So I have a 1970 Ford Maverick with a 250 inline 6 with 180,000 miles and it has been impossible to start. it was my daily and I drove it around 50-70 miles a day for a few months and it drove great. I could always rely on it to start and it always started as soon as I turned the key. Well one day I was coming home from work and it was driving perfectly fine. I shut it off but later that night I went to start it but it only ran for maybe 5 seconds and then shut off. After than happened it wouldn’t even try to start or even fire. I went through everything. I got spark from the coils and from the spark plugs but just in case it was a weak spark I tried a new coil and got the same result. I went to the fuel and I was getting fuel from the pump and the carb was also getting fuel. But just in case I poured gas down the carb and still nothing. No fire at all. I tried 3 different coils, 3 different condensers, 2 different points, 2 different rotary’s, 2 different caps, 2 different solenoids, and 2 different distributors but yet still nothing. Would not even try to fire, would just turn over. So the last thing that I could think of would be the timing chain. I took apart the engine and changed the timing chain. put everything back together and when I turned the key the engine fired right up but again ran for only a few seconds and then shut off. I was right back to where I was but at least now the engine sounded like it was trying to fire. It wasn’t wanting to start so I took out the distributor and put it at TDC with the rotary pointing towards #1 spark plug. Went to turn the car on but it wouldn’t even start again but was now it was backfiring out the carb. I went through everything again but it was still backfiring out the carb. So I took apart the front again and reinstalled the timing chain, lined up the dots and put everything together but it’s still backfiring out the carb like it’s 180 out. has good spark, has good compression, everything in the engine bay is brand new and I still can’t figure it out.
Your engine may have swallowed a valve. Compression test would reveal (the cylinder with zero would be at fault).
Ignition too far advanced? Vacuum leak? Carb filling properly? If you know the compression is good on all cylinders, the cam is timed properly, distributor is close, and ignition parts are in good condition I'd go to those things next. Sounds like you're left with improper ignition timing or lean mixture.
Maybe it is 180* out of time. If dist is installed on exhaust stroke instead of compression it won't run. The fact that it started before you removed dist and repl timing chain proves it WAS in time, now unknown. If it had a catalytic converter I say check to see if exhaust was plugged, common issue causing start, shut off and maybe try to restart. Something like that would be obvious, crunched spark plug and a bunch of noise while cranking. There's no space in cylinder for a valve that's laying on piston.
But I know it’s in time because I have the valve cover off and I watch the valves to make sure I am on the compression stroke. I’ve had the distributor in and out maybe 20 times now
I dunno what your problem is, last no start that led to a bunch of tail chasing is here.... (backup one post) http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/tired-of-this-car.124535/page-3#post-1164552
This is my thread. I went around in circles to find out that 2 of the spark plugs were broken ever so slightly. I replaced the plugs and the car fired off and idled perfectly and ran as it should.
Mebby but I wouldn't bet on it. In 55 years of vehicle ownership(that right bought my first in '66), I've never seen a points dist that's providing spark cause a no start. Yes I'm discounting wet dist and/or cap but that isn't in play here. Units that have dist shaft so worn, points dwell is all over map start & run. Maybe not very well but they run.
ive tried two different distributors, I had a spare that was extremely clean and came out of a 250 that had only 75,000 miles on it, and it still wouldn’t work
Backfiring out the carb is usually timing. I ask this only because I have done it, Make sure your spark plugs are going the right direction on the cap (CCW, CW) I have done this once. they don't run very good...LOL
