hello steponme etc,
you make a good point about the valve clearances.that is something that should be checked before firing.
while I agree that 74 dartsport is using the term "cranking" differently to what you and I know as "cranking",it seems he is yanking your chain with it now.
we are all grown-ups here (most of us) and some more grown than others - read old.
I have some quaint habits with language also,but it generally does'nt cause any great problem in lifes journey.
74 is in learning mode at present,so what say we cut a bit of slack around what is really just a word ?
time of Peace on Earth and Goodwill and all that stuff?
74,you have been a bit quiet for a day or so,does that mean the car is going and you are busy driving around? I sure hope so.
Merry christmas to all,and especially SSD for all his input over the past year.

regards,Rod

Hey steponmebbbboom, you want to continue to correct me on the term "cranking." Maybe you have a definition for cranking or starting or whatever you call it that is technically correct. Your help is appreciated, and the possibility of bending pushrods is advise that I need.

Previously I set the valve lash on two occasions. Based on what I have just learned from these many SS responses, I probably set each valves lash on the exhaust stroke and not the compression stroke. You call it "on-the-rock" which is a term I have never heard, however I will be sure to reset all six valves again before I attempt to start the engine.

You say I "need to be on TDC compression stroke for the cylinder you are adjusting so both intake and exhaust are at base circle because at the other TDC the valve overlap will be hanging them both open slightly." Again, this is much needed/appreciated advise. And yea, thank you.

If you knew me, you really would know how much of a perfectionist I am, and that I can really drive you crazy until I accomplish what I strive to do. And I will do so even if I ask questions you may think simple. As stated before, I am not a mechanic, and no amount of reading technical manuals will provide me with the experience from hands-on learning. Many of us learn better by doing something versus reading how to do it. I learn from my mistakes, and hope to minimize them.

Still at work, walpolla. Will let you know when I get back to the Dart.

I positively cultivate strange metaphors and sayings (and mix them up to have fun... you wouldn't want to go chasing the wrong red herring after all...).

But it pays to be precise when trying to communicate technically. "Cranking" derives from the days when you stuck a crank in the front of the crankshaft and heaved it around to start the engine, and so it cannot realistically refer to the engine STARTING. It refers to the turning of the engine prior to starting. Nonetheless, this isn't the first time I've heard it used to mean the instant when the engine starts.

For what its worth, I use the terms "cranking" (starter turning the engine prior to it running) and "firing" (when the first few cylinders actually fire and the engine begins to run on its own), and "running" to indicate the engine is running in a stable way without need for the starter. So you "crank" it until it "fires" and then release the starter, hoping it will continue to "run" on its own.

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Yup, and 440_Magnum's definition of the roots of that term as i know it should set you straight on it and why it confuses some of us. let me fill you in on the other terms i used and what they mean:

BTW, thanks.
this means that as you wiggle the crank back and forth, both intake and exhaust rockers will rock back and forth, and where they are both at roughly the same height, you are at TDC which is useful in adjusting your valves in the following way, a valve adjustment method seldom described but easy to do:

the firing order for your engine is 1-5-3-6-2-4. If you stack the first three on top of the second three like this,

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this will show you which cylinders are at TDC at the same time. 1 and 6, 5 and 2, 3 and 4. Wanna breeze-through a valve adjustment? Turn the engine over with all spark plugs removed IN DIRECTION OF NORMAL ROTATION (CW on the crank pulley end) until a cylinder, any cylinder, is "on-the-rock". Now make that diagram of

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and find that cylinder on the list. The number vertically aligned with it on the other side of the underscore is at the perfect point for adjustment. Adjust intake and exhaust to spec, then roll-over to the next cylinder in firing order and set the cylinder opposite to "on-the-rock". this trick works with any evenly-numbered engine, including a V16 detroit. No more futzing around with rotor position and timing marks, just bar the engine over and watch the rockers. Factory-approved method for many engine MFRs. base circle? see this diagram:



if you are anywhere close to TDC on compression you will definitely be on base circle that is why my valve adjustment method works even if you dont watch the timing mark. with intake and exhaust cam lobes at different positions it isnt quite 110 degrees, but you have plenty of wiggle-room.
Dont thump your knife and fork on the table and no one gets hurt, thats what brought me here in the first place.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Did you get her to fire yet?

