"won't start" '72 F100

[jjdeal79]

Hello experts and Ford lovers. Below is what I have, what I tried, and what I plan on doing next.....please advise. Thank you for your time.

just purchased a 1972 F100, it has a 360, C6, and the previous owner recently put in a new wiring harness by E-Z Wiring. he said that the old wires were shot after sitting for a year, when it last ran. I tracked down the wires and they seem to be installed correctly. the truck had a ford electronic ignition, which seems to be factory, oem, correct.

I changed the plugs. four of them were cracked.

starter turns the engine, but there seemed to be no spark. checked timing, tdc and dist locations. sorry for vague terminology but I looked down by the fan, where the markings are on the harmonic balance,as well as the position of the distributor rotor. I did notice that the coil was getting warm.

I kept the original dist. and coil from my '68. I put those in the '72, checked timing positions and it still won't turn over. it seems like the gas pump is doing its thing. I also tried various wiring things, original like on this site, hot wire, like the EZ wiring instructions, also similar to painless wiring.
Do I need to use a ignition coil resistor? I assume I don't, it won't start with that in the mix too.
I plan on rebuilding the carb tomorrow. do I need to worry about a neutral switch? the previous owner trashed all the original wires. I'm the only one working on the truck and don't really have a phone a friend option, unless someone lives in Alaska! Hope this all makes sense.
how come I can keep a '68 going and not get the '72 started!?!?
please help. constructive criticism always welcome! Thanks again!

[Craigerf100]

tell us more about the distributors, what brand, what type, and how you have it wired?
also what coil?

my first guess other then the distributor being wired wrong. might be the ignition switch being bad. i had an old fairlane that when i turned the key the engine would turn but never fire. untill i spliced 2 wires from the key switch to a horn button i had. so when the key was in the on position. all i had to do what tap the horn button and bam she would start.

other then that i dont know. wiah i could be more help

[jjdeal79]

the dist that came in the '72 is a ford electronic. it is a single diaphragm and I thought it was stock, but I don't know if those were avaliable as a stock option. the tester dist came out of my '68, I believe it is bone stock, oem, and again is a ford part, and is a points dist.

the coil that came in the '72 is black and I don't recall any numbers. the tester coil again is from the '68 and has a mustard top on it. probably from Mac's or LMC, and is an oem piece.

thanks for your response.

[sargentrs]

Electronic ignition wasn't available on F100's until '75.

[jjdeal79]

I was unaware that the electronic ignition didn't appear until later. rain prevented any further work, but I'll put a part number up when it dries up.
thanks!

[jjdeal79]

UPDATE:
ok, the distro that came with the '72 has a pertronix electronic module in it. the housing is ford with a single vacuum line. I put in the old distro from my '68, which is stock points, two vacuum ports. I know single/ dual diaphragm.... anyways.
UPDATE:
did a spark check. everything seems to check out. battery dies quick, due to this, some sparked were not as bright as others. this was done with one of those light in between the wires. I had to put it at the distro, with the plug wires going to the plug. could it not turn over if the battery didn't have enough starting amps?
during a battery recharge, I rebuilt the carb. it came close on the next key turn, after the rebuilt carb was put back on. then nothing again. I tried to tighten up the timing. then it did a vapor backfire/release, I think it's either a single cylinder or the timing is so messed up, it's not funny. could the harmonic balancer, with the timing marks, be set in the wrong position?
tomorrow will be the compression test. I'm very frustrated! I want to drive it!

[jjdeal79]

UPDATE:
I'm convinced/hoping its a timing issue.
so today, I rotated things (plug wires) to see if there would be any change, again trying to get the timing closer. I had a slight change, again a sputter like above, AND a backfire out of both exhaust. -it's setup with original exhaust manifolds and pipes on both sides.
the battery got too tired again have to charge it. compression test is up next. hope the battery holds up for all 8.

[jjdeal79]

UPDATE:
did a compression test. eventually got it started. details and test results tomorrow!

[jjdeal79]

UPDATE-------NEW ISSUE------
Hey everyone. So I did a compression test on all 8 cylinders. For those who do not have a compression tested, I suggest one that has a hose separate from the threaded piece that goes where your spark plug goes. I know, real official terms.....Now for my results.. Measurements are close/approximate. The big number is LBS per square inch, and the small number is kPAx100.
#1=137, 9.5 #2=130, 9 #3=135, 9.5 #4=153, 11 #5=145, 10 #6=125, 8.5 #7=135, 9.5 #8=145, 10
This compression test was done on a "cold" engine, because it wouldn't start, as previously mentioned. Now for the light at the end of the tunnel.
I finally thought, hey, how is my '68 setup? the '72 has a FE360 too. What is different? Then the light went on. I had looked online for a distributor diagram, with how the plug wires were run, and used that at the very beginning. It was like 100* off of what my '68 was. Then as I found my brain, I decided to look at the original shop manuals for my '68. Had the 'ah ha" moment. Plug wire #1 is at 6 o'clock. Now that I feel I wasted everyone's time.......I got it to start.

Now for the NEW PROBLEM
The started didn't turn off. This probably means a new solenoid, and the starter most likely needs a rebuild or replacement. I didn't realize what was making the trash compactor sound until it was too late. How hard is it to rebuild a starter?

[sargentrs]

We've all had those moments Don't write that starter off just yet. They're pretty darn tough. Pull it and inspect the teeth on the starter and the flywheel to see if they got eaten up. If not, it's probably fine. If so, just buy a new starter, it's easier. Double check the two little wires on the front of the solenoid and make sure you don't have them switched. If you do, you're getting full power to the starter all the time instead of when the switch is in the "start" position. I've done that before too. Both solenoid and starter are not that expensive.

[jjdeal79]

so, it does need the resistor wire..... right now it doesn't. I do think that the selanoid might be fried. it was REALLY HOT. I think there was a little smoke from it, and there was a bit of melting of the positive wire insulation, from battery, that is attached to the selanoid. the EZ wire harness instructions did not have a resistor wire instruction, as previously mentioned, it was already in the truck. I'll put the resistor wire in and see if that helps.....

[sargentrs]

If you're running points, you need the resistor wire or you will fry your points. In the "start" position, your ignition switch bypasses the resistor and sends.a full 12v to the solenoid. In the "run" position, the power is routed through the resistor to lower the voltage to under 9v, I think, to the distributor. At least I think that's how it works.

[jjdeal79]

if I catch the starter right, it will do its job, but again, it doesn't want to turn over. nothing like a truck that hasn't ran in over a year! I did get a new selanoid. we'll see what happens tomorrow!

[jjdeal79]

so now it kind of starts. idle mixture not right but here is my new issue: the starter does not turn off. it sounds like a bad trash compactor. it is wired correctly. I checked it more times than I care to admit. also, I put a new starter selanoid. i also tried the ground from battery to screw that holds selanoid. any ideas? I hope people are still reading! Thanks for your time!

[jjdeal79]

UPDATE:
I tested to see if power continued down the line that goes to the starter. it seemed to meter correctly. I pulled the nasty old starter, and as it was coming out, a spring, coiled in a box shape, fell out. there was also a loose rattle inside. pulled the inspection plate and there was a small piece of metal that looked like a small nail head, in there. there were also metal shavings everywhere, copper and whatever the other stuff is made out off.

so I got another starter. got it back home, looked up to where it is suppose to got, and I see three (3) bolt holes. there were only two (2) that were holding old starter in. is that my problem!?!?!??? now I need to fugure out what part number/ bolt size/thread I need.

did a test start, sounds like same issue. I need to get a bolt up there. other than that, maybe the fusebox is wired wrong. anyone use EZ Wiring?