Running without the starter

[Kevin - Illinois]

Still working on the 3rd gear knock. The Rebuilder checked the engine and transmission on his stand and deemed it good.

How does one pull the starter for a test drive? Do I need to bolt the positive cable to the ignition wire or do I just remove the cable and starter and let the ignition wire hang? (the car is negative ground)

[Patrick L.]

You still need to power the rest of the car, so, sticking the two wires together and leaving the starter out is probably the easiest thing to do..
You could just remove the starter drive and bolt the starter back in with a couple washers on the starter bolts just to insure the bolts aren't touching the flywheel..
Have you checked to make sure the flywheel to crank bolts have the dowel cover attached and that those bolts are not contacting the rear main ??

[MALAK]

You'll still need some kind of temporary connection between the ignition wire and battery positive. Make sure whatever you do there's no chance of it shorting out.

[gweilbaker]

Pull the starter, bolt the two wires together, insulate the connection with electrical tape followed with duct tape ( for wear) then bone up on the hand starting procedure.

Strange it didn't do it at the re-builder. Do have something on the chassis that could distort the housing? I'm just grabbing at straws.

[bogdonj]

Where you with the rebuilder when he tested it? This keeps getting stranger..

[Kevin - Illinois]

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I pulled the Bendix off the starter and reinstalled it to make the circuit, then push started it. Don't know why I didn't think about that...

The knock is still there with no bendix.

I didn't install the flywheel clutch or pressure plate. It was a long block rebuild. I figured he checked.

He worked on it on a Friday and I drove up on a Saturday to hear it run with just the transmission connected. I didn't hear a knock either. The only thing he said was it was 37 degrees advance and that he replaced the front seal as it was leaking and he has had trouble with them...

I see nothing wrong with the U-joint. The only other thing it could be is the rear end I guess. I picked on up out of a driver that was being rodded. I guess I could try that.

[1931 flamingo]

Kevin: "We" already know it's not in the tranny or rear end as you've run the engine in the car without them installed. When it was run at his shop this time did it have the flywheel and p/plate installed and the starter????
Paul in CT

[Kevin - Illinois]

The knock we heard with the engine & tranny in the car was spark knock I'm told. I does appear that another poster on this site had the same problem and installed a rear end. See the last post. Will this solve the problem, I don't know, but I'm out of tests to run... My rear end leaks something awful anyway, and the one I picked up a couple weeks ago came out of a running car that was chopped & rodded.

Link...

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71992&highlight=knock[/URL]

[1931 flamingo]

Kevin: At this point you're an "expert" in R&Ring the rear end. Nothing to lose by swapping it out. JMO
Paul in CT

[Jon]

Kevin, did you check the water pump? I had a knock in my car three years ago after I rebuilt the rear end. Convinced it was that I tore the rear end out, opened up the trans. couldn't find anything. With car sitting on jack stands and running I saw the water pump shaft moving in and out. Lot of work for a loose pump shaft.

[zzlegend]

Kevin, you should get an Oscar for Patience. Hope you find it.

[Kevin - Illinois]

Jon, believe it or not I do have a knock in my water pump. It's not the same one I have in third gear, but it's there. I could hear it very faint and traced it down with my stethoscope.

[kp]

I had a corvair (chevrolet)that had a knock ,it was a loose flywheel.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Dear Kevin,

After witnessing all of the time consuming agonizing steps both you & your adorable wife have endured thus far in disassembly & re-assembly, if only I were a bit closer than 1,000 miles away from your location, (i.e., over a 15 hour drive one way), I would definitely drive to your location to find that mysterious engine knock. No doubt it can be found without radar & without a Cat-Scan!

We "all" definetly admire the patience & stamina that both you & your wife have shown us; but in my humble opinion, at this time, a highly experienced & extremely intelligent "senior" mechanic in your Illinois area could visit to listen to your mysterious engine knocking, give a second opinion, pinpoint the cause of the noise, & allow "you both" to fix this problem "with or without" the engine warranty.

Appears there ought to be at least one "senior" intelligent vintage engine mechanic in your Illinois area that could assist & help to get you project successfully underway.

This finding would save both you & your wonderful, helpful wife a lot of valuable time tearing down & rebuilding driveline assemblies until Thanksgiving, & prevent a lot of unecessary misery.

After years of living through similar experiences, sometimes seniors in our generation should just boldly speak up & respectfully & humbly share their thoughts -- right or wrong, in the eyes of what others think!

I just hope this helps you & your wife to enjoy your car very soon.

[Brentwood Bob]

Kevin, Try loosening the bolt that holds the distributor in place. There may be some clearance issue binding the cam. Bob