no turnover

[mykissman]

89 auto...quit in 2007 with dead distributor...finally get new distributor in and now the thing won't turnover...wants to...but won't. Battery's good...a maechanic guy says I gotta get a wrench in there and turn the engine over because it sat so long its probably just stuck....can't see any way to get a wrench in there to do it...wanna get this little beauty on the market but its gotta run...any suggestions?

Thanks from Canada

[Festy46]

The motor is not going to be seized up in only sitting a year unless you parked it under water or have a head gasket leaking water into a cylinder. Make sure you clean to bare metal all the battery cable contact points on both ends of the cable (engine and battery). Try it again. If it still won't turn over, take a piece of metal, like a bolt and touch the 2 big studs on the end of the solenoid at the same time. Don't touch any part of the engine other than the ends of the 2 studs with your bolt. The starter should make a high pitched whine sound. If it just kind of "growls", then your starter is probably bad. However doing this may loosen up the brushes or clean the commutator if it was cruddly. It may now work if you try it. If it did whine like it was running at high speed and still won't turn over normally with the key, have your piece of metal ready that you used to check the starter. Have someone turn the key to the start position and if it is barely turning over, touch the 2 big studs on the end of the solenoid like you did before. If it turns over normally, then the contacts inside the solenoid are bad. All this is assuming that your description of the battery is correct.

You said you replaced the distributor. Are you sure you don't have the timing advanced too far? If you do this can make the engine try to fire backwards and fight the starter trying to turn it forward. You can do a quick check of that by pulling the wire out of the center of the distributor cap and try starting it. If it spins over normally, then you have the timing advanced way too far.

[worfdog]

pull the spark plugs out and then try to turn it over. if it spin easy you most likely have the timing wrong.

[WmWatt]

When you take the spark plugs out you might put a couple spoonfulls of diesel fuel, WD-40, or similar into the cylinders. Farmers used to do that after tractors sat all winter.

[mykissman]

Thanks guys...really appreciate the tips...it'll be a few days before I get to it and I'll let you know if I blow anything up!

[Damkid]

where abouts in Canada are you?

[mykissman]

Maple Ridge...20 minutes east of Vancouver.

[mykissman]

By the way...I'm gonna try some of your tips today if the weather improves...but...should I do something with the old distributor or just dump it?

[mykissman]

ok...hope some of you guys are still with me...I'm slow but steady....did all the easy stuff first...pulled the plugs...same stufff...wants to turn but doesn't...while out I sprayed a little wd40 in their and then went looking for the starter with a bolt...finallly found that but thought how in the heck? so left it at that for a couple days...then tried to start yesterday and...TURNOVER!...but...no start... a mechanical friend checked around and says fuel's ok but no spark.

This was the same diagnosis before the new distributor!

[leapin]

Another lower mainland festy owner! Maybe a bad coil....or just check fuses?

[mykissman]

Like the little turqstiva...funky...whaddaya mean fuses...fuses like under the dash fuses or those fusible link things in the engine compartment?