This was explained very well. I just finished the valve adjustment using this method in the firing order and adjusting the cylinder opposite to the "on-the-rock" cylinder.

If I understand this correctly, when I get to number 6 "on-the-rock," does that mean number 1 cylinder is at TDC on the compression stroke, the rotor should be at the #1 distributor tower, and the timing tab should be near zero on the damper?

You Got It

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Any luck starting it yet?

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Alright everybody. After steponmebbbboom's latest directions, I tried to start it with no luck. So I decided to retest myself as follows. (Sorry Dan but I am now second guessing myself.)

1. I pulled the coil wire at the distributor center plug, turned all lights off in the garage, and held the wire close to the block as my son tried to start the car. The starter turned, but no spark from the coil. Maybe my coil is bad.

2. I removed the coil, took it to Advance Auto, and watched as they put a multimeter on 20k, the number 1 came on, the store manager put the black lead on the negative coil terminal and the red lead on the positive coil terminal. The multimeter went to zero. The store manager said the coil was good.

3. I reinstalled the coil, downloaded from mymopar.com a 1974 engine wiring diagram. I made sure the BROWN wire was connected to the positive coil terminal, and the BLACK-YELLOW wire was connected to the negative coil terminal. (I may have had these wires reversed before I went to Advance Auto.) Still no luck starting, even as I rotate the distributor around the hold-down bolt as my son is trying to start it.

I will say this. Since steponmebbbboom's instructions and confirmation that the engine is at TDC compression stroke, it sounds much smoother during all attempts to start the engine. (No backfires.)

COULD I HAVE WIRE ISSUES? (All wires are 34 years old.) WHAT NEXT?

Something else I have noticed. It looks like fuel has been leaking around the throttle shaft and running down the side of the carb? (My fresh paint on the intake manifold came off when I tried to wipe up the fuel.) I have been told when you see a stain that runs from the bottom of the throttle shaft, then your throttle shaft is worn and sucking air when it is in the position where it spends most of its time. Usually just off idle. The only way to fix it is to rebush the throttle shaft bore and install a new shaft or get another carb. Would this also prevent the car from starting? The carb has not been rebuilt and is the original Holley 1920.

If the coil is good but you aren't getting spark, I would get a multimeter or at least a test light and start probing wires to see if you have power where you are supposed to.

Check the ballast resistor and ignition switch, especially.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I have a multimeter. Tell me how/where to use it.

A test light? Never used one. Don't own one.

I have turned on the key (oil and brake light on cluster light up red), put the multimeter on 20 DCV, and touched the red end of the multimeter to the Auxililliary Ballast Resistor - got 10.95 volts on top left and 10.95 volts on top right. Next I tested the Normal Ballast Resistor - 10.73 volts on bottom left terminal and 7.15 on bottom right terminal. Battery has 12.10 volts. All this was done without trying to start, and I noticed that if I touched the ballast resistor while holding the red lead on the ballast terminal, the ballast was hot to the touch. What next?

How do you test the ignition switch?

Do you have current at the (+) coil lead? Have you checked continuity across the ballast resistors? Have you checked the ignition switch to make sure that it send electricity where it needs to? Does the switch send power to the coil in both the "run" and "start" positions?

To check the ignition switch, put the ignition switch in "RUN" and check for 12+ volts at the + coil lead, then have someone hold the key in "START" and check for 12+ volts at the + coil lead. If you don't get current at the coil lead, start working backwards and testing connections, terminals, and switches.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I get 6.7 volts on the + coil post.
I get 8.05 volts while trying to start.
Do you do this with a multimeter?