Hello,
I'm putting my truck back together, and tried to start it for the first time today. It didn't start.
It is a 1953 with a 1954 235, and a 6v system. I did not rebuild the engine. What I did was:
1. Carb rebuild
2. New Fuel Pump
3. Many new gaskets and seals
4. New 6v battery
5. New regapped spark plugs
6. New wiring harness
Before disassembly, the engine ran. It leaked all over the place, but it ran. I wasn't able to locate all problems as it was very dirty. Now I need to get it started and see what else needs replaced/fixed.
Problems:
1. I seem to be getting too much fuel to the carb. Plugs smell of fuel, and fuel is leaking around the top of the carb gasket. I rebuilt the carb 'by the numbers'. I followed the instructions precisely, and took pics for reassembly.
2. Foot starter is active regardless what position the key is in. I bought a new key switch, and no matter what I do, the foot starter kicks in when I depress it. As the wiring harness also connects through the ammeter, I still put the key 'ON' in case it needs something connected there. The instrument lights light up whenever I ground them, even if the key is off.
3. My 6v battery doesn't seem to have the amps, rated at 84 amp, to turn over the engine right now, and so I hooked up a 12 volt batt to turn over the engine. It turns over great, but all I get is a bit of a back fire. I've tried to move the distributor back and forth a bit to get the timing closer, but still nothing.
4. The coil is getting extremely hot. Is this because of the 12v bat? Or, is this an indication that the coil is bad?
So, I am confused a bit as to why the starter will always turn over regardless of key position. It seems to make sense as there is a direct connection to the battery. The new wiring harness diagram doesn't really specify which side of the ammeter terminal the black (battery) wire connects to. I tried both, with no change.
Settings seem to be close, as at least it's backfiring. But, it won't start.
Any suggestions? Not sure where to go from here.
