Wits End With A 318

-
V

valerie6708

Mopar Or No Car
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Location
Graham, WA
I'm putting a reman'd 318 into a 76 W200. The new engine went in fine, bolted up to the transmission, no problem there. I put a new Edelbrock 4 barrel 600 CFM carb on an Edelbrock 4 barrel manifold. The engine is turning over, but it won't start. I've tried everything there is to try. I've checked all my grounds, advanced and retarded the timing, put in new plugs, wires, coil, fuel regulator and gauge, ballast resistor, set the jets up and down... I've tried it all. The only thing I haven't done is to adjust the metering rods in the carb, but I figured from the factory it should be fine. I double checked the floats, etc. I NEED HELP!!! I can't figure it out!!!! ANY help at all would be appreciated. Sometimes more than one head on a project could help.
 
Check the plug wires for spark and then if gas is going in the carb.
 
only thing to getting old school tech to fire is spark,fuel and air ...and compression and a few other things but mainly if you have spark , fuel and air ...you should get a rumble out of her.

check and make sure you have spark first, pull a plug wire and crank the engine while trying to get an arc to jump from the plug wire over to a base ground such as a bolt on the engine or something.

if spark checks out then move on to fuel, first of all...smell the inside of the carb, see if you can see fuel spraying and so on.

you should be getting air unless you stuffed rags in the intake and forgot about them HAHA.

if you get spark but still no fire then try dribbeling some gas down the carb and then it should fire...probably looking at a fuel pump/filter problem (they sell new junk too LOL)or just a matter of not having the fuel system primed.

if its a spark problem it could be a number of different things...so in that case just let everyone know after you have narrowed the cause of problem down and we can all give you ideas of things to check.

hope that helps a little
 
Thanks for the quick reply!!! : )

I've checked for spark, checked them all. I'm getting fuel, plenty of. It's coming out of the carb and the filter is filling up. The fuel pump is new, worked right before the new engine went in, and obviously if I'm getting fuel up to the carb/filter my pump is in good shape.

The only thing I can think of is something is wrong inside the carb. I still have my doubts though, this is carb # 2. Keep the ideas coming, and I'll keep rolling!

Cross your fingers, gentlemen and wish me luck! My boyfriend and I are seriously at our wits end!!!
 
open up the throttle and look in to see if fuel is squirting...

if it is then you have fuel...

when your trying to start it are you giving it gas?? is the carb set all the way to 0 for idle??
 
you mention your getting fuel to the carb ....but have you tried to put a little dribble of gas directly down the carb? if you have spark and you do this ...there should be no reson that it would not fire unless you have severely weak spark or something silly like a rag stuck down in the intake that maybe you forgot about? ( I have seen stranger things HAHA )

also ,what does the spark look like? faint blue spark? strong spark? yellow spark?

even if you are 180 out of time you should get it to backfire through the exhaust so I doubt its a timing issue.

if your not getting fuel I would think you are either getting know spark or weak spark.
 
also, are you running points? electronic? does it have a ballist resistor? I have unhooked these before and TEMPORARILY hooked them together just so I could eliminate or pinpoint the resistor as the problem. is the coil new or old?

have you tried using a test light and or volt meter on all your connections? comb over the hole thing and check the grounds.

also ,I am highly doubting this being that you said its new and being that it should still fire reguardless unless it had no rings or something lol but have you done a compression check just for the heck of it?
 
You said you checked for spark. You did not say you have spark. Have you stuck a screwdriver in a plug wire, held it close top a ground and spun the engine to SEE the spark? Hell, I always just hold the screwdriver in my hand. It ain't gonna hurt you. Just give you a little jolt. Sounds to me like there's no spark. IF it is getting fuel.....even if it's out of time, you will get SOMETHING. whether it's a running engine or a pop through the exhaust or carb, if theres fuel AND fire, SOMETHING will happen.
 
No compression check yet. Spark looks pretty good, brand new ballast resistor and coil. And no, no left behind rags. : ) I have not put fuel directly in the carb... I should give this a try, if nothing else, even just to rule it out. I guess I'm headed out to the garage for a minute. : ) Again, thanks for your quick reply's.
 
Checked for spark in Ashley terms means yes, I have spark. And like I said, it's turning over, it's just won't start.
 
StrokerScamp said:
You said you checked for spark. You did not say you have spark. Have you stuck a screwdriver in a plug wire, held it close top a ground and spun the engine to SEE the spark? Hell, I always just hold the screwdriver in my hand. It ain't gonna hurt you. Just give you a little jolt. Sounds to me like there's no spark. IF it is getting fuel.....even if it's out of time, you will get SOMETHING. whether it's a running engine or a pop through the exhaust or carb, if theres fuel AND fire, SOMETHING will happen.
Click to expand...

Stoker is right on the money. If you have spark & fuel SOMETHING will happen.
 
P.S. Stroker may have a high pain tolerance.....I have been shocked by a spark plug before and got knocked on my *** lol.

and I have been tasered before so I know what a weak spark and strong spark feels like lol.

not to mention if you have a heart condition or something it could kill you....highly not recommended :read2:
 
Well, sumthins up somewhere. They don't not run for nuthin.
 
DusterDude72 said:
P.S. Stroker may have a high pain tolerance.....I have been shocked by a spark plug before and got knocked on my *** lol.

and I have been tasered before so I know what a weak spark and strong spark feels like lol.

not to mention if you have a heart condition or something it could kill you....highly not recommended :read2:
Click to expand...

Well if you don't ground yerself like a dumbass and just touch the WIRE you'll be ok. Course I wouldn't recommend it for a pacemaker patient. LOL
 
StrokerScamp said:
Well if you don't ground yerself like a dumbass and just touch the WIRE you'll be ok. Course I wouldn't recommend it for a pacemaker patient. LOL
Click to expand...

LOL

first time I found out the hard way...I was just a kid, maybe 8 and my old man had the lawn mower running and said "hey unplug that wire for me would ya" so I did....HAHAHA bad mistake
 
DusterDude72 said:
P.S. Stroker may have a high pain tolerance.....I have been shocked by a spark plug before and got knocked on my *** lol.

and I have been tasered before so I know what a weak spark and strong spark feels like lol.

not to mention if you have a heart condition or something it could kill you....highly not recommended :read2:
Click to expand...

Well look at that avatar of Stroker, he's touched a few too many plug wires already. 8 )
 
whoa, don't know whats up with that lol ...I put 2 smiley face things side by side and it looks like a.......well......HAHA

anyways, it was suppose to be this :toothy10: and =D>



anyhow ,back to the topic at hand lol
 
Have you checked the ignition switch? Make sure the coil has power when the ignition is turned to "start" and also in the "on" position.
 
When you installed the distributor, how did you time it?
 
Try this, pull the #1 spark plug out of the block and then crank the engine over by clicking the key and "bumping" it Hold your finger over the spark plug hole while having someone else bump the engine over. As soon as you feel the engine push your finger up from the hole you should be at top dead center on the compression stroke. Then do not turn it over any further. Remove the distributor cap and peek under the cap and see where the rotor is pointing in relation to the wires on the cap. The rotor should be pointing at the plug wire that leads to the #1 cylinder. if your rotor is not pointing to the # 1 plug wire you need to check to see if either the distributor/rotor is advanced 180 degrees out or if the wiring is wrong where the wires plug up to the cap. Hope this helps and Merry Christmas!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top