New build ran but now wont run.

[81GrandPrix383]

Hi folks, Been lurking here for a while and it's time for me to start my own thread.

New build 383 stroker was built over the last year. It has been assembled now for months and I'm just trying to get it out on the road.
Had the car running in the garage but had a bad oil leak. Even broke the cam in with oil spraying out the back of the motor.
Embarrassed to say the oil leak was the missing cam plug but that is all behind me now.
Back then the car would start at the turn of the key.
Had some starter issues with my protorque mini starter, bent bolts, wrong shims...quite the learning process but everything is good now and also behind me.
Messed up setting the timing and now the car wont start. Kept flooding while trying to start it. Added a fuel pressure regulator.
Still flooding instead of starting.
Pulled plugs cleaned and dried them, blew out the cylinders, pinched off fuel, put plugs back in, set timing by finding #1 TDC and lining up the rotor with #1 plug wire.
I can get it to almost start.
I can get it to stumble.
I cant get the darn thing to start and now I'm so angry and frustrated that I'm not thinking straight so I turned to MalibuRacing for help.

There is so much information that may be relevant and may not be. I didn't want to write too much.
Ask any questions. Make any suggestions.
There must be something I am missing.

Thanks.

 

[lurchsmalibu]

Is TDC on #1 with both valves closed? If it's stumbling it may be 180* off.

18436572

It can be something very simple that holds you back. 8) Don't get too frustrated about it and rethink your steps taken.....you might cuss a few times, but once it fires up you'll be smiling thinking WTF!!!! :lol:

 

[81GrandPrix383]

Is TDC on #1 with both valves closed? If it's stumbling it may be 180* off.

18436572

It can be something very simple that holds you back. 8) Don't get too frustrated about it and rethink your steps taken.....you might cuss a few times, but once it fires up you'll be smiling thinking WTF!!!! :lol:

Hi, yes 18436572.
Both valves closed (had the cover off) and made sure it was the compression stroke with plug #1 out and my thumb over the hole.

I agree that it is likely something simple.
Thanks for the help. I know when to walk away but I also know my schedule and if I don't get it today, it will sit for another week.
My machine shop/engine builder who built my short-block says he thinks something is wrong with my carb.
I adjusted the floats last week thinking this may be part of it.

 

[81GrandPrix383]

by 180* do you mean the distributor?
We haven't pulled it out since we first put it in and it ran lots in the beginning.

 

[gadgetguy]

sounds to me like your distributor is 1 tooth retarded, try advancing it a tooth
HarryC

 

[81GrandPrix383]

sounds to me like your distributor is 1 tooth retarded, try advancing it a tooth
HarryC

Hey HarryC,

No disrespect but can you explain why it sounds like this to you?
It ran fine before and we didn't pull the distributor. How would it be out a tooth?
You may be right, I just need to know why I'm pulling a distributor before I do it.


Thanks.

 

[bracketchev1221]

If you haven't moved the distributor since it was running then there should be an issue there. If you did, set the balancer to 10-15 before tdc and line up the rotor with the leading edge of the #1 post on the cap. See if that helps.

 

[81GrandPrix383]

If you haven't moved the distributor since it was running then there should be an issue there. If you did, set the balancer to 10-15 before tdc and line up the rotor with the leading edge of the #1 post on the cap. See if that helps.

Thanks Bracketchev1221,

Is there a typo in your first line? Did you mean to put 'shouldn't' instead of 'should'?

I set the balancer to 0 with the rotor lined up with the center of #1 post on the cap then I tried it a little before and a little after.

On another forum people are suggesting that the plugs that have been fouled twice may not be sparking. Last year's gas could be partially to blame. Timing has been talked about but most say it should start within a large range. It should run poorly until set properly but should still start and run.

As I mentioned earlier. I am being told to look at the carb as well. Carb is an edelbrock AVS Thunder 800cfm. It was bought newly refurbished. I opened it up last week and noticed it had 2 different springs in it for the rods and the floats were set differently. I corrected the floats to Edelbrock spec and put a new set of correct springs in it. (I'm a serious beginner with carbs) I should have checked the jets too while I was in there but did not.

Thanks for your help so far.

 

[gadgetguy]

sounds to me like your distributor is 1 tooth retarded, try advancing it a tooth
HarryC

Hey HarryC,

No disrespect but can you explain why it sounds like this to you?
It ran fine before and we didn't pull the distributor. How would it be out a tooth?
You may be right, I just need to know why I'm pulling a distributor before I do it.


Thanks.

Maybe i missed the part that you didn't pull the distributor. Which distributor are you using?? I've seen modules go bad in HEI'S do something similar
HarryC

 

[81GrandPrix383]

It's an MSD Street Fire HEI distributor.
I thought maybe the module was bad so I replaced it 2 weeks ago with a Pertronix Flame Thrower module.
With a lot of coaxing we got it running with the new module and screwed up the timing. Just a stupid mistake, my neighbor and I set the total timing without increasing the rpms to around 3000. Basically we set the base timing to 37*

I figured this was why it wouldn't start the next time I tried to start it, then it flooded while I was trying.

This is when I decided to start from the beginning with the timing, checked the carb floats and installed the fuel pressure regulator.