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Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped #1521850
10/23/13 09:13 AM
10/23/13 09:13 AM
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U.S. Virgin Islands
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I have a '68 Fury III that won't start. Bought it in the U.S. and shipped it to the USVI. Was PERFECT on the continent. Arrived here and has had nothing but problems. I sense someone along the shipping trail pulled a Ferris Bueller on me, but I'm opting for the benefit of the doubt.

Issue: Won't start. Turns over, fuel pressure is fine, timing is correct. Very faint spark in the plugs and distributor. Has acted as if it wasn't getting enough fuel. Now acts like it's not getting enough spark to ignite the fuel. We are absolutely stumped.

Here's what we've done so far:

Changed:
- Battery
- Plugs
- Condensers
- Ballast resistor
- Coil
- Fuel filters (3x - shippers ran it to fumes and it sucked up a bunch of tank muck)

Rebuilt aftermarket Edelbrock carb (thought the floats might be the issue)

Going to try the voltage regulator next, but frankly not confident.

Anyone got any ideas out there? This is crazy!

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521851
10/23/13 09:23 AM
10/23/13 09:23 AM
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Niles , Ohio
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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Did you change the points?The VR has nothing to do with it running unless the battery is dead.If it sucked junk from the tank Id clean the tank and carb.Try points and setting them to .017.That and check the cap and rotor as it also could be bad from dampness.Coil lead could be a problem also.Rocky


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Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: therocks] #1521852
10/23/13 09:38 AM
10/23/13 09:38 AM
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Rebuilt carb, so it's been cleaned. Changed the coil - lead isn't a problem. Will change points. Changed everything else, so why not? lol Cap and rotor are fine. Checked and cleaned up on arrival.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521853
10/23/13 09:40 AM
10/23/13 09:40 AM
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Hermiston Oregon
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how do the plug wires look?


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Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: mopar_leaner] #1521854
10/23/13 09:53 AM
10/23/13 09:53 AM
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Ste-Sophie, Quebec, Canada
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Make sure the spark at the plug is blue, if it is orange bad coil

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: mopar_leaner] #1521855
10/23/13 09:53 AM
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Plug wires are clean.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521856
10/23/13 09:54 AM
10/23/13 09:54 AM
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Ontario, Canada
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Did you try bypassing the ballast resistor???

Then try a hot wire from batter + to out side of ballast or + side of coil and see if it runs.


Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Dodgem] #1521857
10/23/13 10:01 AM
10/23/13 10:01 AM
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Will try bypassing ballast resistor.

Will a bad condenser cause reduced spark in the distributor?

Spark in plugs is orange.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521858
10/23/13 10:13 AM
10/23/13 10:13 AM
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If spark is orange, the car will never start !

The coil is not giving enough current to light up the fuel, happens even with new coils......

And you should have 7 volts at the + terminal of the coil with the key at ignition

Dan

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Wedgeman] #1521859
10/23/13 10:35 AM
10/23/13 10:35 AM
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It is a new coil. Should i replace it? The spark at spark plug is also very light or no spark at times.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521860
10/23/13 10:38 AM
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If the spark is orange, even new coil, replace it, the coil is faulty
Dan

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Wedgeman] #1521861
10/23/13 10:39 AM
10/23/13 10:39 AM
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Have you tried to run a wire from thebattery to the + terminal of the coil ?

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Dodgem] #1521862
10/23/13 10:40 AM
10/23/13 10:40 AM
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I tried jumping the ballast and the coil and still didn't start?

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521863
10/23/13 10:42 AM
10/23/13 10:42 AM
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Ste-Sophie, Quebec, Canada
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Bad coil....what brand is it ?

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Wedgeman] #1521864
10/23/13 10:49 AM
10/23/13 10:49 AM
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Now i am thinking plug wires but I don't understand why it would run fine one day and the next not start. Have good spark at points.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521865
10/23/13 10:50 AM
10/23/13 10:50 AM
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Cincinnati, Ohio
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Have you tried a battery charger hooked up while cranking the motor even though it is a new battery?

I know you said new plugs, are they still in good shape after all this cranking?

