First start with new cam/ heads won't stay running

[Myasylum]

I finally am at the point I can start the engine for the first time. I felt good for a moment. It started! Then died. Then Started! Then died.
It's not backfiring or anything, it starts right up, but dies right away. I read it's bad to keep trying to start a engine on a fresh cam... but not sure what to do? I read possibly ballast resistor, but I don't have a 4 prong, I have an old 2 prong laying around though, could that be wired to work?
It's getting gas, obviously spark. Any ideas guys?? Help?!

Thanks!

 

[turbine68rt]

Do you have (or can borrow) a known good spare BR to see if you have the same symptom?

 

[sam dupont]

Could you be getting power on the start circuit then losing power when you let go of the key? You could Hotwire the coil to see. If it keeps running, you can break in the cam and figure out the spark issue later.

 

[RemCharger]

You could test the ballast with a multimeter.

 

[Myasylum]

I have a 2 prong at home, not sure if I can wire a 4 prong to a 2 prong.
Not sure what I'd be looking at with a multimeter. I'll have to look that up.

 

[1967coronet]

Like sam posted you can jump 12 volts straight to the coil. After awhile though it is tuff on points.
Need to go through a ck. List, steady fuel supply, if useing a eddy carb need to set pressure under 6psi.
Dbl ck timing, run #1 up on compression stroke and pop your cap and look. May just need some more advance.
Beg or barrow a known good ready to run carb.
Like posted, mabey ignition ?
That 12 volt feed to the coil and jumping the start solenoid will get around all that.

 

[yella71]

you said it has spark. a bad ballast would cause no spark. figure out what is causing the car to die before you continue. the ignition system can be isolated to work on it without spinning the engine. use a known good carb. make sure there are no large vacuum leaks, check carb base gasket , and the manifold for missing plugs etc. are you losing spark or fuel? time to do some diag ....find whats wrong this is no time to guess.

 

[RemCharger]

Take a breath. Get a resistor. No reason to wreck a cam or ignition over getting to excited.
Take a test light and check for voltage at the coil with key on. Poor man's ballast check.

 

[PRHeads]

if it runs for any period of time after the key is released from the “start” position, it’s not the ballast.

When the ballast is bad, it will only run while cranking.

 

[Don Frelier]

Retarded timing will make it act l like it's too lean. Do you know how it's timed?
Turn it to 15 degrees BTDC and check the rotor position.
You can make a mark with a fine sharpie and advance it a bit and retry.
Carefully check for no vacuum leaks as stated above.
It's something simple I'll bet.

 

[Myasylum]

I played with the timing a bit. When I retarted the timing it backfired through the carb. I though... well that ain't good. It should be set at about 10 to 12 degrees advanced (if I marked it correctly). Advancing it didn't seem to to anything. Ah, this is nerve wracking! Seems so close. When it starts it actually seems promising. It starts right up. I'll have to check the ballast resistor when I get off work. It's like $10.00. Seems like it's simple enough to try to start one more time.

 

[gtxrt]

check for major vacuum leak by covering carb.

 

[Don Frelier]

Do you have a working choke?
I agree with testing for lean by sliding your hand over the carb throat above.
It may just need a little choke and it's running on the pump shot from the accelerator pump.
When that get's used up it quits as its too lean.
I'm just guessing since I'm not there.
You can try backing out the idle mixture 1/2 - 1 turn and see if that makes a difference.
Like anything 1 change at a time don't change 5 things at once and then wonder forever what was the cause.
But you do need to get it to run at 2,000 - 2,500 pretty quickly to get good oil to the cam and lifters.

 

[4speed68rt]

Start it up and open the idle screw until it is running about 2500 rpms and keep it running until it gets nice and hot, then shut it off and tune it. You have to be ready with everything, before you do first start up. Check every thing twice, but new stuff that you doubt. Wiped out camshafts are alot more expensive and time consuming... Just my opinion.

 

[AR67GTX]

If it’s the ballast resister it will shut off as soon as you release the key from star to run. If it continues to run for a bit after releasing the key and takes a few seconds to die, it’s not the ballast resister.

I just went through something similar to this on my 66 Corvette with transister ignition. Another possibility with it was a bad ignition switch that was shorting on the run position, which would act like a failed ballast resister - die instantly on releasing the key from start. I hooked a multi meter up to the power to the distributor and verified I still had voltage to the distributor when I released the key from start.

 

[sam dupont]

Breaking in a cam is not the time to trouble shoot. I may have missed it, but I have not seen that there is power when on the "run" position. When the key is in the run position, the coil should have power. You can pull the distributor cap and confirm there is power to the points. Running a hot wire to the coil eliminates the ballast from the circuit.

 

[markrr]

Where are you, and the car, located?

 

[Myasylum]

I'm in Grafton, WI.
Yea, I wish I knew more. You don't expect to run into these situations but you do.

It's not the ballast, I put a new one on. That's how it's acting though. Stays running in the cranking position.

Matter of fact I seem to be getting 12V to the coil, positive or negative. Ignition on or off. I must be doing something incorrect. I have the positive cable of the multimeter on the positive on the coil and the black wire on a ground. If I put the positive cable on the negative side of the coil it still says 12Volts.

I don't know?!

 

[Don Frelier]

The coil is just that a coil of wire.
So if you have points or electronic ignition and there is no path back to ground (-) then yes the negative terminal on the coil will read the same as the positive.
No current then no voltage drop.

 

[Myasylum]

There is also 12V at the distributer. Ignition on or off.