[bigc]

So today with the awesome weather and all I thought I would take my Nova around the block for the first time this year but the thing just wouldn't start.

The car fired fine last fall, I ran it dry on gas, and I kept the battery charged.

Today I dropped 12 gallons of fresh 92 octane in, double checked all the conections to make sure nothing was loose(I didn't go real deep on this). I checked the battery and I was getting +12 volts.

When I went to turn it over I would just hear the starter turning over with the occational grumble from the engine and it backfired real loud. I stopped at the backfire. I checked the carb and it was in fact getting fuel.

What should I check next? Sorry if this is a noob question but this is my first project so I don't have a lot of troubleshooting experience.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[levisnteeshirt]

might have been

might have been some raw gas that entered the exhaust then ignited. I'd check the electrical connections to your ignition and remove any corrosion from sitting all winter. Sometimes just a little resistance on a terminal may make a difference. I'd check inside the distributor cap to see if any moisture had gathered there over the winter. I'd get a can of brake clean and spray it out good and take a look at the rotor too.

 

[GIZZ]

well you know you are getting some sort of spark and fuel. maybe your valve guides and stem seals let a little oil down into the chamber and fouled your plugs during the winter. if this is the case, either just give er and keep cranking it till it runs or pull the plugs and clean them.

its a starting point.

 

[Rroxon7]

This may sound strange...But I had a buddie back in Illinois that had a pontiac that did the same thing....Ended up being that his tail pipe was pluged up with a mouse nest..........Weired...

 

[batman09]

So today with the awesome weather and all I thought I would take my Nova around the block for the first time this year but the thing just wouldn't start.

The car fired fine last fall, I ran it dry on gas, and I kept the battery charged.

Today I dropped 12 gallons of fresh 92 octane in, double checked all the conections to make sure nothing was loose(I didn't go real deep on this). I checked the battery and I was getting +12 volts.

When I went to turn it over I would just hear the starter turning over with the occational grumble from the engine and it backfired real loud. I stopped at the backfire. I checked the carb and it was in fact getting fuel.

What should I check next? Sorry if this is a noob question but this is my first project so I don't have a lot of troubleshooting experience.

Thanks in advance for the help!

pull the plugs and clean them or swap them out...sounds like you fouled the plugs
ps its never a good idea to run a tank dry.next time put some fuel stabilizer in the gas and a couple of squirts of oil in each cylinder and call it good!

 

[6NOVA4]

yea I'd put in a fresh set of plugs.

 

[bigc]

Roger that! Thanks a ton for the help guys, I will check the plugs this weekend and hope for the best!

 

[bigc]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I pulled the plugs and they were fouled like you wouldn't believe!

I grabbed a new set of champions and gave them a little more gap to see how that works.

The Nova is running like a champ again!