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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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I have had my 292 running a few weeks ago but it was always tough to start well once again I can't get it to start. Well I tested the coil with the ignition on to see how much voltage I am getting. I am only getting 6 volts instead of 9 like you are suppose to get. Which would be why it has trouble starting. I don't see a recterfirer so what controlled the voltage from always being 12 volt? I am
Bad on electrical so I really need help. I know a few basics and that's it
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By Steve - 10 Years Ago
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Sounds like it's cranking well now, so at least you've solved that part. Great!
Is it a stock distributor?
Is fuel getting to the carb?
I don't think there is a rectifier on these but you may have a ballast resistor by the coil which drops the voltage.
Try jumping the pos battery terminal directly to the pos coil terminal. Make up a wire with alligator clips or something.
That will eliminate the ignition switch and all the wiring to the coil from possible voltage drops due to some bad connection somewhere.
If it still won't start, then it's back to basics: If it has a points style distributor, then check points,condenser, cap and rotor.
Coils do fail but it's pretty rare in my experience.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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Is the balast risister the little round barral shape next to the coil? I though that was the condenser I don't know if it is the original dizzy or not but it is pionts. I am getting fuel right up to the fuel filter by the carb. And a few times the engine has spit back and fuel has come up so I know it's getting fuel. I might move the dizzy around since I have not had a chance to get it timed that may be the problem it's just it the ballpark area for the #1 cylinder. What is the voltage at the coil suppose to be when it is not cranking?
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By Steve - 10 Years Ago
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Ballast resistors are a ceramic rectangular block about 2-inches long, with a terminal at either end. They are commonly mounted on the intake by the coil, and are wired between the switched 12V source and the pos terminal on the coil, and I believe its purpose is to extend point life by reducing the voltage. Come to think of it, I believe that the ballast resistor, if you have one, is bypassed during cranking, so they only are in play after you release the key.
Anyway, 6V seems kinda low, and is probably lower while you are cranking. I'm sure there is someone out there that knows the actual spec.....
It does sound like the timing may be off. With your jumper in place, and with a helper at the key, try rotating the distributor a little while its cranking and see if it will fire.
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By miker - 10 Years Ago
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I'm working from memory (!?),my shop manual isn't available right now.
Under normal running, the hot wire goes from the ignition to the ballast resister to the coi + then from the coil - to the points in the dizzy. The ballast resister is usually a rectangular device 1/2" square by 2 1/2" long. There should be a round condenser inside the dizzy.
This runs the engine with reduced voltage to the coil/points to prevent arc and rapid wear at the points.
During starting, this wire is not powered. The stock ignition sw only sends power to the solenoid in the start position. On the starter solenoid, the fourth terminal, the small front facing one towards the passenger side, goes to either the output side of the ballast resistor or the coil+. This provides a full 12 volts while cranking.
Unless you have a non stock ignition switch, or this wiring in place, there's no spark when cranking. If you hook the start wire to the wrong side of the resistor, you're trying to start the engine with both the resistor drop and cranking (starter) voltage drop and you're likey to have a weak spark and hard starting.
. 3 starters? That sure shows where QC has gone.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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Well I don't have the ballets resister on mine.
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By PWH42 - 10 Years Ago
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The round barrel-shaped thing is the noise suppressor for the radio and has no effect on the running(or not running) of the engine.
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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This is what a ballast resistor looks like. If you are running the stock solenoid and ignition you should have one. Reduces voltage to prevent point burn.
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By charliemccraney - 10 Years Ago
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This is in a '63 F100, right? A '63 F100 has a resistor wire, not a rectangular ceramic resistor. If that wire is still in use, it can explain the voltage drop. With points, it should be fine, though. Also, if the truck is wired correctly, the resistor is bypased while cranking,
Are you getting a spark? You can check with s timing light, or best with a spark tester or by removing a wire from a plug and holding the bare end just above the surface of the exhaust manifold and observing the spark.
The shop manual has pretty good trouble shooting instructions. Do you have a shop manual? If not, get one.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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I could not find a resister wire at the parts store but I got a universal ballast resister. The problem is I have 12v before I hook it up but as soon as I hook it up I only get 8.5v and 4.5 on the other side and than it starts to smoke at the ballast why would this be?
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By charliemccraney - 10 Years Ago
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Look for the factory resistor. You probably have two resistors now, which is why your voltage is even lower. Since you only had 6v before, you surely don't need to be adding a resistor. Remove the one you just installed. Don't know why it is smoking. Maybe a short.
Did you check for a spark, as I suggested?
A very simple way to determine if it might be a voltage issue is to run a jumper wire from battery + to coil +. This eliminates the entire ignition circuit and provides full battery voltage to the ignition. If it starts, then it probably is a wiring problem. If it still doesn't start, then it is probably some other problem. Remove the jumper wire as soon as you have finished the test.
