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$5 to whoever tells me what is wrong with my engine!

Judging by what you said that it was running alright then quit then you checked the timing and it was off so you spun the distributor 180*....I think you actually put the timing back out 180*. Engines won't run with the timing 180* out so therefore I conclude that when your engine quit it wasn't because of the timing but something else (could be fuel?). So, set the timing back 180*. My theory is that you set your #1 cylinder according to the balancer mark. But when you did that, the #1 cylinder was at TDC but not on the compression stroke! (that is the key!)

The fix:

1) set your timing back 180* to be sure its at the firing position you can check by feeling for pressure against your finger on the #1 spark plug hole while your buddy turns the engine over. When you first feel the pressure against your thumb: stop! Then carefully turn the motor over clockwise until the balancer marker lines up at 0*. You're now at #1 TDC- firing.

2) Figure out what your other problem is ( I suspect fuel delivery)

/forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif I'll take that $5 now.

2) find out what else is wrong with your engine
 
Boy do i feel ya. Im 18 and have been frusterated with working on stuff sence i was 14 or so. Here are my words of advice/ questions. I bet in typing this i make 5 bucks off ya so here goes...

First: Take #1 plug out (im sure you know but its the driver side front one)put your finger in/on the plug hole, Bump the starter or put a ratchet on the harmonic balancer bolt and turn the motor over untill your finger is blown out of the hole becase of the piston coming up for compression. Then watch the timing mark and bring it up to tdc from that point. Pull the cap off one more time. Is it at #1? If not dont turn the motor any more. Makeit to where the rotor is pointing directly at #1 contact in the cap. Now try turning it over while pushing and pulling the timing from advance to retarded and see if it fires if not then do step #2

Second: Pull out the ignition moduall and bring it to your local auto parts store. More than likely they(or at least some autoparts place in your area) will have a moduall tester. If it tests good continue to step 3

Third: WITHOUT turning the motor over look down in the carb and work the throttle. You should see 2 little"squirts" of gas about the thickness of pencell lead each time you move the throttle from idle to WOT(wide open throttle) If you dont see the 2 little squirts of gas You have fuel issues. Howevver if you do have "the squrts" /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif Then the engine should run, if it dosnt continue to step 4

Forth: Get a new pick up coil for the distributer or just a hole other distributer. If the pick up is screwed up it wont run. You can get them from the parts store but at that point i would recomend a used (or new if you got the means) distributer.

Now if it still dosnt run sell the truck and buy and learn to love walking. Keep me posted and go threw each of these steps even if you have allready done them 3 or 4 times.
 
Tim you prick. Damn dude, one minute you say stuff that makes sense, then the next you open your pie hole and out flows the immaturity. Learn when to keep your mouth shut. The guy is 17 years old. I was EXACTLY the same way when I was 17. The only difference being that if you said that to me, I woulda told you to get bent. The only way to learn about this stuff is to do it. If he's got the enthusiasm and the desire, then let him to his thing. No more pissin in his cheerios. I fawkin hate that. /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif
 
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i replaced the platinums today with autolites, yes, crappy, but they aren't platinum so it should still be better. all gapped at 0.045

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Why such a large gap on the spark? Thought that 350 Plugs where gaped at 35?
 
i might not have explained this right. it ran just fine, then cut off. i pulled the distributor LATER and put it back in. AFTER i put it back in that's when i turned the motor over with valve covers off, and it's was not right. so with the valve covers off i waited till both valves were closed (compression) and then put the mark at 0. the timing is correct now, or very close, not 180 out, i've checked it many times, and did again today. going to get a coil tonight, i have 11volts to the distributor hot wire.

as for tim, it doesn't really bother me that much, and it's pointless saying anything to him over the internet, if he lived next door it may be a different story. besides, he is entitled to his opinion as well as i am.

But i would like to state now- i am not a flucking idiot, in fact i consider myself quite decent at what i do. this is my first engine job. all the rest of the work i've done has been suspension and transmission stuff (not inside the tranny) so yeah, my first engine job might not go so smooth, but i apparenlty got the cam and intake on correct because it did in fact run. i also set the gears in my 14FF over a year ago and when i changed the gear oil 3 months ago there was no visible excessive wear, just a wear pattern that looked like the ones that i've seen posted on the internet that are the "correct" picture. so call me a dumbass, call me an idiot i really don't care. but the engine stopped running, and i want to fix it, and i'd rather get help and ask questions to ya'll than never have it run again. i'm done now. sorry.

THANK YOU EVERYONE.
 
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Why such a large gap on the spark? Thought that 350 Plugs where gaped at 35?

