ready to give up

[mh11]

ok, i am at my wits end with this project.

1978 galaxie 22xl with merc 260 chevy 350

exhaust valve stuck, replaced it, everthing tightened down to spec.

snugged up valves, trying to remember which wires go where.

downloaded manual, does not make sense to me. wires have been modified.

motor turned over on the starter. hooked wires up, now will not turn over.

fuse blown looks like to the starter. now have no gauge readings at all.

the blue wire coming from the dizzy, don said went to oil pressure gauge. in my pic when boat ran, the wire from dizzy went to the coil.

can anyone help me here? i know i can do this, but i am so frustrated right now.........

 

[centuty7000]

Re: ready to give up

I have a 79 merc 260 and mine has a breaker along side the main wire harness plug. If its not the breaker make sure plug is in succure, had some troubles with mine untill I put a hose clamp on it. As for other wires a cheep voltmeter,manual with wiring diagrams, and patiance is all that is needed.good luck.

 

[mh11]

Re: ready to give up

i found the pic of the dizzy with the wires, but one wire is not in the pic. put a fuse in, the motor turned over, but blew the fuse again.

if this boat aint runnin by the weekend, someone will get a great deal when i sell it......

 

[erikgreen]

Re: ready to give up

As much as I need a great deal on a sterndrive right now, I suggest you post some pics of the wiring and the way it's set up... it'll probably get you help faster than if you try to describe things.

There are lots of little things that can go wrong... boats are a test of character in many ways.

Erik

 

[Don S]

Re: ready to give up

downloaded manual, does not make sense to me. wires have been modified.

With a stock setup, the blue wire goes to the oil pressure sender. Of course if someone has spliced and stuck the wrong color wires in there somewhere, all bets are off.
Since you know the wiring harness has been "Modified" find out what the wire go to and what their color should be and compare it to the wiring diagram.
If you can't do that, you may have to find a mechanic that can.
Just owning a boat doesn't suddenly make you a mechanic.

 

[sjdoo2]

Re: ready to give up

the blue wire coming from the dizzy, don said went to oil pressure gauge. in my pic when boat ran, the wire from dizzy went to the coil.

Not basing this statement on any color of wire,,,,
I have never seen a wire from a distributor to an oil pressure sending unit?
i have seen a wire from the distributor to the coil (normally on the + side)


i am not a professional mechanic, nor do i play one on tv...

 

[cr2k]

Re: ready to give up

There should, also, be a wire running from the starter to the + side of the coil.
(the - side goes to the points) This boost wire gives you a 12v boost during cranking. If it is not connected you may not get it to fire.

Take a jumper wire from the + battery post to the + coil post and try that.
Be aware if it starts it will continue to run with this wire attached so Maybe have it on muffs or be ready to yank the wire if it fires. You also might try disconnecting the wire to the oil unit to see if this helps.

 

[jtybt]

Re: ready to give up

Wire from dist goes to neg side of coil.

Hot wiring, as cr suggested, is batt + to coil +


and be ready to yank if any wires start burning. Like Don said somebody could very well have spliced in their own spare pieces of wire.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: ready to give up

Once again, post some pics of the wiring here, I'm sure someone can help you figure things out by looking at it... probably many of us know the right color and type of wire for each connection, and will be able to tell if someone has done something funny.

If you've reached the point where you're trying things that might work or might alternatively start a fire, it's time to stop trying things, post pics, and ask questions.

Erik

 

[sjdoo2]

Re: ready to give up

Wire from dist goes to neg side of coil.
.

My bad, stand corrected (it was late,don previously commented, he made me nervous.

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: ready to give up

I really hate the term "dizzy", dist. should be the correct short term. I have never heard anybody use that term.

 

[mh11]

Re: ready to give up

Ok, good news, I finally got a hold of buddy of mines friend who was an auto shop teacher for 40 plus years. He has all the tools we need, and is going to help me on Saturday get everything tightened up and running.

What should the timing, advance, dwell, be for a chevy 350 running at 4000 to 6500 feet altitude?

When I had the boat running, the plugs looked lean, so I got a set of slightly richer secondary metering rods and put them in the carb.

Are there any things we need to look out for? Marine wise?

Sounds like we should be able to get this thing running finally.

Any clues would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[Don S]

Re: ready to give up

I would suggest you head up to the adults only sticky at the top of this forum. Find the OEM service manual for your engine and download it. You would be surprised at all the information in that book.
You probably wouldn't even need a forum if you had it.

 

[mh11]

Re: ready to give up

i did download it, but the boat came with a ford 351 originally, but the last owner put chevy 350 in it. not sure what year the motor is.

is there a basic setting for dwell advance, and timing?

thanks!

 

[cr2k]

Re: ready to give up

I think it is 26-30 deg dwell and timing should be 8 to 10 depending on fuel grade. And remember a 90 octane today is like a 86 from yesterday, so keep your timing down a little.

I set points at .19 If you do this carefully and accurately your dwell will be in range.