Finished rebuild tonight. Won't start

[funracer]

Bummer.

This is my first rebuild so I thought I was being careful and going by
the book. Apparently I missed something.

The engine turns over with the starter or socket on the crankshaft nut
smoothly and without any bad sounds. Plugs are getting spark, I can hear the fuel pump running and there is fuel under the throttle body butterfly.
I also turned the distributor slowly back and forth while the wife cranked the starter just to see if I could get it to fire. It is puffing a little smoke out the tailpipe and trying to start, but it is weak and will not light off.

I suspect the timing belt only because I have never changed one before
so I had to read how to do it and could have messed it up. I put the mark on the camshaft sprocket lined up with the mark on the valve cover and also lined up the crankshaft mark with the mark on the block.
When I went to put the timng belt on of coarse when the teeth were put in the crankshaft sprocket they would not fit into the grooves in the camshaft sprocket perfectly, so I had to turn the camshaft slightly (half a tooth) to the right to get the TB to fit. I then turned the crank over by hand two rotations and everything still lined up so I thought I was good.

The car has been on an incline for a month during the rebuild (front wheels on ramps, rear wheels on the ground) so i thought maybe it was a problem with the fuel going uphill. I would like to take it off the ramps but if I do that it will be a PITA to get it back up off the ground if I need to.

Several of you have been very helpful when I have had questions during
this rebuild and I would certainly appreciate any additional suggetions.

Thanks

[brivers]

You may have to crank it a lot to pump up the lifters. Just don't burn up your starter.

[RossT]

Make sure that the ground wires are conected to the back lower side of the TB.

[funracer]

One thing I want to add is that the only thing I did on this rebuild involved the head and the block. I did not open the throttle body at all but only disconnected it from the block and pulled it out of the way with a bungee cord. I did not change any ignition wires, plugs, distributor cap, rotor etc.I did not change or adjust any sensors such as MAP, TPS, IAC (if there is one) or EGR system.

[DOCTORBILL]

Make damn sure the MAP sensor is hooked up correctly - Vacuum and wires.

No CEL error codes ?

O2 sensor hooked up & working ?

No unplugged wires hanging about...?

Vacuum hoses put back in proper places ?

No vacuum leaks on hoses or on new gaskets ?

TB grounded well.

EGR gallery & valve full of Carbon ?

Timed properly with the appropriate jumper on the computer ?

Getting Fuel flow and pressure OK ?

Plugs getting spark ?

Exhaust pipe, muffler & Cat Converter not plugged up ?

Have you made five obeisances toward the Great God Metrogloditious...?

DoctorBill (over the Hill & all downhill)

[funracer]

Thanks for the replies.

I will check everything that each of you has suggested.

Dr. Bill I read your entire rebuild adventure. I did not touch much if anything assosciated with the intake system. I disconnected it and pulled it aside so I assume (ack) that everything associated with that side of things still functions as before.

Tomorrow I will begin looking hard at things I DID mess with, like the timing belt. Hassle to get to it again but I want to make sure everything is line up in there before I look elsewhere.

Thanks again

[DOCTORBILL]

"Tomorrow I will begin looking hard at things.....like the timing belt."

After the Timing Belt is set up properly, you will need to time the spark using a
timing light - with that "Diagnostic Connector" near the coil shorted out properly.

Any car with a distributor requires timing - thank God the old 'points' are mostly gone!

If I remember correctly (don't want to go looking it up) mine was set to 8° BTDC.

If you don't have a timing light, either rent or buy one (Harbor Freight - cheap).

Something really dumb, but needs asking - is your gas tank empty ?

A lot of folks forget the basics -

"My computer won't work."
"Is it plugged in"
"I don't know - what is a plug?"

Just remember - cursing helps....

Doctorbill - Over the Hill.

[metro_roy]

Perhaps you installed the distributor 180 degrees off. I did that once on a 4 cyl metro rebuild. I think you could also make that error on a 3 cyl.

[DOCTORBILL]

You know - it is a good idea to make a diagram of your spark plug wiring layout.

Once everything is off, it sometimes is not obvious how they were set up after a couple of weeks
having everything apart. You forget....

The wires may all be of the appropriate length, but where do they go into the distributor?
It is not obvious...

Someone (kids?) interchanged my spark plug wires on the Distributor on a old used 54 Nash Rambler
I had for a beater car.
Sounded like it would explode!

Once I figured out where they were supposed to go, I drew a diagram for those times
when things aren't working as they should.

Firing order and such.

The damnedest things can happen - "Sh*t happens..." is not just a bumper sticker !

It is THE primary Law of Nature.

DoctorBill Over the Hill

[Crvett69]

distributor will only go in one way. the alignment slot is off center.