Car won't start...

Dec 31, 2021 4 Replies

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Michael Trew 4 years ago

Aforementioned 1968 Ford Galaxie 302 engine won't start. It cranks over just fine, but won't try to catch or even "pop off" just once. Seems exactly like a no-spark condition.

It's been a wet day, so I popped the distributor cap, but no condensation. Wiped off the metal parts and rotor anyway (not dirty). I pulled a random plug wire and put a spark tester on it, resting on the block. It sure lit up, that cylinder had spark.

Drats... I really thought that the coil went, but it still has spark to the distributor cap. I dumped a bit of fuel down the throttle. No difference. Cranks just fine, but it won't even pop as if it were trying to catch; not even on one cylinder.

I guess I'll try again in the morning. Any ideas? How ironic that I get stumped like this, after posting a couple of times today how old cars are so much easier to work on... LOL. Thanks in advance.

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Snag 4 years ago

How many miles on the timing chain ? Put a timing light on it and see when the spark occurs .

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Scott Dorsey 4 years ago

If it's not spark and it's not fuel, it's air or timing. First step is to get out the timing light.

If you had a newer car, you could go into the menus and look at a plot of the crankshaft position sensor and the timing diagram without even having to get your hands dirty.

--scott

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AMuzi 4 years ago

Is 'a bit of fuel' something like 1/4oz? More than 'a bit' makes its own trouble. Try ether instead.

If not a fuel problem, likely a timing issue. Does your distributor turn easily (clamp bolt not tight)? May have wandered. If it's tight, check position with timing light since you have spark.

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Michael Trew 4 years ago

Thanks all. I considered timing after I went to bed. Same issue in the morning when cranking. Late this afternoon, I came back to tear into it, but it fired right up, how odd.

I pulled each spark plug afterward, and they weren't bad looking. I sanded them down, checked the gap to about .035. I also took a brass wire brush to the contacts inside of the distributor cap. All in all, it's actually running a bit more smoothly than before. Plugs are wires didn't look too old.

I'll be in for a carburetor rebuild not too long from now. Probably a fuel filter also. It starts to die when you first get into the throttle, unless you feather it. It was sitting in a garage for decades. I guess the last guy did a quick tuneup and got bored.

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