Again, acquire a shop manual. It will have a wire diagram that will help to identify the resistor wire. I think it is pink, but not sure. And the trouble shooting is great, probably better explained than anyone here will do.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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Well when I got up today and checked the voltage I had 12v at the coil. I don't know why it only showed 6v yesterday. I am getting a constant 12 v to the coil with the ignition on. As for spark I am getting a strong spark. I am almost positive there is fuel in the carb. It tries to start and will almost catch but will not start. I try iced moving the dizzy around to see if it would start but no luck. There is no chance that it is 180 out on the dizzy if it is trying to start is there? The only thing left to do is pour a bit of fuel in the carb and see if it takes off.
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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Don't pour too much in and make sure you set the fuel container down away from the car. A flash fire wouldn't help. If you pull the number one plug sticky a finger in the hole and crank the engine until air pressure pushes your finger out. Look at the damper markings and make sure they are somewhere around the TDC mark. Now, pull the distributor cap and see where the rotor is pointing. If it all seems close then move the timing mark to TDC by rotating the engine with a socket . Then point rotate the distributor until the number one wire lines up with the rotor. That's a good baseline to try again. Chuck
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By charliemccraney - 10 Years Ago
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It won't try to start if it is 180 out but it could try to start if it is 1 tooth off, which is easy to do by mistake, or the timing is off. You can also use a timing light while cranking to see where the initial timing is. It does not have to be running for that.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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How would you correct it if it was one tooth off? Do you need to pull the dizzy out and move it one tooth or can you just rotate it? I will try all that and see what happens.
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By Steve - 10 Years Ago
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Yes.
But you can check it first before you pull the distributor. See Moonshadow's post.
If it's a tooth or more off, report back and we can help you set it correctly.
You did say you had it running at some point did you not?
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By Dobie - 10 Years Ago
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Pull the dizzy and reinstall it. When you push it into engagement with the drive gear on the cam it will rotate a bit so you need to take that into account. Note where the #1 plug wire is on the cap, find TDC on the compression stroke for #1 cylinder. Mark the side of the distributor below the #1 wire where it goes into the cap and check to see if the rotor is reasonably close to the mark. If not, pull the dizzy and reinstall until the rotor lies up with the mark. That will at least get you in the ballpark and it should start if all else is copacetic. Get it up to temperature and adjust base timing with a timing light. Don't forget to disconnect the vacuum line at the dizzy and plug it with a golf tee or some such to eliminate any vacuum advance.
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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I forgot to ask but was this engine running before you parked it or is it a new engine? Where are you located? If you like you can setup your tagline with City and State. Makes it easier to figure out if you are "in range" of any of us.
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By MplsMike - 10 Years Ago
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I had a similar problem. The engine cranked and cranked but didn't start. Turns out my point gap was way, way off. Fired up right away once it was set right.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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Well it is a new engine in that I completely rebuilt it. Right after I rebuilt it I had trouble with getting it started till I found out it was 180 out. So I got it where the #1 cylinder was in the #1 wire and she started up but it still was never easy to get her runny I would have to pump it a lot and give it lots of fuel to get her running once she would catch she would run alright unless the throttle was pulled all the way back. But since than I had readjusted the pint gap to 15 and put a new set in and installed a new fuel pump and 3
New starters (haha). So I don't understand if it was only a tooth off can't you adjust
The dizzy one way or the other to compensate for that? Oh and I live in Bentonville AR
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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It's probably easier just to move the plug wires one hole in the direction needed. It will run like that.
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By Steve - 10 Years Ago
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Why not just get the engine to TDC and verify where the dist. is set?
Really, it's not that mysterious. If it's off, just pull it out and re-install.
When you have to rotate the distributor that far to compensate for even one tooth off things like vacuum advance cans start getting in the way etc.
So you are better off getting it right.
When I used to run a conventional distributor, I would pull the distributor just to change or set points- it's really much easier that way.
As you drop the distributor down in there, the rotor will rotate as the gears mesh, then it will usually stop because it can't engage the oil pump drive.
Then just bump the starter and it will drop down the rest of the way.
So as you are dropping it down, the rotor will be rotating towards the position you want but be about 15 or 20 degrees shy of the final position when it stops.
After you bump the starter to drop it down the rest of the way, just rotate the crank back to TDC to verify.
Here is a picture of the distributor with # 1 in the correct position and the firing order which may need verifying too.
But Ray- check it first before removing the distributor. You may not need to!
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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Swapping wires is just a quickie. Resetting the dizy is the way to go.
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By RayCarter18 - 10 Years Ago
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Ok well it was about a tooth off. As soon as I fixed that she started up great. Thanks for all the help.
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By MoonShadow - 10 Years Ago
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Great! Glad you got it going again.
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By charliemccraney - 10 Years Ago
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Sweet.
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