NEED HELP! Might have broken something! LONG POST

[67stangvert]

I recently finished a rebuild of a 289 in my 67 vert. I originally let my father, a Mopar guy, set the valve lash , resulting in a cracked cylinder head and 4 burned valves.

I rebuilt the top end of the engine with powerheads, rollor tip Comp Cam rockers, a new hydraulic Comp Cams cam with new hydraulic lifters and a dual timing chain. He tried to put the double rolller chain on a stock cam before but it kept slipping off of the cam end and the pin would not set properly in the gear. He, instead replaced it with a regular timing chain. In my genius mode, I decided to try the double chain again. It fit when I had the timing chain cover off and completed the engine work.

About a month ago, I finished with the install and got the engine running. All of the sudden I heard some noise form the engine and the fuel stopped going to the carb. I replced the fuel pump but it still did not work. No fuel was making it to the carb. I replaced all fuel lines to the pump thinking there were kinks in the line or clogged lines. Still no dice. Finally, I replaced the mechanincal fuel pump with an electric fuel pump. The car started immediately. I had a little trouble setting the timing but finally got it to start running but it would die when it started. I readjusted the timing and got it to move. It was the smoothests I have ever felt the car run ever!

I took it on a short trip to have it die again. I started it in park and dropped it into drive with a loud pop. After that it would turn but not start. I puched it back into the garage. The next day, I took off the distributor cap and turned the crank to check maybe if the timing chain had come off or somthing and the distributor would not move.

I think the timing chain may have cropped out on me but am not sure.


Any suggestions where to go from here? I figure the car is done till the spring. I am having a 4V intake redoen and a 4V 4100 autolite rebuilt t0o put on it now so If I need to replace the chain, the work can be done.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[67stangvert]

ttt

 

[mustang70]

Does the rotor move when you turn the motor over?

 

[67stangvert]

I don't think so. The rotor was not turning. After the loud pop, I had no acceleration at all. The car did not even move. When I tried to start it, it just kept turning with no start. Did not even act like it wanted to start.

 

[mustang70]

There's a couple things to check if the rotor isn't turning. First, pull the distributor and check the teeth on the cam gear and the distributor gear. If they're ok, turn the motor over and watch the cam gear. Make sure it's spinning with the motor. If it isn't, then your timing chain is broken. If it is moving, then check the roll pin that holds the gear to the distributor shaft. It might be broken. That's what happened to mine.

 

[67stangvert]

Thank you!

I hope you get your shaker dilemma resolved.

Time to start tinkering again. The piss and vinegar is gone!

 

[302 coupe]

my bet is that you used a timing set that had the wrong provision for your fuel pump eccentric, which caused the fuel pump eccentric to come off, when the eccentric came off it took the bolt with it, which in turn let the cam gear fall off or screwed up the chain/cam timing.

Not to be a hardass or anything, but you need to do some research before you tear into an engine. The are certain cam pins, fuel pump eccentrics, timing covers, timing gear sets, and oil slingers that all have to work together. Just curious, what torque setting did you use for the cam bolt? What about the cam thrust plate bolts?

Someone had metioned timing chains, timing chains don't just break. You will break every other component in the valvetrain before the chain breaks, those are some strong mofo's. If it is broken, something was definately installed wrong or something else is/was damaged in the engine.

anyway, don't take that harshly. A wise fellow that used to post here would always say " Read The Ford Manual." The proper components, when properly installed, will function properly 99.9% of the time.

 

[66P51GT]

It seems the first symptom was the mechanical fuel pump not working. Since it was new, the only thing I can think of is somehow the eccentric that connects to the front of the cam sprocket is just spinning. This makes me wonder if the cam bolt was tightened to 40-45 ft. lbs. If it wasn't torqued, it could spin itself off causing the eccentric to slip off of the pin.

$0.02

 

[66P51GT]

Looks like 302 Coupe and I are on the same page.

 

[ratio411]

I'll 3rd that...
Definately a top gear problem.
You should have checked the eccentric before starting that engine again.
Getting a 'brain' and bypassing the eccentric problem with an electric fuel pump was your downfall.
Now there is no telling how much damage is done.
Sorry to be so harsh, but you should figure out a problem in the engine rather than try to bypass it.
Dave

 

[67stangvert]

Thank you for your responses. I do not take anything personally and appreciate your time. Some of the responses held a pessimistic tone toward "someone tearign into an engine". I have not been around here much but do remember SD telling us years ago to check the main problem before putting a band-aid on it. My post numbers are low but I remember his wisdom, as I appreciate quite a few guys on here.

With that out of the way, yes, it was my fault that I did not go back and check the upper gear. I had 2 sets of hands involved in the rebuild and I beleive that was my first problem. I think if I had gone through every step, as I normally do when working by myself, I would not be seeing these problems that I am seeing now. Unfortunately, I think I will be tearing down the top end again and starting from scratch, this time by myself.

I think I am still going to stick with the electric fuel pump instead of the mechanical feudl pump. I had a sneaking suspicion that the eccentric may have come loose but never checked it. I should have taken off the timing chain cover and checked it first.

Thank you all for your insight. Looks like I have a winter project. Like the Cubs fans say, maybe next year!