Help 66 wont start

[Josh66]

I have a 1966 289 with 600 cfm edelbrock carb. The car has never really run right but I left it alone for about a month and when I came back to it it wouldn't start up. The engine will crank and used to pop but now just cranks and doesn't start up. I have even sprayed some carb cleaner down the carb to see if that would start it, but it didn't. The ignition switch was garbage so I replaced it. I have been checking the ignition system, seems like the coil is giving off a good spark and all my wires seem fine.

I put more gas in it then checked the pump. I pulled off the fuel hose going into the carb and put it in a container and cranked the engine for 5 seconds and got 100ml of gas. I heard you are supposed to get 8 oz after 10 seconds I got about 3.3 oz after 5 seconds is that a small enough difference to cause it not to start? The last thing i did before it quit working was I took off the steering wheel to fix a power draw from the horn. I still have not put the wheel back on, would that cause a problem? Any and all help is appreciated thank you.

 

[tx65coupe]

First off the carb cleaner is not starting fluid. It will actually prevent the car from starting until it evaporates.

I don't think the steering wheel being out will cause a no start situation.

How did you check to see that it is getting spark. Did you actually remove a plug wire and crank it to see if it arcs? Have you checked voltage to the coil?

It sounds like a fuel problem to me. How old is the carb? Did you try replacing the fuel filter? From what your saying, I really don't think its the fuel pump. Even if its weak its still moving fuel and it should be enough to start and run.

 

[65ebd65]

Steering wheel being off is not the problem. More then likely the carb and possibly the timing.

 

[woodsnake]

Fuel pump probably has lost it's prime. Have you got a helper? Dribble some gasoline into the carb while you are cranking it and see if it will try and fire. Once it gets started, the fuel pump will be able to keep you going.

 

[Josh66]

Update! checked plugs

Hello all, thank you for the help and suggestions. I was able to work on it a little more today. Yes it is a points style distributor I checked the points and they are gapped correctly. It is a new dist. looks good inside the cap. I have a jump box which I use to help the battery if it sounds weak but this one seems fine still. I have the car set to TDC but I do not have a timing light to properly time the car, should I get one? I do not have Osborn wiring diagrams, Could you let me know where to purchase them. The car wouldn't start before I changed the ignition switch so I don't think that's it. I changed the spark plugs a couple of months before the car refused to start. I tested every spark plug today, they are Autolite platinum AP-45 cleaned them and gapped correctly to .034. Here's the breakdown
1st cylinder- yellow spark, didn't seem too strong
2nd cylinder- yellow spark, similar to 1 but there was gas on the threads of the plug
3rd - bright white spark
4th - bright white spark with a lot of gas on the threads
5th - weak spark, heavy gas foiling on plug
6th - yellow weak spark, gas on ring of plug
7th - good spark blue/white, completely wet with gas on threads, ring, and electrode.
8th - good spark, completely wet with gas on threads, ring, and electrode. The plug looked brand new as if it had not been used still white electrode and silver ground electrode.

Is all the excess gas due to my inability to start the car? Or could the carb be flooding the cylinders and not allowing it to start? I have set the idle mix screws back to stock settings. The carb is probably 5 to 6 years old its an edelbrock 600 cfm. I have never driven the car so it hasn't seen much action. When I was trying to start it today I saw a puff of gas shoot out of it what could that be from? Thanks for you help.

 

[woodsnake]

What part of the country are you in?

 

[64/2stang]

could be the carb needs cleaning which aint to bad just pay att. n make sure you work over something so you dont lose every thing. also help full to have some one turn it over while you are at the carb. On ours i had to hold choke closed, once warmed up i was able to adjust the carb.

 

[tx65coupe]

I think your no start condition is the carb. I agree with cleaning it up. Just keep track of and don't loose parts, and make sure you put everything back where it came from.

The fuel pump sounds like it is not doing so great, and I think it might need to be replaced, but I doubt its causing the problem.

 

[zigmont]

Starting problems

Fuel pump probably has lost it's prime. Have you got a helper? Dribble some gasoline into the carb while you are cranking it and see if it will try and fire. Once it gets started, the fuel pump will be able to keep you going.

Bad idea to dribble gas while cranking. A backfire could ignite the gas and cause some very serious injuries. Better to pour 1/2 oz or so of gas into the intake, and then try to start the engine.

 

[zigmont]

Starting problems

Hello all, thank you for the help and suggestions. I was able to work on it a little more today. Yes it is a points style distributor I checked the points and they are gapped correctly. It is a new dist. looks good inside the cap. I have a jump box which I use to help the battery if it sounds weak but this one seems fine still. I have the car set to TDC but I do not have a timing light to properly time the car, should I get one? I do not have Osborn wiring diagrams, Could you let me know where to purchase them. The car wouldn't start before I changed the ignition switch so I don't think that's it. I changed the spark plugs a couple of months before the car refused to start. I tested every spark plug today, they are Autolite platinum AP-45 cleaned them and gapped correctly to .034. Here's the breakdown
1st cylinder- yellow spark, didn't seem too strong
2nd cylinder- yellow spark, similar to 1 but there was gas on the threads of the plug
3rd - bright white spark
4th - bright white spark with a lot of gas on the threads
5th - weak spark, heavy gas foiling on plug
6th - yellow weak spark, gas on ring of plug
7th - good spark blue/white, completely wet with gas on threads, ring, and electrode.
8th - good spark, completely wet with gas on threads, ring, and electrode. The plug looked brand new as if it had not been used still white electrode and silver ground electrode.

Is all the excess gas due to my inability to start the car? Or could the carb be flooding the cylinders and not allowing it to start? I have set the idle mix screws back to stock settings. The carb is probably 5 to 6 years old its an edelbrock 600 cfm. I have never driven the car so it hasn't seen much action. When I was trying to start it today I saw a puff of gas shoot out of it what could that be from? Thanks for you help.

If you think the carb is flooding, clamp the rubber fuel hose between either the fuel pump and the tank, or the fuel pump and the carb.
While cranking the engine, hold the throttle wide open as you would for a flooded engine. Clamping the hose(s) will prevent additional fuel from entering the carb and continue the flooding. Eventually the excess fuel will pump through the engine and it will start.
Easy way to check for flooding is to pull the air cleaner and look into the carb. Look for gas dripping onto the butterfly valves.