Hi, my name is Anthony, i'm a first timer and i have a problem. I just put a 455 in my 69 cutlass and can't get any spark out of it. Actually, sometimes it does, but it's very weak. it acts like it wants to fire but won't. i've read some of the postings on here and see it could be the coil or condenser contributing to the problem. i painted the block and wonder can that cause the coil to get a bad ground, would it effect it that much? anyway, if anybody has any suggestions, i'd appreciate it.

 

Welcome Anthony. What distributor are you running?

 

i'm using the stock w/ points and condenser.

 

Did it run before?

How's your point gap?

Also, a few photos wouldn't hurt.

Welcome.

- Eric

 

Make sure your point gap is set to .016 which should bring your dwell close to 30. Make sure your wire connections are clean and tight at the coil and at your points.

 

Might double check coil wiring, might be reversed

 

[QUOTE=MDchanic;529887]Did it run before?

How's your point gap?

Also, a few photos wouldn't hurt.

Welcome.

- Eric[/QUOTE it actually came off the 350 i replaced, but yeah, it worked on the 350. point gap is good.....no camera right now, it took a dumper!

 

thanks! i'll check all that

 

Usually the engine will run, even with the coil wiring reversed. It just won't run that well since spark will be weak.

 

thanks Joe! i replaced the coil, points and condenser today and cleaned up all the connections and then was getting great spark but weak gas, so i switched carbs and viola!! it fired right up. took it out for a spin and overall ran pretty good, but still have some kinks to work out.

 

WTG Anthony!

 

Gotta love them Oldsmobiles!!

 

Just old cars in general.

 

yeah! i agree!

 

anybody....... got a new problem on the 69. got her running today and took her for a spin, while i was driving, when i would give it gas it would start chattering, had plenty of power, but noisy under load. i got back home and noticed around the egr and on the other side, around the choke area, the paint was burnt. this is a freshly built 455 and it's trial run. could it be the timing? i was reading some other postings at another forum and some suggested this. if anybody has any other ideas, i'd appreciate it!

 

That's the exhaust crossover. It gets hot. The paint always burns off there.

By the way, is your heat riser valve operating properly, or locked open?
If it's not working well, or otherwise placed out of the way, it could be increasing heat and flow through the crossover unnecessarily.

- Eric

 

Set your dwell to 30, set your timing at 8-12 deg's BTDC, reset your A/F mixture and idle to 850.

Here's a basic tuneup chart.

http://www.oldsmobility.com/old/tuneup.htm

 

Wait. I just reread the post and realized that by "chattering" Anthony might mean "pinging."

Anthony, do what OldCutlass says in the post above this, and do it before you drive the car again.

I'm afraid this is where it gets a bit tough to diagnose things, like noises, over the interwebs.

- Eric

 

i'll check on that, it probably needs replaced, thanks!

 

thanks Eric, will do!

 

And just to be clear: You want the heat riser open in warm weather, which is pretty much the only time we drive these cars nowadays.

- Eric

 

when i installed the timing gears, i set them on the advanced mark, can i still use the chart you supplied. i'm kinda new at this and definitely could use some help.

 

i'm in North Carolina now, so it's warmer a little longer than up north, which is great! i used to live in Ohio and had to wait for the cruisins and car shows. thanks again for the info! hope you have a warm spot for your rides in the winter.

 

just want to thank everybody for the quick responses and all the help. i have a hard time with books sometimes and it's easier the way you all explain it, thanks again!

 

How many degrees advanced is your cam? Your other alternative is to set your total mechanical advance to around 34 Deg's @ 3500 RPM with vacuum advance disconnected, for a start, then note where your initial is. This would be a baseline, and you can go up from there. Most engines like a total of 36-38. You probably need a setback timing light for this. Be carefull when reconnecting your vacuum advance when you do this because you may get detonation depending on your current vacuum can. I use an adjustable can and set it for 50 @ 3500 RPM for a starting point.

Dwell @ 30 is very important so set it first.