flathead, will not start

C

chappys4life

Junior Member
I have been trying to get my 53 f100 back on the road of about a year of sitting. The timing got out of whack so I reset it and got the truck fired and running. Started the truck 3 separate times in a 2 day period and started fine.

A few days go by and tried to get the truck started with no luck. Realized I forgot to hook the vacuum line back up, my mistake and fixed now. Now it will spin and sometimes fires but for like 20-30 seconds and it sounds rough.

Rechecked the timing. Mark on the pulley lined up and rotor is pointed at #1 on the distributor (Passenger side farthest front plug).

Before I parked it I did (literary the day it last was driven):
Petronix 6v kit
Petronix Wires
NGK plugs
Vacuum pot on distributor replaced
Battery was changed last September and tested good by Napa Sunday as well

I put 3 gallons in the tank when I first got it started. Thought maybe ran it low and added 2 more gallons. The fuel pump glass part has fuel.

Any ideas or things to check?
 
If it was mine, and I was sure that the ignition was good, I'd be for looking down the carb and making sure it was getting an accel. pump/pwr valve full squirt. Than I would watch as I increased RPM and see if it was able to draw fuel after idle circuit, maybe very carefully trickle a little gas in it after it fires for the 20/30 seconds and see if it then continues to run. Unleaded gas doesn't like to be left alone in the tank for a year, and if it was ethanol, it hates it after 6 or 8 weeks sometimes. Can make for some crazy stuff in fuel systems.
 
Oh I drained the tank after sitting. It has a bolt at the bottom of the tank. Then installed fresh gas. The carb was rebuilt in August of last year but did sit.

What are some ways I should check for ignition?
 
You said it started 3 times in 2 days and ran fine, so I think the ignition is probably OK. You drained the tank, but that did not drain the lines, pump, carb etc. You added new gas, and it ran. THEN you let it set for a few days. New fuels create some crazy stuff that could have been picked up and carried with the new fuel the times you started it. Then it set for a few days, and settled in the float bowl. When you tried to start it something could have gotten sucked into some passages in the carb. That's what I would suspect most.

Pertronix paperwork should tell you how to check for spark at the plugs. I'd hate to say how, and and have your unit burn up.
 
chappys4life said:
Oh I drained the tank after sitting. It has a bolt at the bottom of the tank. Then installed fresh gas. The carb was rebuilt in August of last year but did sit.

What are some ways I should check for ignition?
Click to expand...


I would pull one plug wire off and hold next to the engine block and look for good spark while cranking.........then do same test with coil wire from dist cap , should look about the same..............
One of the weak points with the pertronixs 6 volt system is a very low threshhold on voltage. Battery voltage needs to be 6-6.2 and show very little drop when cranking........
 
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