[shineybike]

1968 Lemans. Stock 350 4bbl. with an Edelbrock 1406 carb. Stock points ignition and new coil. Car ran fine then wouldn't start last week. I replaced the starter and put in a new battery. It started right up but I did not drive it. Today I went for a ride. Stopped at a light and it was idling a little high, I reached down and lifted up on the gas pedal thinking maybe it was sticking. RPMs lowered then it stalled. Would not restart. I disconnected the fuel line after the filter and cranked the car briefly, got about 4 ounces of fuel in a cup. Flow seemed to surge a little as it cranked. I replaced the in-line fuel filter and checked rubber parts of the fuel line. No obvious problems. Any ideas? Thanks

[dmac]

Mechanical fuel pump will surge as the lever goes up and down, very noticeable at low rpm, like cranking. Have you checked dist cap, and plug wires? Put a timing light on it if you can get it to start, even at a higher idle. See if the timing skips around or misses. Check choke, make sure it is operating once engine temps get up to normal. Check vacuum lines to/from carb. Do you have a dwell meter? Check plugs to verify they are all clean, It could be a simple as a carb adjustment.

[shineybike]

Thanks. As of this afternoon it will not start at all. I looked at the distributor cap and rotor and they look good. I was wondering weather my points might have closed. I'm guessing if I get fuel at all it's not a plugged or cracked line. I would think it would start but might die under load. I need to figure out if I'm getting a spark.

[74Grandville]

FYI, lifting the gas pedal should not effect the idle position. you may need to adjust your cable length to the carb.

[shineybike]

Okay, thanks. I was thinking that maybe the throttle cable was binding.

[Goatracer1]

Are you getting Spark? If not check dwell with dwell meter as you crank engine. Should be around 30 degrees. 25-35 and it should run. If not correct adjust and check again. You can adjust while someone else cranks engine.

[Blued and Painted]

Alternate method.
remove distributor cap. Turn engine until the point set rubbing block is on the top of a distributor lobe. By hand, socket on crank bolt or starter. Point contacts should be open. Look for burnt or heavy pitting on point contacts. Adjust point gap to .018 with allen wrench/Point tool.

[Goatracer1]

Using dwell meter will tell you if you have current flow through the points. Not just if they are opening and closing.

[STEELCITYFIREBIRD]

For an engine to run you need :
>Compression
>Fuel (correct Air and Fuel mixture)
>Spark (at the right time)

Figure out what is missing, then move on to a sub system to pinpoint problem.

Open and close throttle a few times, if accelerator pump squirts a nice strong steady stream you have fuel to the carb.

Since you just replaced the starter, and battery, make sure all wires were reconnected securely and not melted to exhaust, loose, etc.

Pull coil wire @ dizzy and check for spark.Insert a screwdriver and rest it so shaft is about 1/4 to 1/2 " from a ground source and crank & observe if there is multiple sparks.
If none.
Check for steady power to the coil + with a test light with other end to ground while cranking and with key on. Next, Check ground side of coil to flash test light when cranking engine.

Report your findings

[Chris65LeMans]

Whenever a car doesn't start, I was taught to "check for fuel and check for spark." No sense doing any diagnosis without both those answers.

Before I bought a "fancy" spark checker, I pulled a spark plug, put the wire back on, grounded it, then cranked it.

[Firebob]

I've had coils fail on an HEI setup that went just like that. I've had regular coils fail that made the car run like crap for a short time and then fail completely. Tough thing to figure out for me. I usually replace everything else first and then the coil because it happens to be the only thing I hadn't.

[shineybike]

Thanks for all the ideas. It looks like I am getting fuel squirting from the acc pump jets into the carb. I tried moving the points adjustment in both directions with no luck. I will check with my dwell meter when I have someone to help crank it, and will also check for spark. I did check the dwell recently and it was good. I do get some smoke coming from the tail pipes when it tries to start. Will also take a look under the car to make sure nothing is bad at the starter. Don't have a test light but it might be a worthwhile investment.

[shineybike]

Forgot to mention, the coil was new about a year ago.

[shineybike]

Okay here's an update. Pulled a plug and had a friend crank the engine with the key. Got a spark. Then noticed the pink wire on the pos + side of the coil start burning. It fried completely apart.

[TedRamAirII]

Originally Posted by shineybike

Okay here's an update. Pulled a plug and had a friend crank the engine with the key. Got a spark. Then noticed the pink wire on the pos + side of the coil start burning. It fried completely apart.

Wonder if that wire is shorted between the coil and the starter. Just leave it off. That would for sure "shut you down".

[shineybike]

Looking at the wiring diagram and under the hood, that pink wire goes into the wiring loom and goes to the firewall multi-connector, then to the ignition switch.

[shineybike]

Good news. I spliced in a new section of wire where it was burned at the coil and it fired right up. When I installed the new starter I has to move (pull) wires around to get enough slack under the car to get my hand in to re-attach the starter wires. Probably jammed that wire in the little clip on the coil bracket and caused a short. Hopefully that's it anyway. Thanks for all the advice.

[TedRamAirII]

Sorry. I didnt have a diagram to look at. I was thinking that was the wire from the Starter Solenoid to the coil. Now I think its Yellow? Memory is going! LOL ; )