Engine sluggish to crank

[candyapple]

I have a 1984 302 in my 1966. When I try to crank the car it appears to turn very slowly even with a new battery, starter and cables. With a solid lifters can they have too much tension on them from tightening.

 

[brianj5600]

With a solid lifters can they have too much tension on them from tightening.

I don't understand this statement. Did you tighten the rocker nuts too much? Are you talking about spring pressure? My guess is too much advance on your timing. Or a poor ground. Or too much compression.

 

[candyapple]

I am referring to tightening the rocker nuts too much. I don't have the coil connected. I am just try to turn it over to prime the fuel pump. When i turn it over it turns slowly.

 

[1966conv]

You have solid lifters and you're talking about the valve lash? You can have them too tight, but I don't think it would be a "sluggish" problem.

I'd go to the manual and look at the cold settings for initial valve lash and go no further until this is correct, or you'll start breaking parts quickly. I think if they're too tight and yet turning over you're bending push rods, valves and hurting other important stuff.

By acting slugish, does it act like it's a near dead battery? What kind of battery? Optima? You could think an optima is charged when it's not. But that's another topic altogether.

Is your started dying?

 

[grego37]

did it run different before?

did you change/adjust something recently?

or did it just start happening out of the blue?

 

[candyapple]

Ok, I have loosened the rockers, taken out the spark plugs, replace the starter, coil, solenoid, ground and positive cables along with the battery. The engine will crank, but it is still very sluggish in turning over. I can see oil pumping via the pump into the heads. I have a completely rebuilt transmission, new TCI torque convertor, large bell housing, new 164 tooth flexplate. It seems to be running about half of the revolutions it should be. I really need to get this thing running this weekend, what could it be.

 

[MustangMatt1966]

all i know is my brother has a 89 5.0 and his cranks slowly too, could it just be the year and the way the engine is??? his has nothing wrong with it, just cranks slowly

 

[gjz30075]

Has it always been this way? If so, maybe the engine was rebuilt by a previous owner with some too tight tolerances; maybe like accidently swapping main caps around, or something. Certainly sounds like a poor ground, though.

 

[candyapple]

I took the engine out of a running 1984 F-150 with about 50k miles original on it. Where is the best place to put the battery ground and engine to body ground?

 

[gjz30075]

The battery ground goes to a threaded boss on the block below the alternator. Make sure there's no paint on the block where the cable will meet the block. There's also a ground cable that runs from the back of the block to the firewall.

 

[candyapple]

Finally figured it out. It appeared that since the engine had been sitting for while, that a layer of surface rust was inside of the cylinder walls. I sprayed a little WD40 into the plugged ports and let it set for couple of minutes. After about 10 minutes we hit the inigtion and it turned over just like it is supposed to. We buttoned up the rest of the stuff we took off and it fired on the first turn with the plug wires on. This weekend will be the time to actually drive it one I get my new throttle linkage.

 

[YellowMach69]

sounds like a bad wire to starter, check to see if it gets hot after cranking. Usually its a loose wire to starter or ground