In a message dated 10/17/03 2:39:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time, cyrille@hp.com
writes:
> I always start the car in neutral, but, in addition (I read that in my other
> car's user's manual) if you depress the clutch, you reduce the amount of
> "crap" that the starter and the starting engine has to turn (ie: the main
> shaft in the gear box) and reduce the frictions, making it easier to
> start...
>
Good advice, Cyrille, but that is not the reason the car isn't starting. It
is either fuel, fire, or timing. I am assuming the engine is turning over
when you turn the key. You might start by pulling the gas line from the carb,
holding it in a can or jar and having someone turn on the starter till the pump
starts "clicking" . You should get a stream of gasoline delivered into the
can or jar. Be careful--don't smoke or create a spark here for obvious reasons.
Just a quick on for a moment then off is all it takes to know whether fuel is
being delivered to the carb or not. New fuel filter? Maybe clogged. Can
you smell gasoline in the carb throats and/or actually hear or see it squirt
when you pump the accelerator? Sometimes the float chambers get clogged up
with
gunk and rust.
Check to see whether you are getting spark at each spark plug as the engine
rotates. Is the main ground strap connected? Trace the wires from the
distributor back to the coil and on back to the battery to be sure everything
is
connected. Move the #1 cylinder (front one) to TDC, or align up the timing
mark
with the mark on the front pulley, then pop the distributor cap to see whether
the rotor is actually pointing to the wire that feeds cylinder #1. It's easy
to get the distributor in backwards.
--David C.
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