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Wedgeman] #1521866
10/23/13 10:51 AM
10/23/13 10:51 AM
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BWD P-Series coil

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521867
10/23/13 10:54 AM
10/23/13 10:54 AM
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Ste-Sophie, Quebec, Canada
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Change coil, happened to me before too.....
and check for spark color

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Challenger 1] #1521868
10/23/13 10:55 AM
10/23/13 10:55 AM
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Don't have battery charger but have had another car jumping while starting. I know it may not give full jumping charge as a charger would but the best I have. The plugs look good and have cleaned them a couple of times even though that may not mean anything.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Wedgeman] #1521869
10/23/13 10:56 AM
10/23/13 10:56 AM
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welcome aboard! We WILL solve this . Take off the coil secondary wire (dist end) & hold it 1/4" from the intake (ground). Take off all wires from the coil positive/neg primary terminals. Jump 12V from the batt to the coil positive pri terminal. With a jumper wire with alligator clips connect one end to the coil neg pri terminal & with the other end make/break contact to ground & see if the coil secondary wire sparks. If good then remove the jumper wire from the neg pri terminal & hookup the thin dist black wire & open/close the points with a screwdriver & see if the coil secondary wire makes sparks


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Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: RapidRobert] #1521870
10/23/13 11:08 AM
10/23/13 11:08 AM
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Thanks for all the help. Give me some time and let me see if I can get the car up n running. Will let you all know how the turn out is. Thanks again

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521871
10/23/13 11:18 AM
10/23/13 11:18 AM
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Ste-Sophie, Quebec, Canada
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Ok
I won't be far..........

Dan

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521872
10/23/13 11:34 AM
10/23/13 11:34 AM
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Canada
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Is it a big block or small block? Big blocks are easy for a vandal to mess with your firing order because the distributor cap is right there up front. Aftermarket ballast resistors often have the wrong Ohm levels. Points and condenser are a good place to start looking. If you rule out spark issues then look for fuel issues. Did some driver high center the car and squish the fuel line along the rocker? If the tank has gunk in it the sender sock will be plugged.
On big blocks the fuel pump push rods can suddenly wear down so that the pump no longer pumps. I've personally seen this many times.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521873
10/23/13 11:49 AM
10/23/13 11:49 AM
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Could it be as simple as a plugged exhaust? Shoving a potato in the tailpipe will make it impossible to start.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: dan9] #1521874
10/23/13 12:08 PM
10/23/13 12:08 PM
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Points


Now I need to pin those needles, got to feel that heat
Hear my motor screamin while I'm tearin up the street
Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: demon] #1521875
10/25/13 06:02 PM
10/25/13 06:02 PM
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Small block. 383 6.3L None of the items you offered seem to be at issue.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: GTX MATT] #1521876
10/25/13 06:04 PM
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LOL Don't mean to laugh, but there's no potato - or bananas or sweet potatoes or tennis balls, et al - lurking in the exhaust. Thank god! lol

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: GTX MATT] #1521877
10/25/13 06:05 PM
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Points are the only thing we haven't changed. Have to order them. No one here carries them in stock.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521878
10/25/13 06:09 PM
10/25/13 06:09 PM
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Morristown Tn.
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Small block 383? Thats a Chevy motor. Is the US Virgin Islands in the Bermuda Triangle? Maybe thats whats wrong.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521879
10/25/13 06:10 PM
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Quote:

Points are the only thing we haven't changed. Have to order them. No one here carries them in stock.




Clean yours up an reset the gap in the mean time. Maybe someone left the key on during shipping and burned them out?


Now I need to pin those needles, got to feel that heat
Hear my motor screamin while I'm tearin up the street
Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: GTX MATT] #1521880
10/25/13 06:23 PM
10/25/13 06:23 PM
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Quote:

Quote:

Points are the only thing we haven't changed. Have to order them. No one here carries them in stock.




Clean yours up an reset the gap in the mean time. Maybe someone left the key on during shipping and burned them out?






You can file even a badly burned set of points & make them work. I'm guessing that when you say you're getting weak spark, it's at the plug wire? Pull the coil wire out of the distributor and then hold the wire terminal so you can just see a small gap at the top of the distributor coil tower & then crank the motor. If you get a blue spark there, then it's possibly plug wires. You'll need an ohm meter to test the plug wires, if you do get good spark at the coil. Happy testing!

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: b54406barrel] #1521881
10/25/13 11:43 PM
10/25/13 11:43 PM
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Change that condenser !!!

If the coil is new,
And your spark is orange,
Your condenser is bad.

Seen and experienced it
many, many times, I've had "new" condensers that were faulty out of the box.


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Last edited by HairOtheDog; 10/25/13 11:47 PM.
Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: HairOtheDog] #1521882
10/26/13 02:56 PM
10/26/13 02:56 PM
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It is a no brainer !!!

