1962 390 - No Start: Guess which plug is Number one?

[midwestisbest]

What I need, is an oil can with an attachment that I can insert through the plug hole and will squirt the oil out like a water sprinkler (360 degrees).

I'll do the best I can.

There is indeed a tube which exits at the top of the valley pan and ends beside the transmission.

[TJ Hopland]

Search for a 'zoom oiler'.  Depending on where you live may be something you can pick up at a local store.  Even if you don't get one in time for this project its one of those sort of must have tools for a home handyman, you don't always need such a thing but when you do its really the only tool for the job.  Its just a plastic bottle with a small extendable tube filled with a 3 n 1 sort of light machine oil. 

The way the crankcase ventilation worked on older stuff like this is there were breathers in the valve covers then that tube you saw that hangs down.  The idea is as you drove the moving air would create a vacuum at the end of that tube and therefore in the engine which would then draw air through the breathers in the valve covers. You would end up with a flow through the engine which would draw the blow by fumes. 

I'm thinking 63 or 64 Cadillac went to a PCV system which basically replaced that tube with a vacuum line and valve to the intake.  Advantages to the PCV was not only did it work at idle and better than the draft tube did it also introduced those fumes back into the intake to be in theory properly burned rather than just vented.  Also reduced oil drips onto the ground. 

[midwestisbest]

I found one today that will suffice at Ace hardware. Filled with 10W-30 and loaded the pistons down with it. Then turned it over by hand several dozen times. Turns REAL easy now.

When I'm ready to test in couple days, I'll be sure to run the starter, to give myself a nice oil bath, standing in front of the plug holes.. lol

Here's the oil can I was looking for
https://www.amazon.com/GOLDENROD-727-Industrial-Oiler-Spout/dp/B0002YWCC8

[Dr. John T. Welch]

As the legendary engine builder Joe Mondello used to say, " With compression like that you don't have an engine...you have and outhouse!"

[midwestisbest]

UPDATE:

I removed the rocker on the passenger side to do a compression test, to validate the valves were closing. Long story short: the valves are not the problem.

Hooked everything back up. Hope I never have to re-install pushrods again.

I static timed it. Good spark on No. 1. Fuel squirted into the bowl into primary & secondaries.

No start and it either the battery was too low (12.2 volts is about 50% for this battery) or the timing is TOO ADVANCED.

I say 'too advanced' because when you try to start it, the engine turns over, then slightly hesitates as it does here at around 4:15 in the video:

In this video, he says its 'too advanced' and that the distributor needs to have the timing retarded.

I know the distributor rotates counter-clockwise. In my case, to retard the timing (or make it fire sooner) I'd need to move the distributor clockwise. By how much.. I don't know.

Battery's on the charger now.

[midwestisbest]

So I started to alter the timing a bit.

I set the balancer on the '5' after the 'C', (compression stroke) then static timed it. Added gas ... and it seemed to almost fire off. But not quite.

Then I moved the balancer to the '10' after the 'C'. Added gas. Nope.

Then it acted like the battery was low. It metered at 12.2 volts. Back on the charger it is.

Considering just changing the OLD oil thats in there just to maybe make it easier for the battery to turn it over...


 

[TJ Hopland]

Here are my thoughts.   
-Pull the plugs and let it sit at least overnight to make sure any fuel in the cylinders evaporates so you are not trying to start a flooded engine.
 
-Get the battery charged.
 
-Get the distributor hold down bolt snug but not too tight so you can turn the distributor by hand if you get a good grip on it.

-Disconnect and plug the vacuum advance line for the dizzy,  you don't need that confusing things at this point.

-Get a safe position figured out where you can get your hand able to turn the dizzy but not get caught in a fan or belt or anything else that will be moving.  For extra fun maybe put the air filter back on so you don't also have to worry about a backfire scarring the crap out of you, burning off your eyebrows, and causing you to fall into the still turning belts.   

-Get an assistant to turn the key or rig up a remote start button.

-Crank er up while making slight adjustments to the distributor.  Having some sort of clear reference mark where you are starting from would help so you know how far you are moving and where you are when it sounds most promising. 

If it starts great let it run a bit assuming you have decent fluids in it and no major leaks.  Maybe bust out the timing light and see where its running at but don't worry about the number just write it down.

If it did run decent that means the timing is in the ballpark and everything else must be pretty close.  You could then hook up the vacuum advance and see what that does to things and maybe a quick drive around the block.  If its all promising then I would change the oil and then a longer drive and more tweaking of the timing.  I would not worry about the actual number as much as how well it seems to run.       

[midwestisbest]

UPDATE:

Did a piston soak for about 4 days. Marvel Mystery Oil and Berrymans B12. 4-6 ounces in each piston. About every 12 hours I'd check each piston and add more where needed. I also made it a point to rotate the engine over.

Today, I drained all the oil and added new Shell Rotella 15w40 T4. Put on new Fram (temporary) filter.

Next I ran a compression test with a fresh battery.
Here are the PSI numbers prior to all of this:

1: 105
3: 85
5: 108
7: 120
2: 50
4: 75
6: 50
8: 60

Post piston soak and oil change:

1: 115
3: 110
5: 135
7: 140
2: 85
4: 115
6: 108
8: 70

Results: All pistons saw improvements in PSI with #2 and #8 still not in triple digits. Its certainly debatable whether the NEW oil helped here too.

This week we'll try to get it to actually fire up.

[midwestisbest]

It actually started and ran for about 3 seconds.

the balancer was set to about 8 degrees BTDC.

I then static timed plug No. 1 to make sure I had spark.

Squirted a bunch of gas into the carb and pulled the trigger on the remote starter.

I got so spooked I pulled the trigger on the remote starter again. Ha ha.

Heard no strange noises but it only ran for a couple seconds.

Progress

[Clewisiii]

It actually started and ran for about 3 seconds.

the balancer was set to about 8 degrees BTDC.

I then static timed plug No. 1 to make sure I had spark.

Squirted a bunch of gas into the carb and pulled the trigger on the remote starter.

I got so spooked I pulled the trigger on the remote starter again. Ha ha.

Heard no strange noises but it only ran for a couple seconds.

Progress

Any Update. How is it going