Questions and Answers

Chevy Chevelle Won't Start Q. I have a 1967 Chevy Chevelle 396 manual transmission with a brand new 750 Edelbrock carburetor, new coil and new points. The engine will start fine and idle for a while, but will cut off and will not start again. This happened a few times and now it just continues to crank and won't start.

It appears that the timing jumps 180°. The spark plugs before I replaced them were fouled with gas and oil, but not really damaged. I'm thinking maybe timing chain, but I want to make sure before I tear the engine down. It's getting warm and I am ready to cruise.

Thanks,
Rob

A. You can check timing chain play by watching a valve that is on its lift ramp. Turn the crank with a breaker bar to watch the valve, then reverse the turn and see how long it takes before the valve moves the other way. The distributor gear could also be turning on the shaft. Maybe a broken roll pin? Does rotor on the distributor turn while cranking? Can you turn it by hand?