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Most , if not all , older HEI's ran with an .045 gap /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
Glad to try to help. It is cool that you try to fix your rig on your own. Thats how you will learn and I'am sure that no one here thinks your an idiot.
 
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But i would like to state now- i am not a flucking idiot, in fact i consider myself quite decent at what i do

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Relax , it will work itself out . I am sure you will get it going , it just sometimes whacks us upside our heads . Hang in there /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why such a large gap on the spark? Thought that 350 Plugs where gaped at 35?

[/ QUOTE ]

Most , if not all , older HEI's ran with an .045 gap /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

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Huh? I have mine in my chevelle gaped to .35. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif O'well I just learned something new.

Good Luck BowtieRed
 
Change it and go faster , the wider gap promotes better combustion , of course I hope the Chevelle has a better than stock HEI , they fall off at higher RPM's , so aftermarket coils and stuff is way better , like an MSD box or something too , then you can really reap some rewards /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
 
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But i would like to state now- i am not a flucking idiot, in fact i consider myself quite decent at what i do. this is my first engine job.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know what you mean. The first thing that I ever done to an engine was replace a camshaft. I messed with it for 3 days and had fire coming out of the carb and headers. Finally a guy with close to 20 years of engine building and drag racing experience came out to my house to look at it. He had it running perfect in about 15 minutes, I had some rockers too tight and other not tight enough.
 
As was previously mentioned... it sounds like your distributor is a 180* out. I've been there, done that.
Keep on trying, you'll get it soon enough. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
You keep saying the spark looks weak. Do you know anyone with a coil you can borrow? Maybe a diff distributor? See if either of those has an effect. WHen I was having a hard time gettin my 496 to run, it kept gas fouling out the plugs and finally I had to put an MSD on it, runs like a champ now, heck Im trying to remember what I got mine gapped at, something like .065, and spark looks uber good. Just let me say, if you have a cheap set of wires on cause you dont have any hold downs yet, dont hold the wire up by the boot to look at the spark. It ends up grounding through your hand and through your belt buckle /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif

I dont really know what else to say, you did make sure a wire that goes to the coil didnt get burned, or scorched or anything didnt you? Again, try to borrow some ignition parts, maybe even an MSD box, that should light it off, even if timing is off a little.
 
I think your lash is too tight. the 125 lbs of cylinder pressure, along with the fact it backfired through the carb...

just my guess...
 
I'm only 17 too and i'm not very smart but maybe you flattened a cam lobe from incorrect break in is that possible? /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
An engine will still start and run even with several bad cam lobes(most chevy's on the road have at least 1 bad lobe)so I dont think thats the problem.
If you are sure the valves are set right(even close enough should let it start)and the distributor is installed correctly,try having someone turn the distributor while you crank it.The "poof poofing"you describe from the exhaust sounds like its way too retarted,turn the distributor towards the front of the truck to advance it,it should start if you have spark and fuel--the way you said it revved up to 4K and shut off could mean it ran out of fuel,engines often speed up when they lean out just before they run out of fuel,so make sure you have fuel to the carb.
I would save any money you were going to throw at it for a carb or distributor parts till you hear it run--and dont let Tim or anyone else discourage you--I have been working on GM trucks and cars for over 30 years,and I still have days like yours when despite doing everything by the book the POS still refuses to run--often it turns out to be something simple you overlooked,it might take a helper to pinpoint the problem.If you jumped the hot(pink)wire on the HEI,it might possibly have hurt the module,but if it has spark its probably ok-. friend of mine wasted a whole day on a jeep in his shop--he couldnt get it started--the owner had put a push button starter switch in it--he forgot to turn the key on!!(or thought he left it on?) I did,and when I cranked it the muffler blew up fom all the unburned fuel! /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif--he needed a good laugh after that day---. /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif Keep plugging--you'll figure it out!!. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
HELL YEAH!!!

IT WAS THE IGNITION COIL!! i put the new on on there, and went to check the intensity of shorting it to the header, first of all WAY MORE intense, secondly it shocked me much more than the other one had. . . two interesting ways of seeing that it was better, put that wire back on, cranked right up! but it keeps overheating, but i guess that's a combo of- new cam, gas in the oil from flooding the engine so much, and no fan shroud. runs good, gonna go back and add some water, change the oil (dipstick reaks of gas), add transmission fluid, fill the power steering, and finish breaking her in! man what a great day! and i don't owe anyone $5!

i got the big gray accel coil that covers the hole cap. . . looks cool too, but now i need more air cleaner rise. . .

THIS ROCKS!! such a happy day. and tim- phuck you and your "it's not timed right, i guarantee it" BS.
 
Congrats, Im sure Tim will come up with some way to dispell the fact that he was wrong.
 
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