Trouble starting up 67 GTS Dart After winter storage.

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buck351

buck351

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I thought I'd try the same thing I did last year taking it out of storage after 6 months. I pulled the distributor and shaft. Put in the rod to run the oil pump to prime the engine before I started it. Worked ok last year but this year the car barely ran and rough. Check to make sure the timing wasn't way off after putting things back together. I pulled the valve cover and turned the engine over unit #1 cylinder valves were closed then lined up the distributer to #1. Just fires a few times but won't run. Anyone have any suggestions I'm at a loss as to what's wrong? Dart has the mopar electronic ignition upgrade I did many years ago.
 
you probably timed it wrong, likely retarded. What do you have for distributor, IE breaker points or breakerless?

You can time a breaker points distro almost exactly, by ---after setting the dist back in, rotate the housing CW (retard) then with the key on or some other indicator, slowly rotate the dist CCW (advance) until you get a spark or test lamp. This is with the timing marks placed where you want the timing IE 10-15BTDC etc

Breakerless, similar except visually line up reluctor/ pickup core

You can CHECK timing with a light when cranking on the starter. I knew this and have done this, but Crackedback posted that some time ago and reminded the old guy

As usual.......compression, spark, fuel

You have compression? Try a little squirt of oil, maybe the rings are not getting enough to make compresson. Gives you a chance to check the plugs for condition

Spark........Check the spark, rig a gap or plug direct to the coil and check while twisting the key. Should be a nice fat spark at least 3/8" and MUST BE IN TIME

Fuel.......fresh fuel? You sure the tank is not stale? squirt a bit down the throats directly
 
Check the reluctor gap.

If one of the bushings is worn in the distributor body the reluctor gap will be out of tolerance.

This happen to me on my Mopar Performance distributor and to another guy I know with the same distributor.

In both cases the engine started to run rough then quit and wouldn't start.

For some reason those bushing in the Mopar Performance distributors wear quickly.
 
Last edited:
scatpackbee said:
Check the reluctor gap.

If one of the bushings is worn in the distributor body the reluctor gap will be out of tolerance.

This happen to me on my Mopar Performance distributor and to another guy I know with the same distributor.

In both cases the engine started to run rough then quit and wouldn't start.

For some reason those bushing in the Mopar Performance distributors wear quickly.
Click to expand...

What's the gap supposed to be?
Thanks
 
67Dart273 said:
you probably timed it wrong, likely retarded. What do you have for distributor, IE breaker points or breakerless?

You can time a breaker points distro almost exactly, by ---after setting the dist back in, rotate the housing CW (retard) then with the key on or some other indicator, slowly rotate the dist CCW (advance) until you get a spark or test lamp. This is with the timing marks placed where you want the timing IE 10-15BTDC etc

Breakerless, similar except visually line up reluctor/ pickup core

You can CHECK timing with a light when cranking on the starter. I knew this and have done this, but Crackedback posted that some time ago and reminded the old guy

As usual.......compression, spark, fuel

You have compression? Try a little squirt of oil, maybe the rings are not getting enough to make compresson. Gives you a chance to check the plugs for condition

Spark........Check the spark, rig a gap or plug direct to the coil and check while twisting the key. Should be a nice fat spark at least 3/8" and MUST BE IN TIME

Fuel.......fresh fuel? You sure the tank is not stale? squirt a bit down the throats directly
Click to expand...
agreed for a SB. but OP said 67 gts, so I'm guessing he has a 383.
 
buck351 said:
I thought I'd try the same thing I did last year taking it out of storage after 6 months. I pulled the distributor and shaft. Put in the rod to run the oil pump to prime the engine before I started it. Worked ok last year but this year the car barely ran and rough. Check to make sure the timing wasn't way off after putting things back together. I pulled the valve cover and turned the engine over unit #1 cylinder valves were closed then lined up the distributer to #1. Just fires a few times but won't run. Anyone have any suggestions I'm at a loss as to what's wrong? Dart has the mopar electronic ignition upgrade I did many years ago.
Click to expand...

