Went dead?

[trackrat79]

Cant get my truck to restart. it has spark but it is week, has fuel , took carbarator apart and cleaned it new gasckets. tried running a better ground from msd straight to battery - no help. Does not even attempt to start. need to get running before I get a ticket. Old lady in neighborhood is a witch about cars parked on the street that don't move freaquently.

[zbugger]

What's the distributor in it? How well is it cranking? Is the timing ok?

[trackrat79]

Msd billet vacume advance distributor. It cranks hard, battey voltage is 12.5., timing was not messed with. IT just stopped running.

Initialy thaught it was a fuel problem because I could start it but it would not stay lit. Then I rebuilt the carb and got it to idle for about five minutes before it died, now it will not start at all. And does not seem to be even attempting to start. I did the shunt wire check of the msd and got a giant spark so I am prety sure it is not the msd or the coil. I have spark at the plugs too. but the spark at the plug ends does not seem to be near as strong as at the coil wire end.

[paul67]

You could be dragging crap out the tank, get a small cup of fuel and chuck it down the throat of the carb if it fires it still the carb, get someone to turn it over as you put the gas down the carb.

[eville]

how's the ignition wire? When you dropped your HEI did you remove the factory resistor wire and replace with a new wire?

[trackrat79]

All my wires are good, maybe a year old 8.8 accels, the truck never had HEI. I will try the fuel thing when I can get help.

[6'9"Witha69]

how's the ignition wire? When you dropped your HEI did you remove the factory resistor wire and replace with a new wire?

All my wires are good, maybe a year old 8.8 accels, the truck never had HEI. I will try the fuel thing when I can get help.

HEI notwithstanding, the factory harness uses a resisted wire to the coil. Was it replaced with a standard wire?

[trackrat79]

The only wires going to the coil are coming out of the msd box. Also the only wires going to the distibutor are coming from the msd box.

I have been running this setup for five years without problems. Could it be as simple as just needing a new cap and rotor. The truck is parked outside in the weather. I have been told that moistier can bleed through the cap and cause carosion of the contacts.

[nbecker]

first i would do what paul said to see if its a fuel problem if not you want to check the contacts in the cap and rotor,and check the resistance of the plug wires
maybe pull a plug or two

[67cam]

Hey slow down maybe you should check your plugs first. Are they gas soaked? If so get new ones. This happend to me and after buying a new carb, wires, fuel filter, fuel reg, I found out it was the sprak plugs. Anyone want to buy a carb?

[trackrat79]

The plugs were wet and black, already changed them ,still no improvment.

[68nate]

Check the cap FIRST for moisture or signs of arcing/crossfiring. If you chuck a cup of gas down the throat and your crossfiring in the cap you're gonna have a big fireball- not good on nosehairs and eyebrows if you're the guy dumping the gas down the throat.

[trackrat79]

GOt it running, lots of water in fuel system. at least a gallon of water in fuel tank.

[GMFAN]

Sounds like the old lady in in the neiborhood got creative. I added a 1/2 gal of water to ford Fairlane in highschool as payback. Took the owner 2 weeks to figure out what was wrong with his car.