The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Adjusted Valves Now Won't Start

If the compression tests show about 100 psi or better in all cylinders, the valve settings are good enough to run. It should start. Likely the engine is flooded or just wants to mess with you. To make sure engine isn't flooded, try starting engine with choke off or somehow tied off to prevent flooding. Don't pump the gas trying to get it to start, that only sprays more gas. Push pedal 1/2 way down and hold it while cranking. If engine still won't start, give it a snootfull of starting fluid and try same procedure to start. If still no start, start looking at ignition system, firing order, timing... You didnt bump any wires or other ign parts taking valvecover off, right? If that checks out, go back to carb for signs carb float is stuck and pouring gas into engine. Starting fluid won't start a badly flooded engine.

But if compression is good, its likely fuel or fire related.

Tab , you have set the valves several times . This is not the problem .

Check the fibre cam gear has not slipped on its bushing by checking that the valves actually open and close at the correct times.
If your engine has an alloy timing gear , then it is something else.

Just to humor some of us, how about putting a new set of plugs in it! I've spent days trying to start a couple of engines, with plugs that looked clean, had plenty of voltage, and had been checked repeatedly for correct timing, valve adjustment, etc. A new set of plugs fixed more than one problem child! If a plug has been flooded severely, sometimes it just won't fire.

Checking the valve timing is a very good idea! Properly-adjusted valves that aren't opening at the right time don't help. The "rocking" position of the intake and exhaust should happen when the piston is at, or very near top dead center. Good luck!
Jerry

I really really appreciate all the replies.... The weather here has been terrible. My front yard is a quagmire and there my truck sits. This Sunday I will do the compression check. If that's good I will make sure that the timing is on. Maybe somehow the distributor slipped. It feels tight though.

I checked the spark and it is good on all cylinders.

Even though a plug may throw a spark when its sitting on the engine where you can see it, it may malfunction in the engine. Never been able to fully explain it, but it happens. If compression, fuel and fire seem OK, its gotta be something you haven't tried yet. Make sure cap, rotor, plugs and wires are dry and in good shape. Give the engine a snoot of starting fluid the first time you go to try it, to prevent the chance of re-flooding. If the compression is good, and the starting fluid doesn't wake her up, then its gotta be ignition.

It may sound basic, but this is an excellent idea, and not expensive. Keep it as simple as possible, and don't assume anything.

Keep us posted ... and invite us to your party when it fires up !!

Maybe if 6 of us each send him one spark plug? That might help him out.

But can 6 of us agree on the same sparkplug? This is lookin' like a political post....

ACR45S should do the trick.

OK, 1 more simple suggestion from an Okie ...

Where is the needle pointing on your gas gauge?

I suggested pouring gas down the carb 26 posts ago, so I am sure he has tried the gas thing by now.

One of my students called me to help with an engine that wouldn't start after a rebuild. He had tried everything, including all the telephone troubleshooting tips I could think of. I went to his home, double-checked all his work, and it was right on. No start! I pumped a little gas from the tank into a coke bottle, poured it out on the ground, and tried to light it with a match. It wouldn't burn! Fresh gas fired it right up! This car had only sat unused for about 3 months, and the gas went bad! Still don't know why!
Jerry

I personally can't beleive the valves are having anything to do with your no start.It sounds to me that it is flooded. I'ld pull the plugs and see if they are gassy. If they are,leave them out for a day and let the engine dry out. Check your oil for excessive fuel also. Replace the plugs if flooded and check for a hot spark. Is there a resistor wire between to starter and the ignition? If its not flooded check for fuel starvation. Crank engine while gassing with carb spray. If it fires, no fuel. You can really mess up valves and still get something (unless you bent them). Keep us informed - Scott (new to this forum stuff)

I tried the start fluid trick a few days ago. No luck. The compression test should be very telling.... Will post tomorrow with the results. Thanks again...

Tab,

Make sure the choke plate is fully open when you try starter fluid. Nothing sprayed into the carb will work if the plate is closed. I use spray carb cleaner which is safer than starter fluid and I never pour gas into a carb. This is a sure way to start a fire and actually floods the engine.

The stale gas theory is right on. Todays gas will last three months at best and if you use too much Stabil with it won't fire at all! I spent three days on my old JD tractor finding all this out the hard way.

The first time I tried it after draining the old gas and filling the tank with fresh gas it fired up so fast it scared me. I had cranked it 50 times before that with nothing happening.

Yes gusc, you are absolutley right about the gas not lasting. I have a 300 gallon gas barrel here on the ranch and would have it filled once or twice a year to run everything here, lincoln welder, tractor, pony motor on the cat, chain saws and trucks. But then I noticed that if I had the gas over three months, stuff wouldn't start or wouldn't run right. Found out that the gas these days goes bad and funky in about three months. Pee'd me off because I could save nearly twenty cents per gallon by having them deliver it to me. Now I just buy the gas for the ranch in five gallon cans. Seems it has to be "fresh' or it isn't gonna work, doesn't seem to good even then. Gotta be something wrong here- We just took over the second largest oil reserves in the world.

Tab, by all means try changing the fuel. If that doesn't work "Three sticks under the hood- WILL"

You guys forget: The truck was running pretty well before I decided to adjust the valves. Right afterwards it wouldn't start.

