update on car

Ok finally got the car into the heated shop at work.

stupid thing was flooded BAD.

Got it dried out, put a new cap and rotor on it.

Got the battery charged, and tried to start it.

No start.

Now it has started to backfire out the intake.

After a whole bunch of testing, and verifying that the firing order was right, it seems the damned thing has jumped time.

Sooooooooo wife said to order a new timing set and see what happens.
Sure do hope the valves arent bent.

If they are, got a few ideas as to what to do with it.

Was being a smart ass with wife and said I should just put the 350 engine from the chevy pickup in there and go. She asked how hard that would be.

I know it would physically fit, since these cars had 302's in em.

Can you imagine, a 350 engine and tranny in a merc?

You should be able to put the timing mark on top dead and see where the rotor points. Either to #1 or 180 degrees out. That would tell you if the timing chain had jumped. Also if you can get on the crank, by hand or with a breaker bar, rock it back and forth and see how much slack there is in the chain. If you have it on the timing marks, just move it each way until you see the rotor move. I have seen plenty of them with over 20 degrees total movement on the crank and still running fine.

did the timing mark thing. put the 1 plug on the terminal that it was pointing to, tried to crank and run the car with just either and on that one plug and it still wouldnt run and it backfired out the intake.

when I did that it lined up with the terminal before what is supposed to be #1 plug.
Thats whats really leading me to believe that it jumped time.

I would imagine that would make the timing really retarded right?

Yeah, that would be like 60 degrees out on a six banger, way retarded, as long as the distributor hasn't been moved. Did you try to bring it around to line up? I guess you would have noticed if the dist was loose, the only way it could move by itself.

Tried to adjust the distributor, but didnt have the right tools to get the bolt loose.

as tight as that little thing was, it didnt move.

specialty tools for everything--can be a real drag--good luck mon

I have several of those special distributor wrenches for different Fords. I have also had to make them from 1/2 inch wrenches by heating, bending and welding on pieces.

i don't have very many store bought ones--but a half a bag of homemade special app wrenches-bent-ground--chopped and added to--i have tried to quit getting a hold of newer vehicles for that very reason