The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 engine won't start - need help please!

I put a 1956 235 engine in the '41 Chevy pick-up I'm working one and when I finally went to start it I can't get it started. The engine was running when I bought it but I 1) put a rebuilt Carter carb on it, 2) changed most of the gaskets and seals, 3)rebuilt the fuel pump, and 4) changed out all the ignition parts (wires, points coil, switch). The engine is getting spark at the plugs and fuel in the fuel filter bowl in front of the carb. When it wouldn't start the first time I went thru all the timing procedures outlined in another thread on this forum to make sure I had it all right and I made extra sure I was at TDC before making any preliminary adjustments.

So far I've tried starter fluid, pouring gas directly into the vent tube and carb and putting a rag directly over the top of the choke horn to make sure it's getting choked (the choke on the carb doesn't seem to be working right) while cranking the engine, and rotating the distributor to different timing settings but to no avail.

I noticed when I try to pour gas into the carb it leaks out the bottom of it and the top of the fuel bowl even after I retightened all of the screws so I'm thinking this is a bad carb. The new gaskets on it don't seem to be doing any good. Could this be causing enough of a vacuum leak to keep the engine from starting, or could there be something else I did wrong.

Thanks much for any help.

The float in the carb might be stuck. If while cranking the carb gets gas and it spills into the intake manfold that would be my guess. My carb did that as itsat for months before I installed it. I tapped on thesideof thecarb and it came free. N

Thanks. I'll try that.

It's gonna leak if you dump gas like that. I'd try flipping the distributed 180' and see if it fires up. Does it sound like its sparking or just being turned over by the starter?

If it is not attempting to fire off at all, I would suspect that the distributor is 180 degrees off. Number one cylinder needs not only to be at TDC, but TDC Compression stroke.

read up on static timing, I would explain but it has been done too many times already. you should be able to get it almost dead on with out ever turning the engine. The carbs aren't sealed, there is a hole where the accelerator linkage goes that lets gas pour out if it gets too full. Check your float DROP, because apparently the new fuel formulations turn into good glue when they dry out, causing the float to stick to the bottom of the float bowl. I ended up having to actually measure the distance the float was from the top of the carb with the lid upside down compared to what you had available in the bowl. (I chased this for a couple of months) OH YEAH leave the ether in the store, other than trying to start a diesel engine at 30 below zero there is no reason to use it. It does horrible things to engines, as the only 2 engines I have seen that someone decided needed ether on a regular basis died horrible deaths.

I had air being forced thru the spark plug hole of the #1 cylinder right before the timing mark on the flywheel was visible in the bellhousing hole. Isn't that TDC?

The best way to find top dead center is remove the valve cover. Then you can watch the valves open and close. TDC on 1 will be when both valves are closed the timming mark is at 0 and as you turn the engine the number 1 exhaust valves open next.

http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/doc/enginetiming.pdf
http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/valveadjust.php

hope that helps. If it doesn't, let me know.

two ways to check when the points exactly open, put a thin, thin piece of cellophane, (cigarette wrapper type thin) between the points and when they let it go, the points are open, or you can put a spark plug on the #1 wire, ground it and turn the distributor counterclockwise until you just get a spark. As long as you are on the BB, you should be almost dead on.

I did that. Now I'm not getting any spark to the plugs when cranking the engine. I need to check the continuity of everything to see what's bad.

do you get spark at the points when you open and close them by twisting the distributor? I had a problem once whereas I was using a rotor for a short distributor cap in a tall distributor cap. (I didn't even know such a thing existed)

Check the quality of your points too. I chased my tail with an inferior brand new set of points. Went and purchased another set from another source and compared side by side and spring steel on the set I was using was not as thick and strong as the newly purchased set. It wasn't keeping enough force against the contacts to reliably make/break. I would go from running great to misfires to no spark at all to misfires to no spark to running great to misfires.....it was like chasing a ghost. I also find TDC on #1 the old fashion way. I stick a wooden dowl rod in the spark plug hole until the piston pushes it all the way up. I peep in the hole and rock it slowly back and forth and watch the piston top out. Turn the dist. to line up the points for #1. Run it for 30 minutes, check valve lash, then set final timing via the vacuum draw and a tach and dwell meter.

I think it's a bad set of points. They are new but I got them at O'reillys so that might not be saying much. I was getting continuity across the point's contacts even when they were open so there had to be a short circuit somewhere. I checked the bakelight block with the keyed screw thru it to make sure there wasn't a short there and it looked good. The points themselves have a lot of play in them so that's another thing that leads me to believe something is amiss with them.

Seems like all the parts store electrical parts aren't worth a darn nowadays. It's all that Chinese and Mexican made junk. I don't know where I would find a good set of points other than buying NOS Delco parts off of eBay. I think the days of being able to go to the local parts stores and buy parts one can depend on for these old vehicles are long gone.

Amen to that. I was suprised at the first set of points that were flimsy, they came from NAPA, Echelin brand. Second 'good' set came from autozone.

I finally got the 235 going tonight thanks to all of your help! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I still think something is fishy with these points, but at least I was able to make them work (with a little bit of prying with a screwdriver).

Thanks again for the help. This is a great community, and a good resource to have to facilitate working on these old trucks!