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Help no start after cam and lifters

R

Rustbucket

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I just put cam kit in my 91 blazer and everything went pretty well. We pushed it out of the garage to fire it up and nothing. The starter spins the engine, but it doesn't even try to turn over. We did get 2 loud backfires while we messed with the timing. I thought it could be 180 deg. off so we checked and it wasn't. It just spins and spins. This job took me all weekend and I still can't drive it. I guess I'll take valve cover off tomorrow and check timing again. If anybody has any suggestions I'd really like to hear them. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Justin
 
I know this sounds silly, but double check yer plug wires, make sure you didn't go backwards around the distributor (ask me how I know), and make sure they are going to the correct plugs. Something else you may have gotten the distributor one tooth off.
 
Funny thing about those Chilton and Haynes books. They show how to properly align the dots when doing a cam, lifters and chain on the small block. Cam dot at 6 o'clock and crank dot at 12 o'clock...

Everything is cool so far, but what they neglect to mention is that now the motor is set to fire #6...not #1 as you'd expect. Those asshats should be shot, if it wasn't for that particular part of the procedure and a little lack of info it wouldn't be half as common to get the disty 180 out.

FWIW when the motor is a #1 TDC the cam dot and the crank dot will both be at 12 0'clock.

Common symptoms are spinning over but not starting and the occassional loud backfire.

Crossed #5 and #7 wires will run but badly.

Rene
 
BTW...welcome to CK5 and thanks for helping support the site!/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Rene
 
[ QUOTE ]
FWIW when the motor is a #1 TDC the cam dot and the crank dot will both be at 12 0'clock.

[/ QUOTE ]

Speaking of shooting asshats, why aren't cam gear sets set up so that TDC is with both dots lined up at 6 and 12?

I mean there has to be a reason, but why wouldn't you just re-key the gear design so that the installer knows the engine is at TDC when they put the timing chain/gears on, and align the dots? Why have an "extra" step to confuse people?
 
I'm embarrassed at how many times I got bit by this before discovering the reason. I have gotten the disty 180 out at least 6 times...but not anymore.

I agree on the cam gear orientation...would it kill them to have the dots nearest to each other (6 and 12) when the motor is at #1 TDC? Barring that why doesn't Chiltons and Haynes make a bold warning note explaining this quirk?

Usually by the time I figure the disty is 180 out all the assembly lube is wasted and I'm severley pissed off...

Rene
 
[ QUOTE ]
I just put cam kit in my 91 blazer and everything went pretty well. We pushed it out of the garage to fire it up and nothing. The starter spins the engine, but it doesn't even try to turn over. We did get 2 loud backfires while we messed with the timing. I thought it could be 180 deg. off so we checked and it wasn't. It just spins and spins. This job took me all weekend and I still can't drive it. I guess I'll take valve cover off tomorrow and check timing again. If anybody has any suggestions I'd really like to hear them. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Justin

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the same problem from a different cause.
I rebuilt the heads on an Olds engine and my only guess is maybe the rockers are too tight.
When I figure out my problem I will let you know. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
I have the exact same symptoms and it's really frustrating.
 
That was exactly the problem. There was some comunication problem between me and my friend about how to adjust them. Went back today, and checked timing. It was perfect, but no compression. I lossened the rocker nuts all the way around and it fired right up. Good luck
 
Unfortunately his stock Olds motor can't be adjusted that way. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
You need to adjust the valves correctly before you do some damage to the cam, lifters and valvetrain.
 
Herein lies a different problem with those do it yourself books... They tell ya to adjust the rockers until the pushrods cant be twisted with your fingers, then go a bit more... but what they dont tell you is that if you have hydraulic lifters, you can adjust them like this only after they are pumped up with oil. I did the same thing... as soon as the engine started spinning from the starter, the lifters pumped up and opened all the valves. I thought I f*cked up big time cause I had no compression! But just backed off all the rockers, and she fired right up.

Mike
 
The "proper" way is to spin them WITHOUT them being pumped up, *until you start to feel drag on them as you spin them*. THEN after there is just felt drag, you go another 1/4 to full turn, whatever floats your boat. Magazine tests have shown no difference between too little and too much in power, just in noise. 1/2 turn alwys works for me.

I've never seen a book say to tighten them down until you can't spin them. For pumped up lifters, that is probably close to correct, but doing that (with hydraulic lifters full of oil) is not very precise, since they bleed down. This is why GM manuals state to NOT "pump up" lifters before installation. Soak in oil yes, pump up no.
 
dyeager535,

I couldn't have said it better myself. Valves should be adjusted engine off, lifters bled down, just like Comp says they should.
 
One of my stupid books (I have a collection of stupid books/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif)describes it the way Thumper said...til the pushrod doesn't spin plus a half turn. I knew that much was incorrect./forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Now I get to find all the getcha's with my 6.2.../forums/images/graemlins/1zhelp.gif

Rene
 
I've got an Old Chiltons that says a 327 doesn't have a 4" bore. That got me in a bit of hot water a few years back lol.

Only thing I will really trust is a GM manual, or people that have been doing these things for a really long time, and have the track record to back it up. Of course, just because a GM manual says something, or a "pro" does, doesn't mean they are right all the time either. But they are more likely to be correct. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Yup...I'm sure we've all been bit because we saw it in print or heard it from a very reliable source.

Rene
 
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