Posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.153.28] on Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 20:50:54 :
In Reply to: upset posted by Gil IN KENTUCKY [139.55.0.133] on Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 10:58:51 :
If it was mine, I'd go back to basics. Make sure valve timing matches piston timing matches spark timing, by looking at each thing mechanically. It should run somewhat, even if compression is low (80 or 90 lbs) or if one hole isn't firing at all. You could have flooded it so much that it washed the oil off the cylinders. I would squirt some oil back into each cylinder, being sure to squirt it over to the side towards the piston, which is not right under the spark plug hole. If it still doesn't start, have somebody crank it while you pour a little gas down the carb (no real need for ether in warm weather). To make sure you have plenty of spark, maybe bypass the ballast resistor (it won't hurt for a little while).
The idea is to get it running by hook or by crook. If it runs for a while, then you know it's basically sound. If it quits when you stop dribbling gas down the carb, you know you have fuel issues. If it quits when you disconnect the ballast-resistor bypass then you know you have spark issues. If it keeps running fine but then fails when you try tomorrow, you've probably lost compression due to loose rings.
The key to troubleshooting anything is "divide and conquer". You can waste a lot of time and money trying to shotgun it. The key at this point is get it running at least a little bit for a little while. Then you can figure out why it quits.
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