You said closed; but didn't say on compression stroke. Split overlap looks closed......... but isn't; and you didn't mention crank position at all.
So to re-iterate
it's #1 piston at TDC-compression*. Then drop D in with rotor pointing to front of intake bolt on the drivers side. Them back up crank to the 10* advance mark. Then push Vcan all the way back to the firewall, and then pull towards rad until the nearest Reluctor-vane lines up with the center protrusion on the pole-piece.. Then make a mark on the outside of the D where the rotor is pointing. Then install cap and make sure there is a tower directly above your mark. Make that your #1 tower. Finally, wire the cap 18436572 in CW direction.
If the rotor is not pointing to the front intake bolt, then pull the D out, and re-index the I-drive, until it does.Be sure that when you reinstall the I-drive that it engages the oil-pump, and that the drive gear drops all the way back down beside the cam, with a satisfying "thunk". Sometimes you have to rotate the crank a few degrees one way or the other to make this happen. Just put the crank back immediately after it drops in, so you don't forget. Repeat as often as may be required to get the rotor pointed at or near to that front bolt with the #1 piston at TDC-compression*.
(*) #1TDC-compression, may not be same as the balancer mark ;if you find this out, then it's your job to make it so.
Good luck
BTW.
Since I built my engine in 1999, I have never pulled the D to prime it in spring, even tho it has sat there in the cold since no later than October 10th.
My 750DP has no choke blade. I throw a tablespoon of fresh 2-stoke mixed gas down each of the primaries;then get in,open the throttles about half way and start cranking. It usually takes about 8 to 10 seconds before the AFR is right to support combustion, during which time the mechanical fuel-pump is filling the bowls, and depending on the ambient temp, I may be pumping the pedal.
8 seconds at 350 rpm would be 47 revolutions; 10 seconds at 300rpm would be 50 revolutions.
This engine currently has over 100,000 miles on it.My HV oilpump seems to be doing it's job.
Jus saying
 
Last edited:
AJ/FormS said:
You said closed; but didn't say on compression stroke. Split overlap looks closed......... but isn't; and you didn't mention crank position at all.
So to re-iterate
it's #1 piston at TDC-compression*. Then drop D in with rotor pointing to front of intake bolt on the drivers side. Them back up crank to the 10* advance mark. Then push Vcan all the way back to the firewall, and then pull towards rad until the nearest Reluctor-vane lines up with the center protrusion on the pole-piece.. Then make a mark on the outside of the D where the rotor is pointing. Then install cap and make sure there is a tower directly above your mark. Make that your #1 tower. Finally, wire the cap 18436572 in CW direction.
If the rotor is not pointing to the front intake bolt, then pull the D out, and re-index the I-drive, until it does.Be sure that when you reinstall the I-drive that it engages the oil-pump, and that the drive gear drops all the way back down beside the cam, with a satisfying "thunk". Sometimes you have to rotate the crank a few degrees one way or the other to make this happen. Just put the crank back immediately after it drops in, so you don't forget. Repeat as often as may be required to get the rotor pointed at or near to that front bolt with the #1 piston at TDC-compression*.
(*) #1TDC-compression, may not be same as the balancer mark ;if you find this out, then it's your job to make it so.
Good luck
BTW.
Since I built my engine in 1999, I have never pulled the D to prime it in spring, even tho it has sat there in the cold since no later than October 10th.
My 750DP has no choke blade. I throw a tablespoon of fresh 2-stoke mixed gas down each of the primaries;then get in,open the throttles about half way and start cranking. It usually takes about 8 to 10 seconds before the AFR is right to support combustion, during which time the mechanical fuel-pump is filling the bowls, and depending on the ambient temp, I may be pumping the pedal.
8 seconds at 350 rpm would be 47 revolutions; 10 seconds at 300rpm would be 50 revolutions.
This engine currently has over 100,000 miles on it.My HV oilpump seems to be doing it's job.
Jus saying
Click to expand...
again, it's not a small block. It's a B engine 383.
 
Thanks for all the input. Check with engine builder that rebuilt the 383 engine about how to setup distributor on stopped engine. He said to put the engine at top dead center then align the distributor for cylinder 1. I used my 3/4 drive wrachet to turn the engine to set it at TDC then aligned the distributor. Also reset space on reluctor. Started right up then checked and set timing.
 
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