#### JUST WON'T START #####

[Guest]

ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT WON'T START.<P>I HAVE BOUGHT A NEW NASCAR 1100 CCA BATTERY<BR>NEW COIL , CAP AND ROTOR , PLUGS AND WIRES,<BR>STARTER IS GOOD(ENGINE IS TURNING OVER)<BR>FUEL PUMP IS WORKING, NEW CARB(OLD ONE WAS LEAKING),<P>THE CAP AND ROTOR ARE NASCAR, I HAVE A FRIEND THAT HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH A NASCAR DISTRIBUTOR CAP. I PUT BACK ON THE OLD CAP AND ROTOR(WHICH IS CRACKED) AND STILL NOTHING.<P>THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION JUST ISN'T HAPPENING,<BR>AND THIS CAR WAS RUNING A FEW WEEKS AGO, STALLED ALOT BUT WAS RUNNING.<P>BY THE WAY, THIS IS A 1973 BUICK CENTURY<BR>350-2 WITH A 2B CARB ......<P>.......JUST CAN'T FIGURE THIS ONE OUT....<BR> .......PLEASE HELP!

[Guest]

Assuming you are still using points and not HEI, have you checked the dwell. If the points are not within some acceptable range, that would cause your problem. I know because when I installed new points I first adjusted them using a feeler gauge, but obviously did a lousy job because the car would turn and turn, but not start. Took my allen wrench and make a a quarter turn, boom ignition. Also make sure you maybe didn't know a wire loose in the distributor when you changed the cap and rotor.

[Guest]

What you have done is what my Brother calls "throwing parts at the car". You have to re-trace everything YOU did, it WAS running after all. I would venture to guess that you have done many things it didn't need instead of fixing the first thing you did wrong.

[Guest]

I can agree and will attest to 'throwing parts' myself. I've gotten a bit smarter after being around all the wise people here tho.<P>Retracing your steps is a good place to head, but some suggestions from my experiance doing the same thing. (ha!) With new cap, rotor, points, etc, your dwell & timing will be off. What sucks is your dwell effects the timing so make sure it's right. I had the same prob and fiddled with an allen wrench for 45min getting it to start. When I was able to start it, I couldn't shut it off. Timming was utterly high. When this was done tho, new parts 'were' needed, but I was throwing stuff already. haha<P>Trust in MartinSr, he as well as others are very wise people.<P>Cheers!<P>-Scott

[GSMAG]

Start with the basics, you need compression, spark and fuel. Check the carb to make sure there's fuel in it. Look into the bore of the carb and see if the accelerator pump is squirting raw fuel. If it is, go to spark. Pull the coil wire off at the cap and hold it close to a ground source, the block is a pretty good place or a bracket. Have someone crank the engine and see if there are sparks, there should be. If not, your distributor isn't energizing the coil and releasing the charge. Let us know what happens with these two tests and we'll know where to steer you from there.<P>Mike

[Guest]

Make sure your plugs aren't soaked in gasoline. If they are, take them out,dry them off, let the gas evaporate out of the chambers, try again with a LITTLE starting fluid. BE CAREFUL!!!

[Guest]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!!<BR> "IT'S ALIVE!!!!"<BR>IT WAS A COMBINATION OF PROBLEMS....<P> THE POINTS WERE FRIED, THE AUTOMATIC CHOKE LEVER HAD COME LOSE.....<BR>....AND THE BEST OFF ALL....EL PACO DOWN AT CHECKERS GAVE ME THE WRONG SPARK PLUGS!<P> ANYHOW, IT'S RUNNING GREAT FOR NOW....<BR> THANKS FOR THE HELP!