i'm going for the longshot here....

valves aren't opening because there are no cam followers installed.


yep it's 1000 to 1 odds, but i gotta do it.



hopefully it's nothing too serious and i hope you get it sorted out soon.

 

Wow, talk about your long shots...lol! The cam followers are all in place along with the valve lash adjusters. Thanks for the reply.

 

yeah had to go for it, cause nothing else jumps out
as an obvious issue.

if it's not compression related, i guess we have to consider
that it could be electrical. i would try starting it with
all the spark plugs in, but leaving all the Coil Over Plug connectors
disconnected, to see if the engine will turn over.

 

Is it even engaging the starter? could be a fuse or relay issue. Do you hear a click when you turn the key?

Also check the connections to the on board computer near the fuse box. Does the car throw any codes?

If it's an automatic check that it's in park, if manual, check the pressure switch that tells the computer the clutch is engaged.

 

I dont think it sounds like an electrical issue it sounds mechanical. I would definitely try putting in the spark plugs one at a time. Let us know what you find...

 

Agreed, it's mechanical. I'll spend the day tomorrow putting plugs back one at time...at least until the Bronco game starts.

 

I was thinking compression related too. Seems almost like you're pressure locked with the plugs in... This is a strange one.

 

Ooooh.... I'd skip that game and just keep working on the car if I were you.

Lol, hope you find the problem and it isn't serious. Clearance issues are a PITA.

 

You were right I should have skipped the game, enough said about that. And some of the other guys were right too; the problem was electrical vs. mechanical.

As part of the engine swap I was to relocate the battery to the trunk, so the battery was sitting on a stool next to the car. The jumper cables I was using to try and start the car with just could not pull enough amps to even turn it over, much less start a new tight engine. It dawned on me late Saturday afternoon that this might be my problem, so I dug out some old 1 gauge welding cable I had. When I connected those she started up on the first turn of the key. After the meticulous work building and install the new engine, in the end it’s something obvious or stupid that will trip you up. Oh well stuff happens.

I’d like to thank everybody for the really great suggestions. I’ll post a link later today to a video we made at the moment of ignition. I won’t be posting all the videos we made of when it didn’t start, way to many of those…lol

Thanks again!

 

doh!
lol. Dont you love those moments it dawns on you what you did :P