The plugs were fouled, #7 was soaked even after we waited hours to check it. We changed all of the wires, and it ran, but like ****. Then it told us it was the plugs. Started right up after it was all done.

Now it's black smoke. It never smoked untill now. Why would it just all of a sudden get rich???

 

You said you cleaned the carb. By that did you mean disassembeled it or just sprayed it with gumout?
I'd have to guess that your smoking problem is carb related. It could be one of, or a combination of a number of things.
A carb rebuild is in order. If you know what you're doing, it's not too tough. But it sounds like you're inexperienced, so you might be opening up a can of wirms.
If your state doesn't require the original carb for smog then you could get a rebuilt Holley, Carter, or Qjet for a reasonable price. But then you'd have to do a dist mod, cause it's CCC. I think.
Just some ideas. If it were me I'd rebuild the carb though.

 

Well, he sold it. He traded it straight up for a 84 Crown Vic w/ a 302. What a ****er...

 

Thanks for all of the help though. I appreciate it.