(Long post)...dizzy problems...AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[MandarinaRacing]

Hello all.....I'm really bummed right now...my car simply does not cooperate sometimes...I took the dizzy out, when I tried to fire the engine it just won't start. My guess is that is 180 off. So I took the #1 plug off, stuck my finger in the hole and turned the engine by hand till I felt pressure, the I aligned the mark on the balancer to the TDC mark. The gently tried to put the distributor in with the cap pointing towards the #1 tower put every back together and...nothin...tried it several times, and in 3 different positions, and nothing. I also took the plug and layed to rest on the block and bumped the engine and the plug fired, so I know that theres power getting to the plugs. I checked the wiring and everything seems ok. Then I even tried to do it with th VC off so i could see the valves closing to indicate TDC.....and still nothing. I also checked that there were no leaks PCV, carb base, etc....it's really puzzling me and I'm outta patience and I'm pretty tired.....maybe someone will see something I missed...the car was running fine, I really don't know why I took the damn distributor out......

PS: sorry for the rant....but I know you guys will understand

Alex

 

[CobraSix]

If you did set TDC just when you felt pressure, you set TDC at the beginning of the compression stroke. Try doing it by sight when the piston is all teh way up. The other way is to use a pencil or pen and stick it in the cylinder when the piston is almost all the way up. Watch the end of the pen outside of the cylinder and see when it stops moving, that's TDC.

Slade

 

[MandarinaRacing]

Actually I kept turning the engine, I did feel the air rush out of the spark plug hole. Then I continued turning the crank with a wrench, and stopped at 14 BTDC, then at 10, then at zero....none of those worked....I'm almost 100% sure that I'm doing this right....but I'm must be missing something because the car won't start....

Alex

 

[CobraSix]

Try the pen method.

If you are getting spark, and you have verified TDC, check your firing order, make sure it isn't out of order.

After that, start looking at your carb.

Slade

 

[MandarinaRacing]

Firing order...check! 1-5-3-6-2-4

What exactly should I be looking for in the carb, everything seems to tight, vacuum port is plugged, the squirters are suppling fuel....the weird thing is that I didn't touch aby of these things.....the only thing I played around with was the dizzy!!???!!!!

I'll give the pen method a try.....thanks man

Alex

 

[MandarinaRacing]

Well I just spoke to a friend of mine that's a mechanic and he said I should check the valve adjustment. He thinks it may be off causing loss of compression.....I'll give a try and report back.

Alex

 

[CobraSix]

Did you mess with your valves though? If you only messed with your dizzy, then the valve shouldn't be messed up.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

When you checked things with the valve cover off, did you make sure which valve you were wathcing? I may be Capt. Obvious here, but make sure it's the intake and not the exhaust valve.

Look for when the intake valve opens. That's your intake stroke. The next time that cylinder rolls up to TDC, you're at the top of the compression stroke and wanting a spark to light it all off.

I know I've reached points where I get tunnel vision and can miss something really big. Take a step back, throw out all the assumptions, and check it all again from scratch. Give your brain a break, first. Look at the system and answer the question "What changed?"

<me grasps at straws> Maybe the dizzy gear isn't engaging the cam properly? Crank it with the cap off and see if the rotor moves? </grapsing>

thinkin' out loud.

--mikey (aka Capt. Obvious)

 

[MandarinaRacing]

Did you mess with your valves though?

yes I did

Slade....I was getting desperate so I did screw around with the valves, guess I made things worse by doing that.....

Mikey....thanks for the advice, hopefully a valve adjustment done properly will make it better....

Thanks again....

Alex

 

[65coupei6]

This may sound dumb but did you check to make sure the rotor is on?

 

[Anonymous]

Mandarin;

Here's one more thing to check: If you accidentally dropped or somehow otherwise introduced a tiny crack or loose joint in the ROTOR, it will act just like this. You will see a spark when the plug is laid on the block, but the spark cannot jump in the high pressures inside the compressing cylinder. Try another rotor, just in case-they're cheap.

Also, I have seen two I-6 dizzys where the cap could be put on 180* out (honest!), so check that carefully, too (On some, if the canister mounting screw is missing, the cap will go on either way). The notch should be near the vacuum advance canister, not toward the other side.

Just a thought...

 

[MandarinaRacing]

It was the valves afterall, maybe what happenned was that first time around I got the dizzy 180 off , but then I started fooling around with other things instead of following a procedur...that happens when you do things in a rush.....THANK ALL for your replies...

Alex

 

[CobraSix]

Alex,

It happens to all of us...That's why I'm call "Mister Gasket"

Slade