>List,
>
>I have tried everything anyone suggested. I've replaced every part in
the
>ignition system, almost. I had it running for a while and it just
quit.
>Period.
>I assumed I had some plugged ports in the carb, so I completely rebuilt
it.
>
>New plugs, coil, condenser, filter, rotor button, rotor cap, new
wires, new
>points, new fuel filter, new gas, etc.
>I checked all the coil feed wires and every wire around to look for a
short.
>I rechecked breaker point gap.
>I got fire to all the plugs.
>Rebuilt the carb.
>I got fuel all the way into the engine.
>Its not flooded.
>I rotated the distributer back and forth while cranking.
>Could the distributer jump time?
>I f I reset the time with top-dead-center, is there a preferred
cylinder to
>use, or just use No. 1?
>Any ideas would be appreciated.
>Thanks,
>Brent
>brent@multipro.com
>
Hi,
Knowing nothing about the M37 engine in particular lets deal with it as
"an engine" - they all have the same requirements ie., with air, fuel
and ignition in the right proportions and at the right time it has to
go.
There are some clues in your mail, with all the cranking you've
doubtless done why isn't it NOT flooded, stuck valves or rings ? Is
there measurable compression on all cylinders ?
Ignition timing is invariably done on No.1 cylinder/firing as a world
standard and except in special cases No.1 cylinder is the front one or
with rear engines at the water pump/crank pulley end. Having fixed some
other elusive fault and had the ignition system in bits several times it
is easy to inadvertently re-time on the exhaust stroke and/or cross up
the plug leads. I'm sure we've all done it at some time.
Put all earlier assumptions aside and diligently check the ignition
set-up, get No.1 cylinder coming up to firing by having all the plugs
out and hand cranking slowly with your thumb over the spark plug hole,
with a reasonably good engine you will feel the start of the compression
stroke and its unlikely you can hold back the pressure.
You now know as compression starts that there has to be less than one
half a revolution to TDC or the timing point defined so inch the engine
round carefully to this point and stop. The contact breaker points
should now be just opening and wherever the rotor arm is pointing to a
contact in the distributor cap this is the No.1 plug lead, you may wish
to mark it as such. To double check, TWO complete crankshaft
revolutions will bring it back to the same place.
If you have observed the rotor arm you know which way it rotates and the
No.1 contact, so you can count round, remembering the direction is
REVERSED when looking INTO the cap and define the cylinders for the
other leads, some caps do not have the leads directly and obviously near
their respective rotor arm contacts so care is needed. All, but all
four cylinder engines fire 1-3-4-2 except some Fords that use the
1-2-4-3 sequence, it is impossible to fire an in-line four any other
way, you need to check the engine data to be sure, six cylinder engines
are generally 1-4-2-6-3-5.
It is highly likely you'll find an error if you carefully check through
the above, make no assumptions that the timing is right and the leads go
to the appropriate plugs until its proven, with fuel/air in the
cylinders and a spark at the right time it will go.
Richard
(Southampton UK)
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