B wont fire

I am the sometimes proud owner of a 1974 B . When it is good it is very very good and when it is bad it is horrid.
Problem: It simply will not start. I have a fairly new battery well charged. New points and plugs properly gapped and set. There is plenty of fuel and it is being pumped from the tank to and through the carbs. I know this because when I try to start it great loads of fuel foul up the spark plugs. Where do I look from here? I am open to suggestions. Thank you.
Allyn

If this problem began with the installation of the points I'd start looking in that area. New points sometimes have a residue on the contact surfaces that will prevent them from contacting. This can be cleaned off with a piece of paper. That's the simplest thing I can come up with, not knowing the circumstances just before the problem occured. You'll get a lot more answers soon, probably better than this one.

Pull one of the plugs and leave it attached to the spark plug wire. Have some one turn the car over and watch the spark plug. If it fires you know it is not the plugs. If it doen't fire work your way back. Spark plug wires, Distributor, distributor cap etc. etc. etc.
Good luck

I'm not sure what carbs a 74 uses, are they HIF's? No matter, if they are SU's check the condition of your jet needles. If they are pitted, corroded, bent, rough feeling, then you are flooding. Check your mixture also.

To check John's theory about points, pull the dist. cap, and rock the engine until the points close. Now, turn on the ignition and, using a long thin screwdriver, push open the points breaker. You should see a spark. Try it a couple of times (Sometimes, if the screwdriver is touching something, it grounds).

Sounds like your points are grounded. You may have the 45D distributor,and if you don't bend the connection where the low tention lead connects to the condensor around the spring or it will ground out to the body of the distributor. Even with the 25D distributor you can ground the points spring and it want fire. If you tried to put the points in with the distributor in the car there is a good chance this is the problem. The distributor will go in one way. So. it is a lot easier to take it out to install points and condenser. You have to reset your timing anyway when you put points in. As Chris said check you system for fire. You can lay the coil wire somewhere on the car or hold it with a small gap while someone spins her over to chech for spark. If there is no spart and I suspect there won't be,use a test light on the positive side of the coil to make sure you are getting current to the coil. Then with someone spining the car over chech the negative side of the coil for a pulsating light. I dought very seriously that you have a fuel problem. If you plugs have become fule flowed from trying repeatively trying to start her. You need to clean them and dry them real good,or replace them.

I'm glad all you guys are pitching in for Allyn. It would have taken me forever to cover all the possabilities not knowing under what circumstances the problem occured and I still would have missed something. A bit of information here another piece there and we always seem to get the job done. That's just one of the great things about this site.

I had the same problem a while back after I rebuilt my clutch master cylinder. To make a long story short, I pulled the throttle cable out of the way and put it in a bind preventing either enough gas or too much gas from pedal pressure. After readjusting the cable to where it no longer was in a bind the car started easily. When stepping on the gas it felt normal, so it wasn't obvious that was the problem.

Bang on John!
Tom reminded me of an oddball occurence. He was talking about the test for pulsating current, quite correct. When I first put the BGT together, I went through all the common problems, got the points sparking, etc. but it still wouldn't go. Turned out to be the key switch; current was cut off only when the starter was engaged. The test Tom described showed the fault.

Let's not forget the condensor and the rotor button, some mfg'rs of caps use a junk button spring and they break.

Tom B's right about the connector and pulling dist out to work on it. On the 45D you can slip the connector on backwards and it will short out. Just had to replace my condensor. Got it wet and it quit.

The old Lucas bug for a neophyte.

The old Lucas bug for a neophyte.

I have been having problem with condensors failing on my Mallory distributor. I wash the engine everyother time I wash the car. Has anyone else had a problem with condensors failing after washing their engine?

I pressure wash mine every time I change oil and have washed several others with no condenser problems. He may have had one of those old type condensers that isn't sealed. I've seen some, 'way back when, that just had a marcotta washer with a hole for the wire for a closure. Water could get in one of those pretty easy.

Actually it was a new Standard Parts condensor. They have a rubber/silicone washer at the end but it didn't keep water out. Condensors are still wrapped in condensor paper (internally) and they readily absorb water and short out.

Tom, I've smeared some black RTV around condensor wire. Haven't got it wet yet but it may help.