1967 with a worked 390 - can't get it started

[LimeyV8]

Hi all, I've just got my first Mustang - a 67 Coupe with a 390 engine that's been fiddled with and turned into a drag car. I picked up last Wednesday when it started from cold fine and ran fine for a test drive. The 90 mile trailer ride home seems to have done something to it and now it won't start!

The carb is supplying fuel (I managed to flood the engine initially) and there is a strong healthy spark. I've replaced everything bar the condenser and points (which are on order) but still no joy.

I've reset the timing, new rotor, cap, coil and plugs and have verified that there is a strong, healthy spark (blue/white colour). The engine will turn but just not fire.

I'd be grateful for any ideas and also recommendation of a mobile mechanic or garage anywhere in Lower Westchester/Yonkers etc.

Thanks

 

[MaximumRisk]

I don't know much about carbs, but you can try spraying starter fluid down the carb while someone cranks it so see if it starts, maybe something got mess up in the carb during transport (a needle, bowl or something).
I was going to suggest to check the firing order, but you said that it ran well before so it can't be that.

 

[LimeyV8]

Thanks. I've checked the operation of the carb and all 4 squirters are squirting fine. In fact the carb dumps quite a lot of fuel (it's an 850CFM Holley 4150HP).
Luckily for me the firing order is stamped on the manifold and the PO had numbered the leads and painted all the timing marks (which I've verified as correct).
Going to collect new condenser and points tomorrow so may as well try some carb spray too.

 

[MaximumRisk]

anything out the exhaust while cranking? does it, at least, try to start? backfires? anything? just the starter turning the engine, that's it?
It's weird, I mean you got fuel and spark, so unless they are not getting together at the proper time, I don't know what else to think :smash:.

ps Since you said that the engine is heavily modified contact the previous owner see if he can tell you what cam is in it just to double check on the firing order and make sure its still the same as the one stamped in the manifold

 

[jpc252]

Do a Compression test. My daughter's Mustang died while she driving it, got it home checked everything, gas, spark, fuel pump, timming, everything I could think of. Turned out it had 3 dead cylinders. Winded up changing the engine.

 

[ponyboy289]

Hi,
I don't know of a mobile mechanic down around there.Although I used to as I'm originally from down around that area. That said when you say, the engine flooded, did you happen to pull and check/ clean the spark plugs? If they are severely flooded you may not get it to kick over until they are changed or cleaned up a bit.I know it's a 390 but 850 cfm sounds a bit large. Also you said you "Adjusted" the timing was this before you tried to start it? I'm grasping at straws here as I'm not physically looking at it, but perhaps the timing is off. The engine is turning, you're getting fuel and spark. So you're right there. By the way if you are getting spark at the plugs I wouldn't worry about the points yet, They'll do enough of a job to get it running.you may want to change them( or go with a pertronix or similar) at some point. If it started and ran before you bought it,I wouldn't throw anymore parts(more variables) at it until you figured out why it's not starting.

 

[Mike65]

Take the dist cap off & crank the engine & see if the rotor is turning maybe the nylon teeth on the cam gear broke. If that is what happened the engine will crank but will not fire.

 

[jmiller]

Thanks. I've checked the operation of the carb and all 4 squirters are squirting fine. In fact the carb dumps quite a lot of fuel (it's an 850CFM Holley 4150HP).
Luckily for me the firing order is stamped on the manifold and the PO had numbered the leads and painted all the timing marks (which I've verified as correct).
Going to collect new condenser and points tomorrow so may as well try some carb spray too.

i'd try ether, not carb spray how long did the car sit before you bought it? even though you test drove it, etc. might be bad fuel. :idk: just a thought.

 

[LimeyV8]

Thanks for the responses guys. Just a quick bit of history - the car sat for a year before the owner traded it into the garage that I bought it from. The garage owner himself is a drag car owner and before putting it on ebay change the engine and transmission oils and drained the tank (it's a Harwood fuel cell).

