Truck won't start after cam and lifter swap

[mleeb]

Last year my BBC 402 got a worn lifter on the intake of the #5 cylinder. I replaced cam and lifters with an Edelbrock 2162. I replaced timing chain, and oil pump in the process. I got everything back togeather and set valve lash and set timing to 5 degrees BTDC and I am having trouble starting. After a few tries while pumping the gas it will start and rev up to 3.5K RPM then die. I verified throttle is not stuck.I have loosened up valves to recheck valve lash and will probaly pull dizzy to verify before i try staring again. I won't probably get back to it until early next week. Any ideas on what I'm missing? Or Faulty parts i should check out?

Thanks in advance-Lee

Stock BB 402, Edelbrock 2161 Intake, 2162 Cam/Lifters, 1411 Carb.

[Sillyoldman]

I'd drop the dist again @ tdc then sequence through valve adjustment if necessary.

[mleeb]

Thanks Sillildman. That's what I'm planning on doing. I'll repost next week with my progress.

[swamp rat]

has it been sitting since last year? might check the carb for ethanol jell

[mleeb]

@Swamprat it has been sitting but I had carb off most of the time until about a month ago. The truck did sit for almost a year, the fuel is old. Does year old fuel cause any issues?

[litew8]

Could if the tank was low. Does it stink after trying to start? Do you have any fuel filters?

[mleeb]

@litew8 Tank is at least half full, newer aluminum bed mount. Fuel filter at gas tank and one at carb.

[swamp rat]

If the carb sat with old fuel in it the circuitry could be gummed up, couldn't hurt to take it apart and make sure everything is clear.

But before that I'd try and start it again and look down the carb venturi's and see if you can see fuel spraying from the mains ports when its dieing. The accelerator pump appears to be working but if your holding the throttle open and it dies it could point to a main jet plugged, if it won't idle it could point to the idle circuit being plugged.

[BADAZ chevy guy]

If it's an HEI you may have a faulty wire. Or a pick up modual.

[swamp rat]

Just remember that fuel with 10% Ethanol dosen't have a great shelf life..

[mleeb]

I dissassmbled carb last night, no signs of gummed up fuel. Checked floats before putting back togeather. I'm gonna try redropping dizzy and valve lash and splashing some fresh fuel to prime carb. I'll update next week with results. Thanks everybody.

[67 cst swb]

Check the fuel pump. If it sat for a period of time after use with any ethanol blend of fuel in it, it may have dried out the diaphragm in the pump. Your issue sounds like a fuel starvation problem to me.
Signs that led me to think this:
"while pumping the gas it will start and rev up to 3.5K RPM then die"
"has it been sitting since last year?" "it has been sitting"

Also...
"If it's an HEI you may have a faulty wire. Or a pick up module"
typically.. a module is either good or bad, never ran into a weak or intermittent module. I'm not saying they don't exist so don't attack me, I'm just sayin'

[BADAZ chevy guy]

Intermittent HEI module. You're right. They usually do just go out. Grasping at straws to help you find an answer is all.
I did have one dist on a 3/4 ton where one of the wires that hooked to the pick up module (Down under the rotor) had broken and was making intermittent contact. I wouldn't have seen it except is was kinda dark one night and I saw the arc when it touched.

[mleeb]

I'm goning to try some fresh fuel directly in carb with fuel line disconnected and see if it acts the same. That after verifying dizzy at TDC(-5 degrees) and rechecking valve lash. Thanks

[mleeb]

I'm running an 8361 MSD distributor connected directly to an MSD 6AL ignition. I checked reluctor inside distributor and when I rotate distributor I get spark at coil/plug. Voltage to MDS 6AL is good.

[BADAZ chevy guy]

Keep us posted. I, for one, am really curious now.

[mleeb]

@67cstswb Good point on fuel pump. I have an inline fuel pressure guage that I noticed moves when I crank engine but I thought that line from pump to carb stayed pressurized. After cranking, even after engine goes to 3.5K RPM you would think there would still be pressure in fuel line, but guage always goes to 0. Maybe fuel pump membrane is cracked. Should fuel line from pump on block to carb stay pressurized?

[Motoxrrar]

I had a similar issue. I had forgot to index the cam. Ended up being 180 degrees off. Once I fixed that it fired right up. Funny part was I had a a hard time starting but it would still run (badly like it had a miss) even with the cam off 180 degrees.

[wannabefastcrf]

i would check the plugs too to make sure they look ok.

if they are not ok i would check to see if the timing marks are lined up properly on the cam and crank gear. (this made it not rev past like 2K in my experience)

if they are ok like other said make sure the hei is not 180 off. (this usually makes it backfire in my experiences)

Also do the normal checks for vacuum leaks. (this just make it run like ****)

...I learned all of this the hard way

[litew8]

Is the inline fuel pressure guage (and inline filter however many you have) clear? Could be gas sitting in them became varnish.

[mleeb]

The top inline fuel filter and fuel guage were stored empty in garage for most of the year. Put back on a month or so ago. I will need to check fuel filter at the tank.

[mleeb]

I'm pretty sure I found problem. I pulled distributor and set to -5 degrees BTDC. Set lash on all valves and tried starting again, still nothing. I pulled carb off drained and reinstalled, pulled input hose from fuel pump and ran a short hose to a gas can with fresh gas. Tried starting again, starts, revs to 3K RPM then dies. I try that a few times and give up. I pulled carburetor to have shop rebuild. At work today on a hunch I checked my last order from summit online and saw that the intake gasket set I bought last was a rectangular type port style. I just pulled intake off right now and it should be an oval type port. So most like likely I had a huge vacuum leak causing the ramp up then die. Just ordered the correct set, should have them on by this weekend. I'll update if that fixes everything.

[Jmiller022]

ethanol gas wont last 5 months it sucks.

I bet that fresh gas will probably solve your problem!

[mleeb]

I installed the correct intake gasket yesterday. I let it set for 24 hours, and started her up today. It's running great! Thanks everybody for your help.

Lee