I bought my 69 Mustang from a guy back in October/beginning of November. Car hasn't run since and I don't believe it ran for awhile with him either. When I got the car, I found out that I had to install a new radiator, thermostat housing, thermostat, etc. I also replaced the starter as the other one just spun when I finally got it to start cranking. It cranked for a few times then just spun.

Now, I have replaced the thermostat and thermostat housing, radiator, waterpump, starter, starter solenoid, and voltage regulator. I went to crank the car today after mounting the thermostat housing last night, and it just cranks and cranks. I had the battery jumped off my GMC Jimmy, and it just cranked and cranked.

What could be the problem? Battery, Fuel delivery? What can I check now?

 

If it cranks, it's not the battery. Make sure you are getting fuel to the carb, did you change the fuel filter? Check fire at plugs, if not, check to see if your points are cracking fire, if not, checkcoil for fire.

 

No on the fuel filter, what's the best way to make sure fuel is getting to the carb? Also, what's the best way for checking for spark?

Note, I hit the gas a few times, but it doesnt seem to actually pull the throttle properly, but I was under the hood while the wife cranked it, and pull on the throttle by hand, the flap on top of the carb, moves ever so slightly.

 

When you pump the throttle, you should see gas shoot out of those little jets.
You can pull the fuel line off the carb, turn the car over[ put the hose in a can] and gas should come out.
Check to see if gas is getting to the fuel pump, both sides of fuel filter
If not, it's the line from the tank or the sending unit in the front of the tank
I pull a plug wire off and stick another plug in the wire, ground it off and turn the car over. Careful it might bite you, better let your wife hold the wire. If you don't see an arc, no fire.
The flap on top of the carb is the choke, you could try closing it, but if there is no gas!

 

Check spark first. Take off a plug boot and jam a screwdriver in it. Hold the screwdriver about a half inch from the engine block. Turn the car over by either having someone turn the key or jump the posts on the solenoid. If the spark jumps to the engine block, thats good. If its blue or white, its a hot spark. If its orange, u have a weak spark. Blue Good. Orange Bad. Let us know what happens.

If u have a strong spark, the next thing to do is find out if u have fuel getting to the carb. Take the fuel line off from the carb and hold it on a jar.Now try starting the car. Does fuel pump into the jar?

 

Ok, so I went out and took the hose off of the fuel filter that's on the Carb. Put it in a bucket and went to crank the car. It cranked like 2-4 times and stopped. No power to the car at all now. I went to the front of the car to see if any fuel made it, and no, however, I heard a light sizzling noise and saw fluid leaking on the ground. I realized that the acid from the battery was spilling out of the caps on the battery and hitting the ground. Wasn't pouring, just spilled a bit.

I'm assuming this means the battery is dead or needs to be replaced asap. I have the battery out of the car now.

Oh, and when you say stick a screwdriver in the plug wire, and put it near the block, do you mean stick the metal part into the socket of the plug, and put the plastic handle near the block? I'm curious as to how the spark would travel through the plastic and out, or am I mistaken?

 

No, the exposed part of the screw driver blade will have the spark arc from the blade to the engine block.

You will prob need a few more than 2-4 cranks to get fuel to the carb, especially if it hasnt been started in a while.

 

Battery is probably toast!
Screwdriver in the plug boot, hold the boot and the screwdriver and put the metal part of the screwdriver to the block.
I use a plug and put it to the block [either one works]
If you auger on the starter to much something is going to get hot. Either burn up your starter or melt a cable or burn up your battery
If it doesn't hit pretty quick you probably haven't solved the problem. So turning it over and over and over is not helping.
Eliminate one thing at a time. Sounds like a battery is the first thing.

 

also think about checking compression.

 

Im going to have to get a new battery for it since the other decided to gurgle fluid out.

I had it cranking on and off for a bit earlier, before this whole checking the fuel and nothing happened. I wonder if the fuel isn't getting there, but if it isn't, how do I know what to check for the fuel transfer, (the line from the tank or sender)?

Actually, now that I think of it, when I took the hose off the filter on the carb, it was bone dry, actually dusty looking. What should I look into now in order to see if the sending unit is bad or if the line is bad?