I have a problem with camshaft timing, couldn´t get the engine to run properly after rebuild. It was firing to exhaust and to carb. Now I have disassembled the engine again. I checked the timing, it should be right, but after studying my 56 car shopmanual and 61 truck shopmanual, there is conflict with timing the camshaft. In the 56 manual the picture says that the keyway in crankshaft is on one o´clock and in camshaft seven o´clock. But the 61 manual picture says that in crankshaft and camshaft the keyways are on one o´clock. In the engine the keyways are now like 61 manual says. I don´t remember how it was before the rebuild. Camshaft is the same that was there. Engine is from 60 Fairlane, but it is not original. Probably a truck block (Truck timing cover) and Mercury ECZ-G heads (were ivory painted ).

Tero from Finland

Tero from Nurmijarvi, Finland

56 Country Sedan, 61 F-100, 61 F-600, 55 F-620, 52 Mercury

http://www.dlc.fi/~teros

http://www.y-block.info

http://www.hollowheads.net

http://www.fordnationals.net

The cam sprocket and the crankshaft sprocket have a dot on the outside face. Looking from in front of the car to the back, with the engine upright ( not on an engine stand) put both dots at the 3 o`clock position with 12 pins of the timing chain between the 2 dots.  My 57 car shop manual shows the keyway for the cam at the 7 o`clock position with the sprocket dot at 3 o`clock. Pete

Remembered wrong, the timing was in the engine exactly like 56 manual says and yes there are 12 pins between the dots on oil filter side. This is not my first Y-Block rebuild. Just was wondering why 61 shop manual shows the keyways different than 56 manual. Have there been two different kind of camshafts and camshaft sprockets? Or is it described wrong in the 61 manual?
Actually the engine stopped running before rebuild, back then everything was tried to get it to run again with no success. Now there are lots of new parts and it still not running. There is new carb, plugs, plug wires, coil, contacts, condenser, distributor cap and rotor. Only what is old is distributor, but there was tried a good known distributor when it stopped running. I have to check that original distributor as soon as I get my new 60´s or 70´s Sun distributor tester fixed and have a adapter for Y-Block distributor.

Tero from Finland

Tero from Nurmijarvi, Finland

56 Country Sedan, 61 F-100, 61 F-600, 55 F-620, 52 Mercury

http://www.dlc.fi/~teros

http://www.y-block.info

http://www.hollowheads.net

http://www.fordnationals.net

Tero,

It would appear that the 61 shop manual has a discrepancy.  As far as I'm aware, all the Y blocks have the crank gear keyways at 1 o'clock and the camshaft gear keyways are at 7 o'clock to get to the 3 o'clock 'dot' orientation on both gears that Pete mentioned.

If an engine has fuel, compression, and spark (in the right spot of course), it should fire up or at least make some noise.  You didn't say if you were getting any backfires but if you are, then I'd be looking in the direction of the ignition timing with the distributor either 180° off or just needing to be repositioned enough to get the initial timing somewhere close to TDC.

I'd suggest checking the compression on a few of the cylinders to insure that it is adequate.  Having at least 140psi pressure at cranking will rule out most mechanical issues such as valve lash being set too tight, camshaft timing, ring seal, valves leaking by, etc.  If you check the compression on all the cylinders, then the acceptable range between the lowest and highest readings should be no more than 10%.

I'd also be checking for ignition spark early on.  With voltage going to the coil, you should be able to work the breaker points open and closed and get spark out of the coil wire when the distributor cap end of the coil wire is placed approximately 1/4" from a grounded surface.  At this point, you're checking for spark from the coil and not from the cap.  Spinning the engine over with the cap in place and the coil wire removed from the cap where the free end is placed close to an engine ground will also accomplish the same thing.  The spark should be a nice clean blue spark and be at least 3/16" long.  Longer is better though.  If the spark is orange or yellow and fails after 1/8" gap, then start looking hard at the ignition components or the voltage going to the coil.

And then there's fuel.  It needs to be fresh.  I've seen instances where old fuel just doesn't want to ignite.  If the fuel is fresh and the carb is shooting fuel into the engine when the throttle is opened, then it could just be a simple matter of needing more fuel than a couple of shots.  Especially on a new engine.  But you have to be cautious as flooding the engine and fouling the plugs is also possible if pumping too much fuel into the engine.  Pulling the spark plugs and checking for wetness will give you an indication of flooding.

Give a shout back and let us know what you find.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks, Ted and Pete for Your input. It is just funny, I do repair every day at work new cars electrics, but just can't get this old simple engine to run. Maybe my brains are now so twisted that can´t think things in simple way anymore? It will take for next weekend that I can wash the engine and then start to put it back together again. This time I will make it run on the floor before I lift it back to car.

I have checked the ignition million times, but not the compression. Have to check that too. There was severe flooding in engine, so much that it wouldn´t turn anymore. Cylinders 5 and 6 were full of gasoline.



Tero from Finland

Tero from Nurmijarvi, Finland

56 Country Sedan, 61 F-100, 61 F-600, 55 F-620, 52 Mercury

http://www.dlc.fi/~teros

http://www.y-block.info

http://www.hollowheads.net

http://www.fordnationals.net

Sometimes it helps to step back and take a fresh look. We get so wrapped around the problem we forget to check the simple things.

I did a tune up on a Scrub years ago. New plugs, points, condensor, cap and rotor. Afterwards the car would not start! I rechecked the parts I replaced MANY times even putting the old parts back and it still wouldn't start. A friend came in and asked if I checked the coil! I said of course not, I hadn't changed the coil! You can guess the rest. Why the coil decided to quit at that time will always remain a mystery.

Point is I was so close to the job I wasn't properly troubleshooting it.

My two cents worth, Chuck in NH

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire