Ok, back at it tonight. Started it up and not all cylinders are firing. How can I check spark on each cylinder to verify that it is getting spark? Coil wire on and cranK? Coil wire off and crank?

Phil

Unplug the plug wire from a spark plug, plug in tester or spark plug with a ground wire and look for spark. Just set the plug with ground wire on the intake and start it. It will be quite visible. Do that for each cylinder.

There will be no question which ones are firing when you have tested all 8.

John

If you don't want to make your own as Grubby describes, just go to your local NAPA or Autozone and pick up a spark tester. You can Google "spark plug tester" and there are tons of them.;)

Ok, I am really embarrassed to show this, but I think I know what the problem is. See the attached picture.

Phil

Phil,

Have some spare spark plugs on hand when you follow the above directions by Grubby. If you do not get spark, then change the plug and insert a new one. That way you can rule out the plugs as being the problem. If it still gets no spark with a new plug, it is not the plug. Good luck.

If I'm not mistaken - it appears you have the throttle cross over bracket secured under the carb baseplate, instead of on top of the base plate. I can see that your fuel bowls are not level with each other too - mine are level with each other. That would create a huge vacuum leak. Am I right?

Don't sweat it - I still hold the record for self-embarrassment here. My two week odyssey into a turn signal problem that resulted in nearly disassembling the dash - and turned out to be a disconnected wire at the signal light was a high point.

Not quite sure what I am supposed to see in the pic, but where are your throttle return springs?

Good eye Dan! I missed that!

Dan is right......I feel so dumb...

Phil

Don't beat yourself up. The list of mistakes we have all made working on these cars would reach from here to the moon! Just let us know if that does the trick!

Naaah, we've had threads on here where guys confessed their goof ups over the years and that one doesn't even blip on the screen.:LOL:

Phil,

At least you were smart enough to recognize the problem. We all have done things that we would rather forget at one time or another :CRY:

Yes, that's good that you've found it, learn from little mistakes, take your time.

Gary

Started up and firing on all cylinders....Now to set timing....

Phil

Hey - after 194 posts on this thread if this simple, inexpensive fix gets you up and running again I say you declare victory and march on. :)

... and you are now officially an expert on fishing the oil pump rod out of the hole with a McDonald's straw.;)

Lets see screw-up embarrassment -where do I start:

There was the time I nearly burned up my car because the main power lead at the alternator came loose/was loose and started functioning as an arc welder.

The above mentioned turn signal fiasco.

The front KO adaptor I forgot to torque the studs on, eventually came loose and wheel knocked going around a corner to remind me.

The LED taillight effort and failure which to this date remains unexplained.

Exhaust tic that drove me nuts for months until I discovered that when I slipped my headers on the partially threaded in lower bolts, a washer got trapped under the header flange, creating a nice exhaust leak.

The time I started my car on it's crank up dollies - while in gear. Still amazed how it just set there spinning the wheels on the dolly rollers.

I discovered this last weekend that I had my front coil over springs set about 1 inch difference in compressed height. I had to replace one for a bad adjuster when I first got my car running. Somehow I never managed to get around it adjusting it to match the other side. I thought I did. Been running around for 500 miles with one coil over up front doing probably 75% of the work.

Given a chance to review my prior threads I could probably expand the list considerably. :rolleyes:

That on is my personal favorite.:cool:

Almost like a mini dyno. :)

OK, you guys are making me feel a little better...(:

Tips also to Guessford for suggesting massive vacuum leak at the same time I was looking at the linkage! I saw it about the same time they suggested!

Phil