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Need help, won't start

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Old 10-27-2008, 08:00 PM
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Need help, won't start

Okay, 84 L69. bought as a mess of a project car. took out cc disty and carb. went with an edelbrock 2701 intake and a edelbrock 1406 carb. hei disty. went to put the finishing touches up tonight, and she still won't start. i'm getting fuel, and everything is capped off or hooked up. i'm assuming i'm off a tooth or two on the disty. i tried rotating the disty itself with no improvement. am i on the right track here, with the disty being off a tooth or two??
Old 10-28-2008, 12:34 AM
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Car: 87 Firebird, 90 bird coming soon
Engine: 355 Chevy Vortec Heads TPI, LT1 inj
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: 2.77 posi 9-bolt
Re: Need help, won't start

Best way to know for sure it to find TDC for cylinder #1. Stab the distributor in at that point and line up the post you are using for that spark plug wire. Or you could use a timing light and see if you are even close to the marks on the timing tab.
Old 10-28-2008, 02:27 PM
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Car: 82 Berlinetta/57 Bel Air
Engine: LS1/LQ4
Transmission: 4L60E/4L80E
Axle/Gears: 12B-3.73/9"-3.89
Most likely you are 180 degrees off. A tooth off just means you need to rotate the distributor base more.

Why, oh why did you take off the original carb and distributor? Huge downgrade.
Old 10-28-2008, 05:52 PM
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Re: Need help, won't start

I took the original off because it came with a non cc holley, (missing the electric choke among other things), the original cc disty and the original intake. the car is a wiring/vacuum mess. So, if I'm 180 degrees off, how do I fix that??
Old 10-28-2008, 06:11 PM
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Car: 81z-28,89gta,91z-28 03 1500
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Re: Need help, won't start

Originally Posted by almsfan21
I took the original off because it came with a non cc holley, (missing the electric choke among other things), the original cc disty and the original intake. the car is a wiring/vacuum mess. So, if I'm 180 degrees off, how do I fix that??
you need to find top dead center.
Old 10-28-2008, 06:42 PM
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Car: 82 Berlinetta/57 Bel Air
Engine: LS1/LQ4
Transmission: 4L60E/4L80E
Axle/Gears: 12B-3.73/9"-3.89
Originally Posted by almsfan21
I took the original off because it came with a non cc holley, (missing the electric choke among other things), the original cc disty and the original intake. the car is a wiring/vacuum mess.
Okay, all is forgiven.

Originally Posted by almsfan21
So, if I'm 180 degrees off, how do I fix that??
You need to find the #1 firing position. There are a couple of ways to do it, the easiest is to remove the number 1 spark plug, and turn the engine over while watching the timing mark. If there is compression on the #1 cylinder (hold your finger over the spark plug hole, put a flap of paper or tape over the hole, etc.) as the mark approaches the timing tab, that's the #1 firing position. Set the timing mark around the "zero" of the timing tab, put the distributor in so that the rotor points to #1 spark plug wire terminal on the cap, and go from there. Sometimes the oil pump drive shaft doesn't line up with the distributor, just set the distributor in on the right tooth, bump the engine over until they line up and the distributor drops down all the way. Start it up, set the timing.
Old 10-28-2008, 09:22 PM
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Re: Need help, won't start

Okay, got it timed very, very close after rotating it 180. Then, the battery got too low on charge after crankin on it too much. I'll take it to the parts store tomorrow to charge, and we'll go from there. Thanks for the help guys.
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