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350 mild cam won't start

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Old Apr 3, 2011 | 11:31 PM
  #1  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
350 mild cam won't start

Ok PO says procomp mild cam with 470 lift doesn't remember anything else about the cam but it has stock heads and bottom end, 700r4 3000 stall auburn carrier posi, 3.73 gears, holley 670 street avenger, and a full msd ignition 6al blaster 2 and vacuum advance pro billet distributor..... Oh and hitorq starter....

Motor turns over great, but will not fire off, I have spark I have checked TDC at least 100 times hahaha all the grounds are good as wellnas all the other connections...

A problem I notice with the help of my wife turning the car over for me is that when I actually go WOT on carb and I get the motor to run and can rev it while the starter is still cranking the engine but as soon as the starter stops the motor dies.....I know that the starter is good had it checked twice and revving the motor with the starter engaged is bad but the only reason the motor is running is because the starter is making it and when the starter is let go the motor dies...

Am I not getting enough advance timing to even start it, should I have the vacuum hose hooked up to the distributor for it to even start?... I'm completely lost on this I've checked everything at least twice and I get the same results every time....

I'm new at some of this so any help would be great!!!!!!!

Oh and the headers get hot as sh$t quick I mean like within seconds of me trying to keep the motor running if that's any help

Last edited by Ticeblue; Apr 3, 2011 at 11:33 PM. Reason: Oh and the headers get hot as sh$t quick I mean like within seconds of me trying to keep the motor running if that's any help
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 08:24 AM
  #2  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Anyone???? I bought the car cheap because the previous owner just didn't have the time to finish it, so the only thing I've put on the car is the msd and the motor did not run when I bought it....
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 09:24 AM
  #3  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

So no one knows anything they just look at the post....
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 09:48 AM
  #4  
Project86B4Z's Avatar
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 124
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From: Davidson co, NC
Car: 85 camaro RS RIP\ 86 IROC-Z :)
Engine: 2.8 MPI V6\ carbed LO5 5.7 v8
Transmission: 700r4 auto
Axle/Gears: 3.42\ posi 3.73
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

I have never seen this condition before but
With the headers getting hot or turning red hot with in
Seconds of the engine running I would suggest retarding
the timing by a couple of degrees and if that doesn't work make
Sure the carburetor is getting enough fuel...the leaner the engine
The hotter it will run.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 12:44 PM
  #5  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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Posts: 74
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Well since you said something about the fuel..... It got me thinking about what I was doing and I was having to pretty much leave it in WOT the time it was running......I read on here that the headers could also be getting hot due to the combustion happening outside the chamber because of the timing....like the exhaust valve is still open when it fires
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 12:52 PM
  #6  
Apeiron's Avatar
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From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Check the valve lash, check the plug wire firing order, check that the rotor points to #1 terminal at #1 TDC firing.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 12:54 PM
  #7  
Project86B4Z's Avatar
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 124
Likes: 1
From: Davidson co, NC
Car: 85 camaro RS RIP\ 86 IROC-Z :)
Engine: 2.8 MPI V6\ carbed LO5 5.7 v8
Transmission: 700r4 auto
Axle/Gears: 3.42\ posi 3.73
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Yeah it definitely running too lean since ur having to idle
At to WOT.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 01:13 PM
  #8  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Originally Posted by Apeiron
Check the valve lash, check the plug wire firing order, check that the rotor points to #1 terminal at #1 TDC firing.



I've checked the firing order I've got all the wires labeled....the rotor actually points to a spot I think anyway in between 530 and 630, and #1 is at TDC the only thing I haven't tried it a piston stopper to check the TDC and balancer. How do you check valve lash????

And I figured out what the deal is with the starter staying on the rod under the dash going to the ignition switch is bent and thus not allowing the key to spring back like normal....where can I get a new rod???? or should I just take this opritunity to get a push button start in???

Thanks for the advice, I'm not completely confident in my mechanicing skills
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 01:36 PM
  #9  
built91Z28's Avatar
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,446
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From: Orlando
Car: 1991 Camaro Z28
Engine: 357, Canfield heads, solid roller,
Transmission: Upgraded 03 Cobra T56
Axle/Gears: 9" 3.50 gears and Detroit Locker
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Actually running the timing too retarted and the motor too rich can easily make the headers very hot like that. I already went through that with mine. With in 2 or 3 minutes my headers would be glowing. Bumped the timing up and leaned it out a bunch and everything was good.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 01:48 PM
  #10  
Ticeblue's Avatar
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Well I can advance it only so far as the vacuum advance canister hits my intake manifold.....so should I reroute my wires in a different configuration so I can turn it further, how should I run them??

Which wires under the dash on the ignition switch do I tap into for a pushbutton start??
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 01:49 PM
  #11  
old z mzn's Avatar
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From: batavia ohio
Car: 1992 z-28
Engine: 383 stealthram
Transmission: auto
Axle/Gears: 4.10
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Originally Posted by Apeiron
Check the valve lash, check the plug wire firing order, check that the rotor points to #1 terminal at #1 TDC firing.
valve lash
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 01:52 PM
  #12  
built91Z28's Avatar
Supreme Member
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,446
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From: Orlando
Car: 1991 Camaro Z28
Engine: 357, Canfield heads, solid roller,
Transmission: Upgraded 03 Cobra T56
Axle/Gears: 9" 3.50 gears and Detroit Locker
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Originally Posted by Ticeblue
Well I can advance it only so far as the vacuum advance canister hits my intake manifold.....so should I reroute my wires in a different configuration so I can turn it further, how should I run them??

Which wires under the dash on the ignition switch do I tap into for a pushbutton start??
Before you just move the distributor around, get a timing light on it for those few seconds it will run. See where its at.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 02:05 PM
  #13  
Ticeblue's Avatar
Thread Starter
Junior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Well initially everything was in the default spot(530 and TDC) when it was running and I started to turn the dist. The idle was coming up and then before I could turn it any further I hit the vacuum canister and couldn't go any further.....this is such a self esteem bubble popper lol but it's still a great 1300 investment even if I have to build a new car from ground up CUZ IT'S A CAMARO!!!!
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 02:08 PM
  #14  
built91Z28's Avatar
Supreme Member
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 2
From: Orlando
Car: 1991 Camaro Z28
Engine: 357, Canfield heads, solid roller,
Transmission: Upgraded 03 Cobra T56
Axle/Gears: 9" 3.50 gears and Detroit Locker
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

Lining everything up by eye is just to get it going. You need a light to actually set it.
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Old Apr 4, 2011 | 02:18 PM
  #15  
Ticeblue's Avatar
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
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From: Oklahoma City, Ok
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit vette servo
Axle/Gears: 3.73 Eaton Posi
Re: 350 mild cam won't start

True, thanks for the advice I'll do it when I get home...... Do you think I should get a piston stopper to check my TDC and balancer markings????
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