First start of 48 DeSoto

[MarcDeSoto]

Or maybe I should say first non-start.  I wired the coil today with alligator wires.   I remove spark plug no. 1 and cranked the engine over a few times.  I had spark.  Then I tried to prime the carburetor with gas by funneling some gas down the updraft tube.   If I remember correctly, that should fill the float chamber with gas.  Tried to start it, but no hint of starting.  I looked down the carburetor throat and saw a puddle of gas in the intake manifold.  Flooded!  Before that, I tried to prime the carb by cranking the engine over many times trying to suck gas up from the gas tank.  Is one gallon of gas in the tank enough gas to do this?  I checked if the fuel pump was creating a vacuum with a vacuum gauge, and it was.  So any ideas about what I should do next?  

[Los_Control]

Check your firing order?

I know you already did this .... Are you sure it is correct?

 

My first start of my truck that had been parked for many years, I replaced the wires installing #1 at 7 O'clock like the book says..

Turning the engine over I had spark & fuel, but no signs of life.

I saw fuel puddling in the manifold.

I went through the firing order using the pipe plug over #6 to get #6 on tdc compression stroke.

This is where I found out my wires needed to be set 1 rotation to the left .... #1 the book says 7 O'clock ..... mine needed to be 6 O'clock.

Setting the wires correctly she fired right up, even with the puddle of fuel in the intake.

 

For something simple like checking firing order, is easy to get #6 TDC compression stroke. That is where the locating plug is.

It is important to get #1 @ TDC for many reasons .... checking firing order is not one of them, any cylinder will work if it is at TDC compression.

 

Lay a piece of toilet paper over the pipe plug hole, rotate engine by hand .... when you see the paper move you are coming up on compression stroke.

Remove paper & insert wire & continue rotating engine til wire stops traveling upward.

Remove distributor cap, the rotor should be pointing @ #6   If not, remove the wires And install them in order starting with #6.

 

I'm only suggesting to wire it starting from 6 because that is where the pipe plug is located .... If it was located over #1 cylinder (where it should be) I would suggest starting from #1.

The extra steps of first getting #6 TDC so you can now rotate the engine to get #1 tdc compression like the book suggest .... just leaves wiggle room for mistakes.

[DJK]

153624 clockwise

[Sam Buchanan]

Disconnect the fuel line at the carb and see if the pump is forcing fuel out the line while cranking the engine.

[MarcDeSoto]

Now I have a new problem.  I left the jumper wires connected all night to the coil.  Now the Optima 6 battery is dead and can't be revived.  (see new thread on this.)