Hello all, about little over a year ago I bought an 1986 Camaro with 350 for $600 but one of the cylinder heads were cracked cause it over heated. So I sent the engine to friends perfomance shop to get rebuilt into a 383 stroker. The block has been honed and bored 30 thousands over, the whole deal.

The Problem
Went tried to start the car it just cranks but won't start.

What I tried
-Turning the engine TDC with piston #1, rotate distributor 180 and making sure the rotor is pointing to #1 piston.
-Pouring little gas or starting fluid into the carb.

 

If all of your ignition components are working and the fuel system is ready to go and your only problem is getting the engine timed enough to start then read through this how to and it should start easily:
http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/...ur-engine.html

If you find you are not getting fuel or spark, well, that's an entirely different conversation but an easy (and quick) check for spark is to put a timing light on the #1 plug wire pull the trigger and see if the gun flashes when cranking with the starter.

 

Turn the distributor exactly 180° from wherever it is now.

 

Sounds like timing is off to me.

Also check to make sure you have spark, Pull a plug out, put wire back on it and hold it close to header/exhaust manifold and have someone turn the key. If you see a spark from plug you are good there. If no spark check for 12 volts to dist., module and coil.

If spark, pull fuel line off the carb and put it in a bottle and crank engine over.. If you are getting fuel then move on.

 

So past month or so been trying to figure it out and still nothing. The distributor was 180 off fixed that, put the rotor pointing to #1 piston. I took the #1 spark plug out and ground to make sure I had spark which I do, a blue spark. I lined up the lines on the harmonic balancer. I put small amount of gas in the carburetor but in the little fuel vents. And still not starting.

 

Take out the #1 spark plug. Bump the motor over (BUMP - different from WHIRL) until you hear compression coming out of the hole. Continue to BUMP it until the mark on the crank damper is just coming up onto the pass side of the fixed timing tab.

At that point, you are at #1 firing.

Remember, there are 2 instances of "#1 TDC" per engine rotation: the one where #1 fires, and the one where #1 exh valve is just finishing closing and #1 int valve is just beginning to open. At that same instant when the #1 valves are changing over, it's #6 firing. Since this is a 4-stroke motor, which only fires each cyl ONCE for every 2 rotations, cyls that are 4 away from each other in the firing order, come to TDC at the same time, but only ONE of them is firing each time. They alternate.

Just finding "#1 TDC" isn't enough. Gotta find the right instance of #1 TDC in the engine cycle so that the spark occurs when it's its time to fire, which is the instance at the end of the comp stroke and beginning of the power stroke, not the instance when it's the end of the exh stroke and beginning of the int stroke.

Then once you've got the rotor lined up with #1 FIRING and not just "#1 TDC", make sure the plug wires are in the right order around the cap: 18436572 in the clockwise direction. 1357 are on the driver's side, 2468 on the pass.

 

Did you verify that TCD is correct on the balancer? Sometimes if you use the 400 balancer and an after marker timing cover/timing tab or the wrong one in general, you can throw your orientation mark off completely. (I've done this) Just verify that when #1 cylinder is at TDC with a screw driver, that the timing mark is in the right place.

Sometimes I have seen people put the aftermarket ones on the wrong bolt holes and end up with the timing way off too~

 

NO FUEL or NO FIRE.
We know your getting gas because you are literally pouring it in. So this is going to be a no fire situation.

Does the dizzy have 12v going to it ?
If it does, then you could have a bad coil or a bad ignition module.
Have you hooked up a timing light as described above?

You could also check it the way most everyones dad did here. "here son, hold this spark plug while I turn it over" If he screams you have fire

 

Also keep in mind you are not really wanting to point the rotor button to #1 cylinder on the engine it's self. You are wanting the rotor tip to point to the #1 spark plug wire terminal on dist. cap.

Then make sure your firing order is correct. Plus wires goes clock wise around cap in this order.. 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2.

On the engine, driver side front to rear is cyl. # 1 3 5 7 Pass side front to rear is 2 4 6 8

 

So been still trying lately and got nothing. I bought a new MSD dist, ignition coil, spark plug wires and still just cranking and not starting. I took fuel line off from the carb and put it in a bottle and turned it over and say fuel coming out. Could it be the spark module or no?

 

HI do you have compression ? cam timing could be out .valves adjusted wrongly holding them open .can throw as much fule in and have a spark no compression no bang !

 

Quick update. The other day I got it started but then died after about 5-6mins.

 

Why did it die after 5 mins? Were you setting the throttle position for idle and it died and wouldn't start? Were you playing with the jets and it died? Adjusting the timing? Usually an engine doesn't start, run fine and then die if it was left alone.

Has someone visually verified that the fuel pump is working and you have the correct fuel pressure? Is the idle set high enough? Is spark advance within range as verified by a timing gun? Though it's probably not your problem have you done a compression test?

 

I was using remote starter button and adjusting the distributor as I was hold the button to start it. I didn't mess with anything else besides the turning the distributor.

 

So it sounds like you need to try to start it the same way and have a timing light hooked up and ready immediately.

 

I cleaned off my battery posts and battery cables a bit to see if that helps. Its cranking over now, but now I got no spark. The only thing I have done was moved the distributor to get it to fire again. I am getting 12v from the ignition coil, how would I go about checking the voltage on the distributor? and what other places should I be checking as well.

 

Describe the ignition system in detail.