I need help... please read
12-30-2012, 06:09 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington
Posts: 8
I need help... please read
I have an 87 5.0 HO and recently was not getting spark. I took it to a shop and they changed out the out something in the distributer as in they took the entire peice out to replace it. Well that did not work so the car NEVER ran when at the shop. I took it to another shop and after lots of trouble shooting I found it was the EEC relay. So I start the car and have terrible compression and it cant go over 25 mph and has trouble going up hills and just GUTLESS. Before the no spark issue the car ran great. I talked to my uncle who use to run a shop back in the 80s into the early 90s and he thought it may be that the distributor was put on and off by a tooth when placed back in. I went for moving it and not sure if I did or didnt and not the car is not starting... I know this time it has to do with placement of distributor for sure.
My question is..
Is there are way that I can be sure that the distributor is in the proper tooth or atleast a way for me to start from scratch to make sure I have it all properly aligned so that it runs. I mean as in starting from scratch by taking off out the dizzy again and putting it back in so that my firing order run properly? Thanks in advance.
My question is..
Is there are way that I can be sure that the distributor is in the proper tooth or atleast a way for me to start from scratch to make sure I have it all properly aligned so that it runs. I mean as in starting from scratch by taking off out the dizzy again and putting it back in so that my firing order run properly? Thanks in advance.
12-30-2012, 07:38 PM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: CA
Posts: 1,670
12-30-2012, 08:10 PM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ohio
Posts: 3,628
As long as the car was retimed after the dizzy was out , being off 1 or 2 teeth is fine. That little bit can be timed out of it. The car doesn't know the difference. I would be willing to bet the shop didn't get something right when they pulled the dizzy apart.
Remove the number one plug and bring the piston to TDC on the compression stroke. This should be the "0" on the harmonic balancer. You can put your finger over the sparkplug hole while someone bumps the ignition or turns it with a breaker bar , the compression stoke should push your finger off the hole or at least youll hear it swoosh air by it. At this point the tip of the rotor shoul be just after the number one spot on the dizzy. Also make sure the so called shop that was guessing the problem put the spark plug wires back in the correct firing order for the HO moter and not for a carbed 302.
Remove the number one plug and bring the piston to TDC on the compression stroke. This should be the "0" on the harmonic balancer. You can put your finger over the sparkplug hole while someone bumps the ignition or turns it with a breaker bar , the compression stoke should push your finger off the hole or at least youll hear it swoosh air by it. At this point the tip of the rotor shoul be just after the number one spot on the dizzy. Also make sure the so called shop that was guessing the problem put the spark plug wires back in the correct firing order for the HO moter and not for a carbed 302.
12-30-2012, 08:48 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington
Posts: 8
Petrock and Dawson thank you both!
That first shop I took it to replaced the pickup coil but never got it to run. This Forum helped me out as I read up on others having similar problems and a 20.00 EEC Relay fixed it right up. Sucks that the shop that I went to earlier even touched the distributor at this point cause now the problems.
dawson- the fire order is a VERY good point I didnt really think about that and I will DEFINITELY check into it tomorrow when its light out.
Thanks again!
That first shop I took it to replaced the pickup coil but never got it to run. This Forum helped me out as I read up on others having similar problems and a 20.00 EEC Relay fixed it right up. Sucks that the shop that I went to earlier even touched the distributor at this point cause now the problems.
dawson- the fire order is a VERY good point I didnt really think about that and I will DEFINITELY check into it tomorrow when its light out.
Thanks again!
12-30-2012, 09:30 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington
Posts: 8
mattdel... I am really not much of a mechanic (heck I am not one but am learning).
It ran and drove great prior to the no spark issue.
Here is how it drove after the relax: It seemed to be in a low gear and would not move faster than 25-30mph. The engine was getting hot from cause it probably was in no condition be be driven AND besides wanting to stall out going up hill was a real challenge cause it just didnt have the power. Very frustrating and I NEVER let it come close to actually overheating just had to drive it a few mins back to the house.
It ran and drove great prior to the no spark issue.
Here is how it drove after the relax: It seemed to be in a low gear and would not move faster than 25-30mph. The engine was getting hot from cause it probably was in no condition be be driven AND besides wanting to stall out going up hill was a real challenge cause it just didnt have the power. Very frustrating and I NEVER let it come close to actually overheating just had to drive it a few mins back to the house.
12-30-2012, 09:32 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington
Posts: 8
[QUOTE=FitCet;8120901
Here is how it drove after the relax[/QUOTE]
Ops... mean to type here is how it drove after the eec relay was replaced and was up and running for the first time since I quit starting..
Here is how it drove after the relax[/QUOTE]
Ops... mean to type here is how it drove after the eec relay was replaced and was up and running for the first time since I quit starting..
12-31-2012, 08:30 AM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington
Posts: 8
Thanks again for the responses. Please keep in mind that the shop that removed the dizzy was never able to get the car started I ended up figuring out that the reason it would not start was due to eec relay and had nothing to do with the pickup coil as the previous shop thought it might be. It really sucks having something like this take place over the holidays with shops closed but thanks to reading a lot of postings on this forum I believe I am ready to go ahead and work on this myself.
One of the things that still has me confused is the mention about the oil pump shaft and how it sets at the bottom of the dizzy. I watched a video on YouTube titled,"Installing a Distributor Part 2" and the guy seemed to know what they were doing for sure. However, they were using a Chevy engine to demonstrate and what he did was lift up the distributor a little ways and then crank the engine and that pulled the distributor down and seated it with the oil pump shaft. I am not sure that this will work but I, again, am new to this so I am leaning on the shoulders of people who know what they are doing. Thanks again for all the advice!
One of the things that still has me confused is the mention about the oil pump shaft and how it sets at the bottom of the dizzy. I watched a video on YouTube titled,"Installing a Distributor Part 2" and the guy seemed to know what they were doing for sure. However, they were using a Chevy engine to demonstrate and what he did was lift up the distributor a little ways and then crank the engine and that pulled the distributor down and seated it with the oil pump shaft. I am not sure that this will work but I, again, am new to this so I am leaning on the shoulders of people who know what they are doing. Thanks again for all the advice!