64 Won't Start

[Guest]

I bought the 64 that had been sitting for at least 10 months, but the owner said that it ran strong. When I went to check the car out it wouldn’t start and after messing wit it for awhile I determined that the coil was bad. When I went to pick the car up I brought a new coil and the car started right up. I let it warm up for a few minutes before leaving to bring it home. It ran ok to the gas station down the road needed to give some gas to make it to my house. Again it started just fine but just a little ways from the gas station it started misfiring and hesitating until it just stopped and wouldn’t start again. So I had to tow it home.

I have changed the spark plugs and wires and made sure the gap was correct but still no start. When I do try to start it for a second it sounds like it wants to turn over then I hear a scratching metal sound after that the starter sound like it want to engage but nothing happen (you don’t hear the whistling of the starter just spinning) . So I’m going to check the coil but after that I’m stuck any thoughts?

Knowing when I bought it I was going to rebuild the engine anyways I just didn’t want to do it this soon.

[jopizz]

My first suggestion is to remove the spark plugs and then try to crank the engine. If the starter won't turn it or you still get a noise then try to turn it by hand using a socket on the crank bolt. With the plugs out it should be easy to turn. If it's still making noise then I would remove the starter and try it again by hand. Sitting for that long can cause a number of problems. Most likely the fuel system has a lot of dirt that can clog the carburetor causing rough running or not starting. I would also pull the valve covers and check that you don't have any bent push rods.

John

[YellowRose]

64 Won't Start

John has given you some good ideas on how to troubleshoot this problem. He mentioned the gas tank. IF that is the original tank, after all these years, it could be shot. If you did not drain the tank of the old gas that was sitting in it, that could certainly be a problem. Some people have taken their gas tank off, had it cleaned out, and put it back on again. I did that with my gas tank when it was giving me problems. It was probably the original tank. In about a year or less, it started leading again, so I replaced it with a new one. You can buy them from Rock Auto, or on eBay. They are not that expensive. All Tbird gas tanks for these old Tbirds of ours are made in Canada. If you go the route of putting on a new gas tank, consider buying the new sending unit for it also. It will probably be as old as the gas tank might be, unless that tank is a fairly recent replacement. If you do buy a new tank or even if your don't consider drilling a hole in the flange of the tank, and run a ground wire to a metal support and get a good ground. All our Tbird parts houses are listed in the Advertisements Forum. If you do not have a shop manual for your Tbird, order one on a CD, rather than the book. It is cheaper, and you can print out pages, take them to the Tbird to work on it. If you get grease on them, just throw them away and reprint as necessary. The Rock Auto 5% discount code is also in the Advertisements Forum. The wiring diagrams, as I think I already told you in a PM are in the Technical Resource Library...

[Guest]

John and Ray thanks for info. I never thought about the carb or about the gas tank, but since you guys have mentioned it and with it sitting as long as it did clean fuel would help.

This Forum and guys like you will keep another bird on the road for years to come

Thanks,