I myself drained the tank when fitting the new Holley and everything that came out was clear. I put in two gallons of Premium after fitting the new pump.

After flooding the engine I took out the plugs (which were soaked) and let the car sit for 24 hours before replacing the plugs with identical ones (Autolite 45), gapped to around 0.035in.

Whilst the plugs were out I turned the engine manually to TDC (using the white timing mark on the balancer and also feeling the compression in no.1 cylinder). This also allowed me to check the operation of the points and the rotor - which looked fine. I didn't pull the dizzy though to check the teeth - although it apparently was new a couple of years ago.

I had a neighbour crank the car last night whilst I held a plug near the head and there was a strong blue/white spark.

Thanks again for all your advice. I'm pretty sick of the sight of the thing at the moment so have had it towed to a local garage. I'll let you know it how it goes.

 

[jmiller]

wow that's not fun. any chance the key got left on w/out the car running? sometimes that'll burn up the points.

 

[ponyboy289]

I'm pretty sick of the sight of the thing at the moment so have had it towed to a local garage. I'll let you know it how it goes.[/QUOTE]


So where'd you bring it if you don't mind me asking? Is it a place that you have a relationship with? I only ask because you have to be careful bringing old cars to just any old repair shop these days. I could tell you tons of horror stories. That said Whereabouts are you located specifically? I'm from Crestwood, I don't know a ton of people down there anymore but I could possibly help steer you in a right direction(And definately tell you people and places to avoid) . It wasn't clear to me, but did you happen to move the distributor at all? Fresh gas out the carb, strong spark at the plugs, a distributor rotor that spins freely and a car that was recently running fine. I'm definately leaning towards something timing related. One good thing about these older cars typically a no start is usually(not always) not too big of a deal.

 

[LimeyV8]

It went to a place called Rocco's on Marbledale Rd in Tuckahoe. I've only been in the country 9 months and have no experience with any local garages so literally had to choose between a few I drive past every day. The neighbours all either have new cars or know people in Bronx, Queens etc.

Regarding the timing, I moved the dizzy so the rotor was just after no.1 wire with the engine at tdc. I then tried a degree or several either way from there. I managed to get it to fire once but even then it seemed like only one cylinder actually fired.

Still, it's all a learning experience

 

[ULL_LOSE]

have you done a compression test?

 

[LimeyV8]

That's the only thing I couldn't do. In a sick kind of way I hope that's what it is - at least then I'll have an excuse to rip the car apart, rebuild the engine and then swap it all into a fastback shell

 

[ponyboy289]

I'm not familiar with Rocco's but I know Marbledale well. If you run into a road block I can probably give you a couple of names down around your area.
I'm guessing your no start is the result of the timing being off, if the car ran. then you moved the timing then it didn't start ? Perhaps someone in the cars past installed the distributor on the wrong tooth of the cam gear.That's what it sounds like to me.Without looking at it first hand there's a ton of possibilites who knows, I guess you'll know soon enough,

 

[LimeyV8]

Rocco's just rang - they got it running. The problem is the carb is dumping fuel in - new carb should do the trick

 

[Jays04mach1]

Rocco's just rang - they got it running. The problem is the carb is dumping fuel in - new carb should do the trick

I wish I read the post sooner. It sounded like carb from the beggining.

 

[BMad]

Be careful, if the carb dumped enough gas, the fuel may have made it to the crankcase and thinned the oil considerably.

 

[Rob04Mach1]

Ya man I agree when the Floats get stuck open or the needle valve dont seat on those big ole carb's they will dump a MASSIVE amount of fuel.

Glad to hear you got it figured out Limey, CONGRATS

 

[LimeyV8]

Thanks for all the replies and advice guys. Well, I got it back today ($300 poorer but $150 of that was for the tow) with my new Street Avenger 670CFM carb on there ($350 from Amazon of all places). I gotta say - it's an absolute monster - I was actually too scared to give it any serious gas as we live in a cul-de-sac and I could see it ending up in a neighbour's front room

Now for stage 2 - change from primer red to prime black.