Help! can't get SBC swap to start

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Pull #1 plug out and place your finger over the hole. Use a remote starter (or helper) to bump the engine over to TDC. You should feel compression blowing against your finger as it comes up on the compression stroke. If you do feel it - you are coming up on compression TDC. If you don't feel it - you are coming up on exhaust stroke TDC and you need to rotate the crankshaft one more time. At that point check the rotor to see that it is pointing at #1 plug wire. If it is then your distributor is right. If not -- pull the distributor and drop it back in so that the rotor points to #1.
 
i think the only people who HAVEN"T put a dist in 180* off, just don't work on cars.
i also have a habit of switching the 5 and 7 wires, still don't know why. :blam:
 
Yeah sounds like 180° off if it's backfiring out of the carb and just won't start. That happened to me and my dad last week. Sure enough, took the #1 plug out, bumped the starter almost to the 0 mark, turned it the rest of the way with a breaker bar on the crank pulley, and it's pointed in the exact opposite way of the first cylinder. Simple as that! Make sure you're not a tooth off either when putting it back in.
 
If it's set correctly to begin with, don't see how you could set the dist 180 degrees off... just line up the 1st spark plug with the rotor at TDC.

There's many more reasons than the same thing being said over and over that could cause it to backfire
 
custom442 said:
If it's set correctly to begin with, don't see how you could set the dist 180 degrees off... just line up the 1st spark plug with the rotor at TDC.

There's many more reasons than the same thing being said over and over that could cause it to backfire

You can get tdc on the compression stroke or exhaust stroke. 50/50 chance. Not everyone thinks to check which one it is on. Yes I have done it also :lol:
 
If it was backfiring through the carb, then it means the intake valves are opening a little before or after the piston is at TDC during the compression stroke. It's easy to put the distributor in 180° off with the engine in the car because you turn the crank over for whatever reason.
 
dan2286 said:
custom442 said:
If it's set correctly to begin with, don't see how you could set the dist 180 degrees off... just line up the 1st spark plug with the rotor at TDC.

There's many more reasons than the same thing being said over and over that could cause it to backfire

You can get tdc on the compression stroke or exhaust stroke. 50/50 chance. Not everyone thinks to check which one it is on. Yes I have done it also :lol:

Right, which is why you turn it by hand and use a paper clip to see where the piston is through the plug hole, I thought this was common practice

Maybe I'm just green with that kinda stuff, but it seems simple enough if you're turning the engine and it's compressing and it's at TDC then that's where you need to be
 
custom442 said:
dan2286 said:
custom442 said:
If it's set correctly to begin with, don't see how you could set the dist 180 degrees off... just line up the 1st spark plug with the rotor at TDC.

There's many more reasons than the same thing being said over and over that could cause it to backfire

You can get tdc on the compression stroke or exhaust stroke. 50/50 chance. Not everyone thinks to check which one it is on. Yes I have done it also :lol:

Right, which is why you turn it by hand and use a paper clip to see where the piston is through the plug hole, I thought this was common practice

Maybe I'm just green with that kinda stuff, but it seems simple enough if you're turning the engine and it's compressing and it's at TDC then that's where you need to be

That paper clip still ain't gonna tell you if it is on the compression stroke or the exhaust stroke.
 
jrm81bu said:
That paper clip still ain't gonna tell you if it is on the compression stroke or the exhaust stroke.

And if it's compressing while getting to TDC then...
 
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