22 years later, How to restart after my own garage find. '73 1.7 Options

[914CLE]

So after 22 years in my garage, I can finally get around to restarting. At this point, drained the gas, replaced all fuel line hoses and most vacuum lines, plugs look good, spark looks good, fuel is spraying from all injectors. Adjusted lifters. Car won't start. Any suggestions as to trouble shoot? I've ohm'd out coil (it's fine), voltage to coil is 10V (I think it's enough) as it main supply sparks, all cylinders has sparks. Turns over, no firing. Changed points to Petronix II. Still nothing even with staring fluid ( I would think if it was fuel delivery, it would at least fire for a few seconds with starting fluid).

It ran before I garaged it.

Any suggestions, check lists to follow??

Do I need to hook up air filter and vacuum lines to get it to even start at a rough idle?

[914CLE]

So put new points back in along with cap, rotor, wires, TDC was set with static timing and after a good helping of mystery oil, it started right up...however....it seems that #4 is not firing, checked ompression and it's at about 90 and after I put in mystery oil it goes to 110 or so...ring rebuild time???

After running it for several minutes and went to restart, spark disappears, I check with a timing light attached to the wire and nothing. Some cylinders have a spark and others don't so it doesn't restart.

When I remove the plug and connect the end to engine ground, there's a spark and the timing light is firing. I put the plug back in and no light from the timing light.

Is there something with the ground?

Is it possible that the plugs are bad, they are old but only have 200 miles on them at most. I"m going to change them out.

Plugs came out black.

I am stumped, it's like I lose ground when I put the plugs back in and the wires cannot conduct the spark.

[VaccaRabite]

So put new points back in along with cap, rotor, wires, TDC was set with static timing and after a good helping of mystery oil, it started right up...however....it seems that #4 is not firing, checked ompression and it's at about 90 and after I put in mystery oil it goes to 110 or so...ring rebuild time???

Nah, its tired but its fine. That is sufficient compression to have the engine running and the car driving. But its also time to start thinking about that top end rebuild. Remember that compression will go up when the engine is hot too (that's why you want your engine hot for a compression check).

After running it for several minutes and went to restart, spark disappears, I check with a timing light attached to the wire and nothing. Some cylinders have a spark and others don't so it doesn't restart.

When I remove the plug and connect the end to engine ground, there's a spark and the timing light is firing. I put the plug back in and no light from the timing light.

Grounds need to be checked. Probably corroded. But thats not your issue.

Replace the plug wires. Could be the 22 year old rubber insulation is cracked and the spark is jumping from the plug wire to the tins or head before it gets to the plugs. Pretty common. This is probably your issue. Been there done that.

Replace the plugs (see below). These are not really your issue but fresh is good.
Clean the plug threads in the head, especially if you put a dab of antiseize on the plugs.

Is it possible that the plugs are bad, they are old but only have 200 miles on them at most. I"m going to change them out.

Plugs came out black.

Change the plugs, but your issue there is that your engine (and the plugs) are not getting hot enough to go into self cleaning mode. Once the engine is running, the wet black plugs will go away, but cold plugs from idling is normal.


Zach

[914CLE]

So put new points back in along with cap, rotor, wires, TDC was set with static timing and after a good helping of mystery oil, it started right up...however....it seems that #4 is not firing, checked ompression and it's at about 90 and after I put in mystery oil it goes to 110 or so...ring rebuild time???

Nah, its tired but its fine. That is sufficient compression to have the engine running and the car driving. But its also time to start thinking about that top end rebuild. Remember that compression will go up when the engine is hot too (that's why you want your engine hot for a compression check).


Ok, I checked when cold so glad it will go up from there, when it was running, I was getting black smoke and black spit from tail pipe, too rich? How do I adjust?

After running it for several minutes and went to restart, spark disappears, I check with a timing light attached to the wire and nothing. Some cylinders have a spark and others don't so it doesn't restart.

When I remove the plug and connect the end to engine ground, there's a spark and the timing light is firing. I put the plug back in and no light from the timing light.

Grounds need to be checked. Probably corroded. But thats not your issue.

I checked the transmission ground strap and it's still connected and braid looks good, I cleaned and remounted and cleaned the connector and applied conductive grease.

Replace the plug wires. Could be the 22 year old rubber insulation is cracked and the spark is jumping from the plug wire to the tins or head before it gets to the plugs. Pretty common. This is probably your issue. Been there done that.

I just swapped out the wires with new wires, it started up and then when I went back to restart after it sat for a few minutes, it wouldn't restart and I couldn't detect spark on 1 and 3 cylinders using a timing light, I checked the points and they are sparking for each lobe so I know that wires should be getting the spark.

Replace the plugs (see below). These are not really your issue but fresh is good.
Clean the plug threads in the head, especially if you put a dab of antiseize on the plugs.

Is it possible that the plugs are bad, they are old but only have 200 miles on them at most. I"m going to change them out.

Plugs came out black.

Change the plugs, but your issue there is that your engine (and the plugs) are not getting hot enough to go into self cleaning mode. Once the engine is running, the wet black plugs will go away, but cold plugs from idling is normal.

So I when I had it running, I ran it for about 5 minutes and then shut it off, then that is when it wouldn't restart, when I pulled the plug and checked for spark I can see a spark, and the light comes on on the timing light for each wire, but when I put the plugs back into cylinders, timing light doesn't flash on two cylinders.

Could there be that much corrosion on threads of head that it's not grounding to make a full circuit, I can't think of anything else as I didn't think it was the spark plugs because when I pull them out and ground the case and turn it over, it sparks...


Zach