The compression is 120psi on all but cyl # 4 and it is only a bit less.

I tried the start fluid with the choke open last week and again today. Didn't work, so it is not a gas problem.

I turned the distributor a bit to the left then right of where it was. All that did was get me a backfire out the carb.

When I adjusted the valves I took off the cap and wires and cleaned the contacts. I installed a new cap.

I am going to change the rotor and condenser next.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that I have the firing order incorrect. 1-5-3-6-2-4 for my 62, 235, right?

This is begining to [censored] me off........

"When I adjusted the valves I took off the cap and wires and cleaned the contacts. I installed a new cap" Tab, that is a bit more then " I tried to adjust the valves on my 62, 235, six with solid lifters.". You appear to have done a few different things and anyone of them by itself could be the problem. Sounds like maybe you have your timing one hundred and eighty (180) out. You're gonna have to make sure it is in time first before proceeding further. Don't change anything else until you have double checked the timing. the more, different, things you do, the more that can go wrong.
Yes, the firing order is 153624, but first you must make sure that you have number one cylinder lined up correctly. If you don't recall how to do this, I or someone else can walk you through it. But let's time it first.

The timing mark and #1 appear to line up properly.

The only thing that I did was clean, then replace the cap. I took the wires off then put them on as per the firing order. I only today rotated the distributor a bit both ways to see if I could get it going but that didn't work. I will put it back the way it was.

I agree though it must be ignition related.

IMO starter fluid won't start an engine if there is not fuel in the carb. When starting an engine you can smell the fuel if it aint starting.

But, you probably messed up your wires. It is best to change one wire at a time to maintin proper order.

Make sure the cap is the same. Or put the old cap back on for a minute.

Tab, the timing mark lines up twice!
Watch the #6 valves, get them rocking, and line up the distributor rotor with #1 plug wire. It sounds like you've been spending all this time and effort with the plugs (all of them) firing at the top of the exhaust stroke.

It takes 2 turns of the engine to get a 4-stroke cycle, so the timing mark is going to be under the pointer once at the top of the compression stroke, and again at the top of the exhaust stroke. It's an easy mistake to make, been there, done that! Once you've established the #1 cylinder is on compression, and you're following the right distributor rotation, plug in the rest of the wires in order. I'll bet it starts!
Jerry

I thought you said a long time back that you had replaced the points and cond. A bad cond will do exactly what has happened to you. However, I expect that Hotrod is right, you have the timing 180 degrees out. However, I have done this and at least got some kickbacks out of the engine.

You said you had a backfire through the carb which makes me think even more that you are 180 out.

Starter fluid will make an engine fire even if there is no carb on the engine. All it takes is spark at the right time and the starting fluid since it is already atomized which is what a carb does! Of course it won't run but a few turns, but it will start and tell you that you have spark and that your timing is probably ok.

Anytime an engine backfires it is either out of time or too lean.

Tab,

I just went back and read page one, nowhere on page one do you mention that you messed with the dist cap and wires, it is all about valve adjustment?

Now, the facts are that it ran ok - then you adjusted the valves and cleaned the dist cap and removed the plug wires.

Since the valve adjustment will very unlikely cause it not to start or run we are back to wires and timing.

Plugs will not all fail all of a sudden after running well.

Compression will not all of a sudden fall and cause no starting.

Carburetors will not all of a sudden fail after running well if you didn't mess with it.

You probably had sooty plugs because the engine was new, you were driving in traffic or not very hard or your plug heat range is too cold or your air filter is clogged or a bunch of other things, however, none of these things would all of a sudden keep it from starting.

Your fuel pump could have failed but the starting fluid would have made it fire anyway. Same goes for stale fuel, but put fresh gas in the tank anyway.

This brings us back to the distributor cap and plug wires. You need to make absolutely sure you are at compression on #1 and the rotor is pointing at the correct tower which is the second one CCW from the notch in the cap I think. Then you need to make sure the wires are in the correct order in the correct direction.

You can turn the engine over by pulling on the fan blades with the plugs out. Just make sure you are turning it clockwise looking at the front.

And most importantly, get yourself a shop manual for the truck. All this stuff these guys have been telling you will be in this book, it is the best investment you will ever make.

Metal Man: Damned good question. The answer is YES. LOL

Hotrod Lincoln: Yesterday I checked that #1 was at the top of the compression stroke and that the rotor was pointing at #1 on the cap but I will check that again later today.

Gus: I'm going to get a new condenser today. I totally agree that it must be the ignition timing.

Thanks again!!

Tab, did we ever get this running?

SUCCESS!!! I did as HRLincoln suggested and I rocked #6 got #1 at the top OF THE COMPRESSION STROKE then looked at the rotor. I'll be darned if it wasn't pointing 180º off. BOY DID I SCREWED UP. Changed the wires around and I KNEW it would start and sure enough it did.

Now I can get back on track to finding out why three of my plugs were sooty. Incredible.....

I want to thank all of you for helping me with this problem and apologize for not begin clear at the onset.

Gusc: Your logical deduction helped me greatly.

Thanks again to everybody!