I changed the distributor cap on my 70 350/2 and now the car will crank but not start. I had the wires crossed when I first tried to start the engine but corrected that problem. Now the car will not start. Any ideas? Could I have ruined the points by trying to start the engine with the wires crossed? Thanks
Check, again, the firing order. Did you remember to put the [new] rotor button back in? Is the coil wire on good and tight? did you change anything else???
Thanks for offering some advice. The firing order is correct, rotor is back on and coil wire is good and tight. I was going to change the points since the engine made some strange sounds when the firing order was messed up. Thin it will help? Should I get a new rotor too while I'm at it?
What did you remove when you replaced the cap? Firing order sounds like it's off by one wire all the way around. Are you 100% on your #1 wire location?
I only removed the wires from the cap. In the picture the wires are connected starting with the wire just to the left of the pints adjustment door as follows:2-1-8-4-3-6-5-7. I'm following a diagram in the assembly manual. Could I be off by one wire?
Move every wire counter-clockwise one notch...I'm fairly sure the #1 wire should be just to the left of the window. Firing order: 18436572 as stated on the top of your intake manifold...(I think)
Here is a picture: When I say "to the left of the window" I mean as you are looking at the car front the front. Note the position of the #1 wire in relation to the window.
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried moving the wires over one to the right and still no start. Changed the rotor, pulled all the plugs that I installed last week and they all look OK. It may be flooded since there's a strong raw gas smell. Coincedentally I ordered new wires that should be here Tuesday; maybe I have a bad wire?
One bad wire won't keep your car from starting unless it's a coil wire... Did you make sure your #1 wire was in the correct spot?
use an old plug to test each individual wire. Pull them off one at a time, connect them to the old plug, lay the plug against the intake manifold, and have someone crank the car so you can look for a visible spark. It's possible the cap you bought is bad and your not getting fire to the wires.... Possible I say
Be sure your points are not grounded to the distributor body. I have chased that problem before :af: Good luck :TU:
OK, thanks to all of you who offered advice. The problem has been solved: bad distributor cap, replaced by another bad distributor cap! What's the odds of that happening? I thought by purchasing AC Delco parts I would be safe. Thanks again to you all!
