Re: [Amc-list] The '65 American 330 cranks - now to figure why it won't start

["jerijan baldwin" <jerijan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings from 'Make it run' somehow...
OK.  It now cranks.
If you've got some time, run some PB Blaster thru your cylinders.  I came in
late, so I don't know if this engine had been seized or not...so I'm
pretending it 'was somewhat seized'.
Once 'free' (ie, cranking), some PBBlaster (hands down the very best of the
'Rust Bust' variety of 'oils') will give two primary benefits to the
piston/ring/cylinderwall...
1-it will provide some cleaning of both 'yucky' (hard carbonized sludgey
crap which may (or may not) be holding the rings from expanding, and this
includes residual rust).
2-lubrication and it's 'flooding' should help gather up and further loosen
residual crap inside the cylinder and in the ring grooves proper.
Once you are satisfied you've 'cleared' the walls the best you can (under
your time constraints, etc), it's time to start it.
Plugs:  Clean 'em and gap 'em at .035.  (or replace 'em if they look like
crap).
While your plugs are out...DO A COMPRESSION TEST.  Extremely important.
Why?  A sleeping engine may choose not to make compression adequate to start
the car.  (the rings seize onto the pistons allowing for blow by.  The
valves fail to close completely.  Rings may be broken (from the 'freeup'
process).  So do the compression test.  It'll save lots of troubles later
on.
(The last 'wake up' engine I did rendered an engine with 'weak' compression
in a few cylinders.  Incureable except for a ring job.  It did run, but with
a skip.  Another simply would not start.  Dismantling showed an engine with
TWO of six cylinders alive enough to give hope.  FOUR of six dead completely
including one detonated piston (a hole on the edge) and all four with broken
rings FLOPPING about in a widened ring grove.  Unsalvageable Engine without
massive (including pistons) help, included serious gougeing of the cylinder
walls.  The point here is DO YOUR MECHANICAL tests FIRST.  Compression test
is NUMBER ONE Test.  Your results should be near 150 under the best
circumstances, and that is EVERY cylinder.  10% variation is maximum
permissible.  Anything more and you've trouble.
(One bright side: sometimes 'tired' engines will continue to awaken slowly.
My '67 did just that.  30,171 miles and a constant skip (probably a valve).
Inside of a few hundred miles all compression is fine now (thank you God))
Wires: All these have to do to make the car start is essentially be present
and in the right order (1 5 3 6 2 4).  Crappy wires most generally make a
car run crappy, but most generally don't preclude it from starting (unless
they are a real mess).  Of course unplug each wire from the cap and replace
it.
Cap: if you do not have a replacement, inspect it.  Be sure the contacts
aren't burnt to a cinder (if they are, go fetch your new cap).  Ditto on the
rotor.  Be sure the inside of the cap is clean (reason?  It makes cracks
easier to find should one be present.  Also, clean removes carbon tracks
which send 'spark' signals to the wrong places at the wrong time.)  So clean
the cap, including the wire holder thingies.  
Condensor: this works or does not work.  No test will check it.  If all else
fails, put in a new condenser.  Keep in mind: new from a box doesn't mean
'good'.  (I've bought ones which are 'DOA' or fail soon after installation.
Gotta just love that crap!)
Points: If there is a thing which will preclude an engine from starting
which has been long asleep, points are the thing.  Without regard to what's
been said here about 'never sand points', my personal experience is that a
nicely folded small piece of sandpaper (so it sands both side of the points
at once) will remove the 'ilk' which has formed over the points insulating
them nicely such that they don't 'contact' (which is their ONLY job).
Naturally, give the points a nice cleaning after this thorough scratching so
no residual sandy grains remain on the faces of the points (which preclude
them from closing and puts you right back where you started).
Now set your points to .017-.020 inch.  
NOW (this tests your distributor bearing)..
Advance the distributor to the next highpoint on the cam.  Check your gap.
It MUST be the same as your last 'set the points' reading.
Do it again.  Ditto.
Then Again.  Ditto.
This gap should NOT change on any high point.  If it does, your distributor
bearing is worn causing the shaft to 'wobble' (which really is a problem
since it gives you different point gaps (which changes timing on each
cylinder as well).
Next....
Once the electrical stuff has been done (it is assumed you've checked the
wire-fire (ie, is the input wire to the distributor and to the coil
electrified?)  It lights up a test light when the key is on.
Crank 'er...does it give you spark?  
1-at the coil (ground the coil hot lead (the end which goes into the
distributor) by holding it 'a teeny littly bit' away from a good ground
(remember plugs are only 35thousands of an inch).  If you don't know how big
that is, hold the end of the coil wire with one hand while touching the
carbureator with the other and have someone tell you if your eyes light up
bright red (*well, maybe just getting the wire close to a ground is better
than the 'red eye' test*)
If you've spark there, take an old plug and stuff it into the end of the
plug wire to one plug or another.
No that you've got spark, the other 'needs' are air and fuel.  
If you've not done the compression test you may not get enough air (or fuel
via the carbureator) and then you'll continue to wonder why it doesn't
start).  If Compression test done, and it 'passed' (ie, minimum stuff...like
'OK' compression if not perfect, etc), shoot some ether down the carb (or
give it an ounce or two of gasoline.
Crank.
If it doesn't run, curse at it, and repeat the 'add fuel' and check that the
choke has closed.  DO NOT FLOOD IT.  (an ounce or two of gas is sufficient.
Much more and you'll be removing the plugs to dry 'em out.)

If it still doesn't run with gas, spark and air...
It's mechanical checking time.  (Compression test confirms Timing chain OK.
The timing you want here is 'static time' the distributor.
Need instructions for that?
Let me know.
Jerijan



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