Truck wont start i need help!!

[Brandon S]

OK heres whats goin on, i bought an 82 datsun 720 from a guy who had left it on the deer lease for 2 years from what he says the engine had to be re-built so that was doen about 100 miles before he ended up parking it. So we get there and the truck had a huge nest from some sort of critter in it but we seen no major issues and bought it. We get home and replace the battery and still wont start and so we figure out it aint getttin fuel so it ends up these critters had chewed about 16 of the wires up goin from the can through the firewall so we repair all that and it starts gettin fuel and it still wont start!!! We had already replaced the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor, its crankin over but it aint gettin no spark except when u quit crankin itll backfire. Me and my mechanic think its the ignition control module, but we aint sure, so im hopin you fellas can halp me out, thanks!!

[datzenmike]

You probably have the wires mixed up. When looking from the driver's fender at the distributor, the Intake #1 plug wire is at about 9 o'clock (toward the rad)

 

In the direction of rotor travel, counter clockwise, the next wire is Exhaust #2, Intake #3, Exhaust #1, Intake #4, Exhaust #3, Intake #2, Exhaust #4. The cap usually has the plug wires labeled on it.

[Brandon S]

Nope we got that right, but still stumpin people on the truck wanting to fire when u stop cranking on it. Thanks for the help though

[HRH]

Massively retarded or advanced timing, then? If it's backfiring, I'd say you probably have spark. If you didn't you would have flooded the cylinders with all the extra gas and that wouldn't have enough compression to set it off, even with a NAPSZ head. Static timing is about 3 degrees if I remember right on the Z motors.

[Brandon S]

How can u adjust timing without bein able to start the motor?

 

 

[DanielC]

The basic idea is that you get the motor about 15 degrees before top dead center, number one cylinder on compression stroke. You can easily get it there by pulling the spark plugs out, and turning it by hand.

Now put put the plugs in the wires, without putting the plugs into the head, just set them on the valve cover, or something that they ground.

Turn the key on. Now, turn the motor through TDC normal rotation.

Right before TDC, the number 1 plug should fire.

Turn the motor two full turns, and each cylinder should fire, in the proper order.

If you are really lucky, number one should fire just as the proper timing marks are passing each other.

[HRH]

Even before doing that, I forgot the other timing issue usually associated with non-running Ls. The distributor drive spindle can easily get a tooth off and will run as you mentioned. With the engine at No. 1 TDC, pull off the distributor and see where the drive spindle faces. As you look down on it, it should run inbetween the top and bottom bolts of the dist. housing at approx. an 11:30 position to the motor. If you could draw a straight line along the flat part, it should be inbetween the two mounting bolts. I'd check that first.

[Brandon S]

Ok guys latest update is we hooked up a spark box to the truck just to make sure it runs and sure enough it fired off and ran good. So we began to diagnose from there and we have found that the CONDENSER (Called so by the Hanes manual) is completely missing i have a plug hangin by the coils that doesnt have anywhere to go so now im trying to find out where to get one of those, from what im told its just like an ignitor it ties in to each of the coils and then to the distributor. So if you guys have any clue where i can pick up one of those bad boys i think i can get thins thing running finally. Thanks!!

[datzenmike]

Ok guys latest update is we hooked up a spark box to the truck just to make sure it runs and sure enough it fired off and ran good. So we began to diagnose from there and we have found that the CONDENSER (Called so by the Hanes manual) is completely missing i have a plug hangin by the coils that doesnt have anywhere to go so now im trying to find out where to get one of those, from what im told its just like an ignitor it ties in to each of the coils and then to the distributor. So if you guys have any clue where i can pick up one of those bad boys i think i can get thins thing running finally. Thanks!!

 

What the hell is a 'spark box'???

 

The condenser has nothing to do with the running and is probably for radio noise suppression.

 

Post pictures of what you've replaced.

[Brandon S]

First pic is a pic of the page in the Hanes book showing to hook up of the "condenser", and the following 2 are pic's of the truck itself

 

[Brandon S]

As for the spark box as it was explained to me it generates the spark for the truck without the assistance of the coils and stuff, its an external diagnostic tool u power it using basically jumper cables to te battery, and then hook one of the coil wires up directly from the distributor and it shoots the spark, from what i was told they quit makin em a long time ago because they dont make distributors and all that stuff on new cars.