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Thread: Distributor Trouble

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
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    Distributor Trouble

    Hello. I recently purchased a 1967 Buick Special 4-door Sedan with a 300-2 V8. I attempted to replace my plugs, wires, and distributor cap/rotor. All went well until I tried to start the car again;
    It cranked over a few times, then the cranking speed slowed, and now it won't CRANK at all. Any ideas?

  2. #2
    i'm assuming the car ran previous to this work?

    cap / rotor / plugs / wires don't have anything to do with cranking speed.

    when you say you replaced the distributor, you mean you actually pulled the entire old distro out, shaft and all? a Buick Big Block ( 400 / 430 / 455 ) distributor can be used in a Buick Small Block ( 300 / 340 / 350 ) HOWEVER they use a different tooth count on the gear at the bottom of the distro shaft.

    i would think that wouldn't be the failure mode for a mismatched gear set though.

    have you checked the battery? are you trying to start this hooked up to a charger / starting box? do you hear the starter spinning or is there no noise at all? do you hear the solenoid actuate when the Bendix is supposed to be kicking the starter gear to engage the flywheel?

    you can normally take the starter and battery to a parts store and have them check them for free. if those are nominal, you're probably going to need to go through all your electrical connections, fusible links, etc and make sure they're all good and all the contacts are de-crudded and tight.

    67 chassis manual should help with trouble shooting and chasing wiring:

    https://www.teambuick.com/reference/...ssis/index.php
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob k. mando View Post
    i'm assuming the car ran previous to this work?

    cap / rotor / plugs / wires don't have anything to do with cranking speed.

    when you say you replaced the distributor, you mean you actually pulled the entire old distro out, shaft and all? a Buick Big Block ( 400 / 430 / 455 ) distributor can be used in a Buick Small Block ( 300 / 340 / 350 ) HOWEVER they use a different tooth count on the gear at the bottom of the distro shaft.

    i would think that wouldn't be the failure mode for a mismatched gear set though.

    have you checked the battery? are you trying to start this hooked up to a charger / starting box? do you hear the starter spinning or is there no noise at all? do you hear the solenoid actuate when the Bendix is supposed to be kicking the starter gear to engage the flywheel?

    you can normally take the starter and battery to a parts store and have them check them for free. if those are nominal, you're probably going to need to go through all your electrical connections, fusible links, etc and make sure they're all good and all the contacts are de-crudded and tight.

    67 chassis manual should help with trouble shooting and chasing wiring:

    https://www.teambuick.com/reference/...ssis/index.php
    Yes, car was running alright before I started messing with it. I tried two different firing orders since I can't seem to find a good diagram for the 67 300-2 V8, and they both yielded a similar result.
    I thought battery, so I hooked it up to a charger (which read my battety at 12.5 volts) and tried cranking it and got nothing at all. All my lights and electronics work just as they did, but I'm not getting any engine rotation whatsoever.
    Might I have messed up the timing when I replaced the rotor?
    Oh! And I didn't replace the DISTRIBUTOR itself, just the rotor, cap, plugs, and wires.

  4. #4
    the chassis manual i pointed you at has the firing order and probably has an explanatory drawing as well.

    quick ref is here for most Buick engines:

    https://www.teambuick.com/reference/...ine_firing.php

    but it's just the standard GM firing order:

    1 - 8 - 4 - 3 - 6 - 5 - 7 - 2


    unless you've got the distro peculiarly mistimed so it's kicking back when firing, nothing you did can have any effect on the starter motor. you say the motor isn't turning over at all, so that's not what's going on.


    Might I have messed up the timing when I replaced the rotor?


    you've got a points distro and those have some tricks i'm not familiar with. but normally, changing timing requires loosening and rotating the distributor BASE. you can cross wire cylinders pretty easy but that should just give you a couple of dead cylinders, it shouldn't stop the engine from running.

    unless you've got all the cylinders miswired.




    (which read my battety at 12.5 volts)



    that should be plenty of juice. once the engine is running and the alt is turning you should see something closer to 14v.

    therefore, either the juice is not getting to the starter OR the starter is not being actuated by the juice.

    the chassis manual should have trouble shooting procedures.

    since you're getting nothing from the starter at all, i would guess a wiring issue. this could be anything from the column ignition switch to the solenoid to the starter itself. or even road salt rusted wiring. don't forget to check the loom plugs that go through the firewall. the engine side is exposed to all the elements.

    i'd suggest pulling the spark plugs ( no compression allows the engine to spin freely ) until you figure out why the starter isn't doing anything.

    you CAN test the starter on the car by taking jumper cables directly to the hot side of the starter and ground on one of the mounting bolts. there should be a spark when you clip the 2nd gator on.

    be CERTAIN you only do this with the car in Park or Neutral ( if manual ). if you want to be real careful, jack the rear tires off the ground and chock the fronts.
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

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