Hi Everyone,

Well I got my fuel issue sorted out it was a hole in the line The car still does not start. I checked all the plugs and there is good spark on all of them. These plugs are also brand new. I think maybe the timing is off but off so much that it will not fire even if there is good fuel and spark????

 

Lets here some specs first.....12A? What model? Mileage? Any mods? Details!!!

 

• Get friend to help after fully charging battery.
• Have friend park his/her car next to yours, put on jumper cables, positive to battery positive on your car, negative to alternator bracket, not negative post of your battery.
• Pop air cleaner lid.
• Have friend get in car, no choke, step on gas, hold it down.
• Whip out can of Gumout's Carb Cleaner previously bought.
• Gently insert a long screwdriver down the secondary throat of carb to keep butterflies open. A Craftsman does this well and will not sink in any manner into the carb when the engine starts.
• Spray some carb cleaner down those secondaries.
• Now, have friend turn engine over while spraying carb cleaner down primary throats.
• Make sure friend DOES NOT stop turning the engine over until it catches and make sure friend knows how to play the throttle to keep it running as the engine kicks out volumes and volumes of smoke - more than enough to scare neighbors and small children.
• Prepare statement for media when Homeland Security arrives to question you...

 

Car has a brand new battery also it has plenty of fuel and spark I just think the timming it way off like it's sparking too late. Also the car is a 12A has brand new plugs and wires about 200,000 km but has good compression with it turning over I can hear 3 good PSSSST so it should be ok. New fuel filter and pump

 

There is a mark on the distributor shaft and on the gear on the bottom. Line the two up and put it in straight (while motor os TDC) and you should be on the mark. Ofcourse it is possible it shitfed a tooth or 2 on the way down, so you have to do trial and error.

 

Did it run at one time? Did you remove the dizzy?

Probably just flooded. Dump about an ounce of Seafoam down the carb then try again...

 

Pull plugs, place rag against framerail or any paint down there you don't want gas and oil to hit, spin engine to clear housings, replace plugs, double check spark plug wires, do the procedure outlined above. Short of a real blown engine, I have a 100% success rate with it...even in 38 deg F weather.

If the distributor was removed, all bets are off. Go to the FAQ page to learn how to set up timing from scratch.

Don't, and I want to make this clear, don't assume you've got everything right...check it ALL.

Assume NOTHING is right. If it was all correct, it would be running NOW.

 

Thanks for the info

The car did run about two years ago lots have been replaced, new coils, new distributer, plug wires, all new vac hoses, it has a new carb from a running car plus when I take out the plugs and turn it over mists of fuel come out and the plugs are wet with fuel. I have tried unflooding and didn't seem to help I think maybe the distributer was installed incorrectly I will have to try and time it. I will let you know how it goes.

 

Probably the distributor was incorrectly installed. The gear teeth were improperly engaged.

Check the FSM. Better, find someone with the same car, which is running properly. Take some pix (LOTs of pix) with a digital camera of all the distributor views with the engine positioned to TDC for use as a comparable when looking at your car.

 

Bring it around to top dead center. Remove the distributor and line up the marks. Drop it straight in so the bolt hole is dead center in the slot (this is easier to do with the cap off and rotor on). The rotor is going to want to turn a little as it's seating, but that's ok. Move the dizzy counter clockwise, slowly, while someone's turning it over. With any luck it will start. If it doesn't, the next best option for a rotary that's sat for a long time is pull starting. Key on, 2nd gear, don't touch the clutch, pull it down the road until it fires. it may take awhile, but it usually works.
good luck

 

And, of course, there is always the treatment despised by Sterling...if the engine hasn't been running for a year, put about two tablespoon's worth of automatic transmission fluid right down the open primary barrels of the carb...THEN do the dizzy check and THEN do the start routine I outlined above...and you may have a new battery, but you need that engine to spin really fast and to stay fast all the way through trying to get it fired...that could be 45 seconds or more on the starter...yes, this is VERY hard on the starter, but they're cheap and easy to replace if you burn it completely out.

The one on my '83, in fact, did consecutive 2 minute cranking cycles to finally fire the worn 12A in it after going a year and a half of not even being turned on. I made two mistakes. One, no ATF...two, I dumped fuel down it. It did crank to life finally but that starter heated up to the point it now won't crank very fast after 30 or so seconds, which I had to do one time after I finally got it running. Now, the car starts in the first half second of being cranked and, since it's my DD, the starter's not a problem at all even damaged.

 

I'm reluctant to use ATF in an engine, but I've used MMO in the sparkplug holes to improve compression prior to restarting a stored car. Worked everytime for me.

 

I've done it twice to start engines that have been sitting around on engine carts or pulled from a totaled car. The engines are fine and one even passed the emissions cycle, so you know it's OK internally. I'll be doing the same thing again after a Seafoam bath for the RP 12A on a cart in the garage when it's time to breathe life into it after sitting around since 2003.

 

I had a simmalar problem, It turned out that my floats were stuck from sitting for a while.

With the ignition off, try pushing the throttle on the carb while looking into it. if you see fuel squirting out, it could be your timing, if there is no fuel coming out, its your floats are stuck. Tap on your carb, just above the floats, with the handle end of a screw driver and try again.

Thats how I got mine running and I've herd lots of problems about sticking floats. Hope it's helpfull.

 

Many people have reported sticking floats and the cure is a gentle tap with a screwdriver handle. I've never had the problem, which I ascribe to regular use of premix.

 

Thanks again for the info! There is fuel squirting out of the jets when the throttle is pushed so that part is good. I am going to try a little more tonight and see what I can do.