My 66 won't run!

[Dan White]

I posted here a while back on this same topic, but now I have some more info. As before, I have a 66 with a fresh 350 that I can not get to run. I first thought the breakerless se ignition system was suspect, but I have confirmed that it is fine and that there is good spark. I readjusted all of the valves and reset the timing. I gave it some cranks and no sign of life. So I had a friend crank it while I rotated the distributor back and forth, and it fired, but quickly died, on every attempt. So, now I wonder if I have a fuel problem (i.e. the carb, which is an Edelbrock 1405). It has very few miles on it, but it has been sitting for several years. Should I take it apart and rebuild it before going any further? Also, the gas in my tank is about a year old, so should I drain it or just add new? Thanks for your help, Dan

[G B.]

I would do this first.

Use an inductive timing light while the engine is cranking to confirm your distributor has been installed correctly. The timing light will work just fine at cranking speed.

[G B.]

Then I would do this.

Buy a $2 can of starting fluid spray (ether) at an auto parts store. Give a two second blast into the carb primary throat before cranking.

If your engine will not start on ether with good spark and correct timing then you may have a serious mechanical problem.

Just tell me that you didn't install those crappy reproduction plug wires "with correct dates".

[Jim T.]

Re: Then I would do this.

A contributing problem could be your old gas.

[Jack W.]

Re: My 66 won't run!

me, I am not nearly as knowledgeable as folks like Jerry B, etc. But I did have a problem once with my 65 / 327, similar to yours, only mine followed a freshening up of my plug wires - I installed a fresh set according to the manual. Car would not start, could get some action at full twist of the dist. In desperation I [gasp!] "walked" the plug wires around the distrib cap, essentially re-indexing them one step at a time, and on my first try, she fired right up - turns out the p.o. had set the distrib up "one tooth off" and had re-indexed the plug wires to accomadate this fact, unnoticed to me when I pulled the old wires off.

Suggest you re-examine your distrib install, perhaps you got it a tooth off or more, the fact that you get close "twisting the distrib" might be telling you something.

[Loren L.]

Sell it! E-mail me for my # *NM*

[Chuck R.]

Re: My 66 won't run!

I'm with Jack,

On the surface, it sounds like the distributor might be off big time.

Bring number one cylinder up to firing position and see where your #1 wire is positioned.

A crazy question, Is the carb pumping fuel into the throats when you work the linkages? If not, then you have carb/fuel delivery issues to work through first. AND, if you do have good fuel delivery, be on your guard not to wash down the cylinder walls and thin out the engine oil.

I had a pal do this in the dead of winter to a 383 that jumped it's timing. He pumped two cans of starting fluid into it and then just let it set outside for two weeks. And that as they say was "all she wrote" That puppy set up big time on all eight cylinders!

It wouldn't have bothered me too much except that it used to be my car! A sweet 70 Challenger with a boat anchor for an engine when he was through with it, too bad.

[Les Jacobs]

Re: My 66 won't run!

Is it possible that the rotor is installed 180 degrees off? The timing would be way off, but the timing light wouldn't tell you that. (I know it "shouldn't" happen because its keyed, but I somehow did it a few years ago. )

[mike cobine]

Re: My 66 won't run!

Just remember, there are only three things that make an engine run: spark, gas, and air.

1. You say it fires but quickly dies. Is this the engine running while you have the key to start and it dies about the second you release the key? If so, be sure the power lead to the coil goes to the INSIDE terminal on the solenoid (unless it goes to the resister, in which case the other wire from teh resistor must go to the inside solenoid terminal).

Check that you have voltage at the coil with the key on and engine not running. Then check again with the key in start.

You could be wired wrong or the resistor or resistive wire could be open.

2. Gas. Pull the fuel line to the carb loose and stick in a Coke bottle. It should fill an 8 oz bottle in about 5 seconds when cranking the engine.

3. If the pump is working, then prop the throttle open, crank the engine for a few minutes, and look to see if you have fuel coming out of the venturi. Quite possible the engine is starting on the accelerator pump squirt and getting no gas through the venturi.

>>> it sounds like the carb is probably died out and full of junk, shutting off the fuel.

3. Air. Be sure the choke is partially open. If closed all the way, and it doesn't open when the engine begins running, it could choke the engine into quitting.

4. You already have a note about checking that you have fire at each plug with the timing light while cranking. Check each wire. Four firing isn't enough to run an engine, but could fool you into thinking the ignition is good.

5. Old gas. I wouldn't go looking for any street races, but it should run the car, at least for this. After you get it running, add the highest octane you can find for the first tank.

6. Static time the engine. With the left valve cover off and both of No. 1's valves are closed, run the harmonic balancer to about 4 degrees before TDC. With a timing light on No. 1 wire and the key on, turn the distributor clockwise slowly until the timing light flashes. Then turn counter-clockwise VERY slowly, stopping instantly when it flashes. Tighten the distributor holddown clamp. This should be close enough to run. Adjust to spec after the engine is running, allowing that you have to be running about 2000 rpm to break in the cam.

[John H.]

Re: My 66 won't run!

The inboard ("S") terminal on the solenoid is for the purple "start" wire from the ignition switch that energizes the solenoid. The pink coil bypass circuit wire that feeds a full 12 volts to the coil when cranking goes on the outboard ("R") terminal. If the pink bypass wire is open/not connected/damaged between the solenoid and the coil, the engine will crank like gangbusters, but will have no power to the coil (+) until the key is released to "on", when the ignition switch then supplies power to the coil through the wire from the ballast resistor. If there's no spark while cranking but it sputters the instant you release they key, check continuity of that pink coil bypass circuit from the solenoid "R" terminal to the coil (+), which should have two pink wires connected to it (one from the resistor, and one from the solenoid).

[mike cobine]

I gotta stop writing in the middle of the night

For some reason beyond me, I was thinking the start (hot) wire to the coil came from the outside and the regular running low voltage came off the inside.

Now what was I thinking?

Any fool knows the inside terminal is the purple one like John said and is the one that pulls in the solenoid to start.

Anyway, be sure that you have about 3-8 volts on the coil with the key in ON and then about 12 volts when the key is in START.