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: HairOtheDog] #1521883
10/29/13 07:59 AM
10/29/13 07:59 AM
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Lakeland FL
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Quote:

Change that condenser !!!

If the coil is new,
And your spark is orange,
Your condenser is bad.

Seen and experienced it
many, many times, I've had "new" condensers that were faulty out of the box.







Seen this myself.. For the cost its well worth the money and time to try a new one..

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: floridian] #1521884
11/15/13 09:48 AM
11/15/13 09:48 AM
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OK, people. I'm STILL stumped. New distributor cap and rotor. Now getting plenty of spark, plenty of fuel flowing...still won't start. Turns over, starts to sputter like it's going to st art, but nothing. I've changed everything that makes ANY sense re: this problem. Condensers, coils, rebuilt carb, battery, fuel filters, dist. cap & rotor, plugs...wires are new. We've done everything that's been suggested here. Nothing. It's a total mystery. This is a simple engine. It should not be having this problem. And by the way, whoever said that the 383 was a Chevy, um...dude. Really? On a Mopar forum? NOT a small block. That was a mistake. But definitely not a Chevy.

Last edited by Viv; 11/15/13 09:54 AM.
Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521885
11/15/13 11:06 AM
11/15/13 11:06 AM
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Quote:

Now getting plenty of spark, plenty of fuel flowing.


First check that the plugs are OK (We've done alot of cranking). Besides that it sorta sounds like contaminated fuel. OK, we're getting spark now/we're getting fuel (if it ain't contaminated)/The timing gears are correct since it ran back in the states/the (ign) timing was good since it ran back in the states. I'd pull the carb top off & check for water globules & if deemed necessary flush it out with some brake kleen including the idle mixture screws (shoot some into those 2 passages). Still no go I'd put the timing marks on 15BTDC #1 compression & set the dist housing till the rotor is under or near under the #1 cap terminal and the points are JUST opening (use a test light).


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Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: RapidRobert] #1521886
11/15/13 03:19 PM
11/15/13 03:19 PM
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My suggestion Remove plugs and inject Oil in each cly and leave plugs out for at least 45 minutes install new plugs and or cleaned and dried ones crank engine and make sure choke is working if flood3ed hold on floor with choke open It is possible you are working with a badly flooded engine and gas washed cly walls loosing compression. No chance the timing chain jumped?

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Paul_Fancsali] #1521887
11/15/13 05:57 PM
11/15/13 05:57 PM
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Quote:

My suggestion Remove plugs and inject Oil in each cly and leave plugs out for at least 45 minutes install new plugs and or cleaned and dried ones crank engine and make sure choke is working if flood3ed hold on floor with choke open It is possible you are working with a badly flooded engine and gas washed cly walls loosing compression. No chance the timing chain jumped?




. If you get the plugs out , why not give it a compression test at WOT . that will tell you if the chain has jumped. It probably got carbon wires on it which are junk .
By pass most of the ignition system by running hot wire from + on battery to + on coil. if it runs , don't leave wire on too long as its very hard on points .

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: mopar_man] #1521888
11/18/13 11:02 AM
11/18/13 11:02 AM
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Ste-Sophie, Quebec, Canada
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So what are the results for compression ?
Dan

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521889
11/18/13 01:17 PM
11/18/13 01:17 PM
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Marlboro, NY, USA
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If plugs are now wet fouled, a good shot of ether (be sure to reinstall a/clnr) will get it going.

There also exists the timing chain / sprocket possibility.

Rick

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Viv] #1521890
11/18/13 01:43 PM
11/18/13 01:43 PM
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You may not want to hear this but these guys have given every bit of info that it takes to make any engine run. If it is properly timed, getting spark and good gas it has to run. It has to be either a bad replacement part or bad fuel. I think you have to go back and look at everything again. I had a problem with an engine running fine until you dropped it in gear. I changed the converter, carb and distributor and still had the same problem. It turn out that the electric choke wire was connected to the power for the coil, reducing voltage just enough to give me fits. Maybe yours will be something as simple as that.

Re: Just Won't Start - Completely Stumped [Re: Paul_Fancsali] #1521891
11/18/13 02:45 PM
11/18/13 02:45 PM
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Graham, WA
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I once had to start an old (pre 426) hemi that had not run in years. We pulled the plugs, oiled the cylinders, spun it over to distribute the oil on the rings, installed new plugs and got it running!
Of course, we were lost in a fog bank for a few minutes, but it ran and re-started for the owner to drive it away. It had been swapped into a '51 Ford pickup and once it went away I never saw it again, thank you very much


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