Misery loves company..78 NYB cranks but no start

[imperialman]

I could have copied word for word the 68 Newport no start thread.
Difference being its my 78 NYB with 400 engine that ran great (well ok) when parked three weeks ago.
Tried starting it this morning and nothing...just turns over.
After seeing that it seemed to be getting gas down the carburetor(Edelbrock 1406) I shot a small parts cannon at it to the tune of a $7.00 ballast resistor.
Still nothing..
I'm waiting for my helper to arrive now so I can pull the fuel line to be sure it is getting a good amount of fuel,and to check for spark at the distributor.
I did discover that whoever removed the leanburn off the engine ,replaced the original distributor with one that has points .
So I will be checking the point gap too.
If it all checks out positive then I will follow the advice given here for checking slop in the timing chain /gears.

 

[1978 NYB]

Give it a squirt of ether while cranking. If it fires it is a fuel problem, if it doesn't than its an electrical problem.

 

[imperialman]

Give it a squirt of ether while cranking. If it fires it is a fuel problem, if it doesn't than its an electrical problem.

Thanks will do !

 

[LocuMob]

It's been an hour and twenty-one minutes, well?

 

[fury fan]

It could be the VR pickup in the distributor. I had one of those fail between starts once. (oops, you have points)

The condenser could be shorted, I think that kills the whole ign?

If you are getting an accel-pump shot of fuel in the carb, then it should buck or something, so don't bother with the fuel line just yet. As suggested, try a shot of ether and see if it responds.

And get your DMM out and start checking voltage from battery to the coil.

 

[cantflip]

Give it a squirt of ether while cranking. If it fires it is a fuel problem, if it doesn't than its an electrical problem.

Quick and effective... I'd just check for the pump squirt or use a little gas, I never liked ether.

I could have copied word for word the 68 Newport no start thread.
Difference being its my 78 NYB with 400 engine that ran great (well ok) when parked three weeks ago.
Tried starting it this morning and nothing...just turns over.
After seeing that it seemed to be getting gas down the carburetor(Edelbrock 1406) I shot a small parts cannon at it to the tune of a $7.00 ballast resistor.
Still nothing..
I'm waiting for my helper to arrive now so I can pull the fuel line to be sure it is getting a good amount of fuel,and to check for spark at the distributor.
I did discover that whoever removed the leanburn off the engine ,replaced the original distributor with one that has points .
So I will be checking the point gap too.
If it all checks out positive then I will follow the advice given here for checking slop in the timing chain /gears.

Quick and easy... fuel, fire and cranking speed... then start to drill down.

 

[imperialman]

And get your DMM out and start checking voltage from battery to the coil.

Thanks . What should the voltage be?
Take it easy on me as my electrical troubleshooting skills and knowlege are limited. I have determined that there seems to be a problem with spark. I pulled a spark plug(new) and putting it to ground while cranking the car over showed little to no spark

 

[fury fan]

A fully-charged battery is 12.6 or higher, a battery at 12.0 volts is essentially dead and needs recharged.
I don't know the suitable voltage after the resistor and at the coil, but check at the input side of the resistor, it should maybe be .2-.3 volts below battery? Voltage goes from battery, thru the firewall and ign switch, and back out, so there will be voltage drops at each connection along the way.

 

[cantflip]

Thanks . What should the voltage be?
Take it easy on me as my electrical troubleshooting skills and knowlege are limited. I have determined that there seems to be a problem with spark. I pulled a spark plug(new) and putting it to ground while cranking the car over showed little to no spark

I think you should narrow down which of these it is... they are not the same.

However, continuing to test with your DMM is bound to help you improve some of those skills... The FSM will have component tests, and wiring should be around 12v everywhere except after the ballast resistor... or ground.

 

[furious70]

Yes, if you have any spark at the plug you know nothing is dead, which is an important step. In my experience a tired old crusty original setup with points and a weak battery can produce so little spark you might miss it. Do you have access to a charger with start mode to help the ole girl out to see if you can't get a little more energy while cranking?

 

[imperialman]

Yes, if you have any spark at the plug you know nothing is dead, which is an important step. In my experience a tired old crusty original setup with points and a weak battery can produce so little spark you might miss it. Do you have access to a charger with start mode to help the ole girl out to see if you can't get a little more energy while cranking?

Thanks , No I don't but when I initially tried starting the car and saw that there was a problem I put my 2-4-6 amp battery charger on the battery at 2 amps. The charger was on the battery for probably 10 hours or so .
The battery in the car is a year old Walmart battery that seems to spin the engine over quite nicely .
Its an old car and things happen, but I'm still perplexed as to why it was parked three weeks ago running fine ,and now dead in the water.
I will get my DMM out and see what I can find.

I'm not sure if the original lean burn distributor sits higher than the points distributor that is in the car now, but I have to say even getting the cap off this distributor as tucked in as it is is a lesson in patience.

 

[imperialman]

However, continuing to test with your DMM is bound to help you improve some of those skills...

Yes. Only one way to improve.

 

[furious70]

Batteries die in a moment, one time they work the next thre don't

 

[cantflip]

If she turns over strong... the battery isn't likely to be an issue.

But since you're learning with your DMM... the earlier advice about voltage was good... it should have around 12.6v at full charge and shouldn't get below 10v while cranking, when you measure at the battery.

 

[1978 NYB]

Schools use to have a decent class on how to use,a multimeter in automotive applications.

I think community college still offer a basic class. Worth taking to understand automotive electrical troubleshooting.

Depending on your age....you could join the Army to become a mechanic. They have a great automotive training program. Yeah, that would be a tough but fulfilling road to take.....

 

[Knebel]

join the army to figure out why the car wont start..lol. Turn the ign oon and measure the voltage at the coil.