Ok, done some searches, done as much trouble shooting as I can for the time being. The situation is as follows, I put a "new" motor in my 83 camaro. The car has sat for about 2 years while I built the motor and got the rest of the project in order. The car will crank fine but wont fire up, I have checked the timing (bumped the motor to TDC, finger over the #1 spark plug hole) the timing marks on the balencer coincide with this and the rotor is pointing at number one on the cap. The motor is getting fuel and I know I am getting spark. I have checked the timing twice as well as the plug wire routing. I am running an accel HEI dist. with thier coil. Stock ingnition system. With MSD plug wires. It has not been re-curved or anything like that, just the way it came from accel. I have checked all I know to check, I really would hate to keep cranking this thing trying to start it and nuke my cam and lifters. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Jered

 

did u check the duhickey

 

damn I knew I forgot something...bump

 

hmm..nobody has any helpfull input? Not trying to be impatient but its hard to see this much cash going to waste.

Jered

 

Check compression.

How did you verify spark?

 

I havent checked the compression with a gauge but the thing feels like it has killer compression (blows my finger out of the spark plug hole. As for spark the motor will run badly and then die, so I figure it must be getting spark. The car ran great when I pulled the motor (aside from a spun main bearing in the last motor). Is there another way to set base timing that I dont know about?

Jered

 

Only three things that a engine needs .. I would just keep checkin

Air/Fuel/Spark


Other than that Battery and Starter?

 

true, the motor cranks fine just wont kick over and stay running. Just about everything having to do with the motor is new, the plugs included. I guess I will just have to keep looking at it, I just dont know if the thing needs a hotter spark than its getting or what and I would hate to throw money at the wrong place.

 

If you want to check for spark, take out a plug, put the plug wire in it, and lay it on a steel/iron part of the engine... block, valve cover, etc and crank it... it should make a spark.

This way you can also tell if its a good spark or not... bright white/blue and its healthy... if its like a red color spark, then its a weak spark.

 

Cool I will check it out, never new how to check for quality of spark.

 

sure you arent overlooking something stupid like firing order or something, its easy to mix up plug wires when your anxious to fire up a new motor.

 

I had the same problem when I put the new motor in.
I also thought I had the motor at TDC cuz my finger blew off the plug hole and my timing marks were lined up.
You are remembering that you will feel pressure out the plug hole on the exhaust stroke too...making you 180 degrees off on your timing right?
I would try taking plug #1 out again, have someone bump it over until you feel compression again and pull the cap and see if the rotor is pointing at #1 and not #6.
I did this and it was pointing at #6. I temporarily pulled up the dist and spun it around 180 degrees and she fired up like a brand new car.
Just an idea..
Hope it helps
Tuck

 

Yea go ahead and crank till you think you are at TDC compression and pull the dizzy and point the rotor at #6 terminal. If it still wont start and you are 100% sure you ahve fuel, and spark then you dont have air.....sounds dumb but you need to pull the timing cover and make sure you have the timing chain installed correctly. Else your valve o/c will off.

 

Or to look at their theory another way, when installing the cam sprocket, did you align the crank and cam sprockets dot to dot? Hmmm....

 

I had the timing cover off when I painted the motor, it is dot-to-dot. The TDC Mark on the balancer matches up with the Timing indicator. Also pulled the valve cover off and rotated the motor around to TDC and the Valve train looks right on. Why would I run the motor to TDC and then pull the dist. and point it to 6 wouldnt that be 180'ed out? Thanks for all the input guys.

Jered

 

Dot to Dot is for #6 firing, not #1, number one is both dots at the twelve oclock, or striat up, position. Pull out the dizzy and point it in the right direction, you should then get better results.

 

right on I will give it a shot. Fingers crossed.
Jered

 

Right if you have the timing chain dot to dot that is #6 firing #1 exhaust!!!! You need to do what I said above and bump the motor till the rotor is pointing at #1 then pull the dizzy and align the rotor to #6. She will fire right it up!!!!

 

Use a rubber, or cork stopper to plug the hole (tie a string to it,) when it pops out you'll know it's on the compression stroke.
Don't crank the engine just bump it slightly until the stopper pops out.
If you rotate the crank backwards to line up the TDC marker with the pointer it will be on the #1 TDC compression stroke, if you rotate the crank forward one rotation, it will be on the #1 TDC exhaust stroke. When the plug pops out 2 rotations are needed to be on the compression stroke.
Theres's no problem with rotating only one time just be sure to stab the Dizzy in 180° from the #1 position.