jc85G

Ok. I misunderstood what you were describing on the firing order. There is a vacuum diagram on the emissions label. The "weird shaped piece" you're pointing to is a vacuum operated switch for the heater control. A vacuum leak will cause a lean condition but not cause the engine to lock up. You need to hook the vacuum lines up or plug the ones that aren't needed and make sure you have a fully charged battery.

lina944

Thanks! Just found it out actually. There are a number of hoses that are disconnected in the general area of where the heater should be and thus I'm not sure what is active and what is not...for example, there is a line coming out of the firewall (see picture) and there is a line coming out of the brake booster thats not connected to anything either...

I am going to charge the battery first thing tomorrow but it was around 14VDC when it was running off of my other car. Not sure what it can be at this point

jc85G

The vacuum diagram shows where they all go. A good charged battery is essential. I've had battery's that were bad (no cranking amps) but still measuerd 12v. First and foremost make sure your battery is good and properly charged. Hook up or plug your vacuum lines then retry starting it. I recommend you crank it a few times with the plugs out to make sure the cylinders a free of liqid before starting though. Do not continue to try to crank it if the engines is binding up from mechanical or hydrostatic lock, you will cause major damage.

lina944

Ok sounds good. Gonna go check out my battery tomorrow. Also another thing I forgot to mention is that when I turned the key to start the car, the needle on the rpm gauge shot up around 7 and bounced around. Later when I tried to crank it it was around 1000 bouncing around...not sure what this could indicate

jc85G

At this point I wouldn't worry about that, it could be from the battery being low. Just take it one step at a time. I'm sure there are people who would say to check the speed/reference sensors but that's not the problem. If the engine wont crank you have a battery/starter/mechanical issue. Sort out the no-cranking issue first.

lina944

Got a new battery today. Checked the spark plugs- they aren't soaked. Motor is doing te same as before, cranking with no start. Also still backfiring. However, the Roma are no longer jumping at all which I'm guessing is a speed sensor now...but I don't think that is what the no start is from. What should I do from here?

lina944

Video:

jc85G

"Roma"? First, start from the becoming, the car ran before you did the seals and belt, correct?
1) verify your cam Timing is correct
2) check for ignition spark
3) check for fuel pressure

lina944

Update: took apart distributor again and found a broken root staring back at me -_____- wasn't broken when we put it in...what could have caused it?! Timing is perfect by the way, verified it another 3 times for peace of mind.

lina944

Rpms**. It was jumping before I pulled everything and checked all hoses. Now, stays mostly at 0 even when motor is cranking. From the extensive research I've done so far, I'm assuming no tach movement means bad speed and reference sensors, but this is before I discovered that my rotor is now broken...

jc85G

It looks like the broken when the cap was put on. Verify that everything is assembled correctly under the rotor though.

lina944

What do you mean by "under he rotor"? The belts?

lina944

Here is the rotor pointing to cyl 1 spark and the engine at TDC

jc85G

The adaptor the rotor mounts on, the large "nut" it fits into, the gear is on correctly etc

jc85G

Looking at the pic, it looks a bit off. It is a common mistake to try to turn the large "nut" which is on a keyway. This can cause the nut, adaptor and rotor to be off. While this may not be your problem, its common enough to need to check.