won't start

[rouleur35]

hi,

so i just received my '66 330 gt 2+2 and it won't start. it ran for the ppi and they thought it would need a carb rebuild.

so now i can't get it to start at all and i have a few questions and have tried a few things.

gas seems to be flowing from the tank to the fuel log confirmed by taken large hose from back of fuel log off and turning on fuel pump with ignition and having gas flow out.

i saw that some people have trouble with the fuel log screens so i took the fuel log off and checked the screens they seemed clean and air easily passed through fuel log.

of course now one of the washers came apart.

do i need any special washer or will anything do?

during all this i noticed what seems like a choke cable but it does not seem to be functioning and i can find no corresponding lever on the dash.

by the way if anybody can tell me what each switch on the dash is supposed to do that would be great.

also while mucking around i noticed that on both coils there is a red block with a red and yellow wire coming off of them but these wires are not attached to anything.

i have been able to get it to run for 10 seconds or so by spraying starter fluid into the carbs.

anyway any help would be greatly appreciated,

thank you

tom

[Michael Bayer]

Some things to try: The choke is activated by a knob under the dash (at least on a Series II) just to the left side of the steering column, if you activate it, after the car is running you might have to assist it to return to open by manually pushing the choke levers on each carb (left side at base) to the front, you will need to have the electric fuel pump on to fill the floats before you attempt to start the car, some mechanical fuel pumps fail requiring the electric pump to be kept on to maintain fuel flow.

[Yale]

I don't think his choke is attached, (as it shouldn't be by the way), and he doesn't know what any of the switches do + the car is new to him. How about then if we start from the beginning.

Now you may have done all this, but in case you haven't...

Turn your key to the "on" position, flip the lever marked "A," listen for a fast clicking sound, when it slows pump the accelerator pedal 8 times, turn and push the key to start the engine.

I say this because when I first got my car a mechanic with a very thick French accent explained the ignition procedure in a way that I couldn't understand what he was saying and hence had trouble starting the car.
Best, Yale

[rouleur35]

thanks for the tip,

i tried your start sequence but i notice no difference in clicking noises with switch A on or off.

the choke is not functional; although, the choke cable is hooked up to the carbs.

the car almost starts and if i spray starter fluid in the carbs it will run for a few seconds, almost like it is getting no fuel.

maybe i just need to rebuild the carbs now instead of later.

anymore help would be appreciated as i have no idea how this car is supposed to work.

and again those coil wires are bugging me

thanks,
tom

[Jimmyr]

Yale, if the electric fuel pump does not click when the "A" autoflux/electric fuel pump switch is on, then you are probably not filling the carb floats and not geting gas into them. Look into the top of the carbs and flick the linkage and see if they squirt gas from the acc jets on the top. If spraying starting fluid gets the engine to fire breifly, then the ignition is probably OK. Caution, the starting fluid if VERY tough on the rings and could easilly damage the engine. Electric fuel pumps are probably the biggest trouble spot in most Ferraris, and they can be easilly be replaced or fixed. Ferraris are not difficult cars, they just need a little TLC to keep them happy. They are fairly simple and logical, just take your time and most problems can be worked out. Jim

[330GT]

thanks for the tip,

i tried your start sequence but i notice no difference in clicking noises with switch A on or off.

the choke is not functional; although, the choke cable is hooked up to the carbs.

the car almost starts and if i spray starter fluid in the carbs it will run for a few seconds, almost like it is getting no fuel.

maybe i just need to rebuild the carbs now instead of later.

anymore help would be appreciated as i have no idea how this car is supposed to work.

and again those coil wires are bugging me

thanks,
tom

If you don't hear a clicking sound, the electric fuel pump in the rear isn't working. Easiest fix is to clean each fuse end and the copper connectors. Hopefully that will fix the problem. This won't prevent starting, just make it harder since the engine needs to crank long enough to fill the float bowls.

Unless there is something seriously wrong with the carbs (sticking floats, cloggeds jets, etc), rebuilding the carbs probably won't solve your problem. I think that you have a fuel starvation problem. Perhaps clogged fuel filters, mechanical fuel pump problem, etc. Most certainly fix the electric fuel pump and see if that helps. You might have stuck float bowl needles in the carbs.

Switches:
L - Lights. Park/Lo/Hi then selected by rear left lever on steering column.
A - Electric fuel pump.
Dl - Left ventilation fan
Dr - Rigth ventilation fan
R - Rear window defroster
I - Interior lights

The resistor blocks mounted on the coils should be in the circuit. The ignition circuit first goes to the coil, then to the resistor block and onto the distributor. Now it's possible that the coils have been changed with non-Ferrari ones that have built-in resistors and the mechanic correctly left them out of the circuit. The original coils say Magnetti-Marelli on them.

Yale's starting instructions are fine. You don't need the choke with them. Pull the cover of the air cleaner off and have someone pump the accelerator. You should see a jet of gas spurt into each ventura of each carb. If you don't see the gas, then you don't have any gas in the float bowls or the accelerator pumps aren't working. Since the car will run on 4 cylinders, it's unlikely that each carb is broken in the same way, hence my assumption that you have a fuel delivery problem.

[zac]

My two cents

If your car tries to start with carb spray or equivalent then it is likely that the ignition is at least getting some spark (not saying timing is right on or points are good but it is working) more than likely fuel is that issue and you should concentrate on that. Turn on the electric pump and let it run if like you say the clicking does not change from a quick loud rhythm to a slower more subdued note than one of two things is happening either the pump is not functioning or one if not all the needle and seats in the carb are stuck open causing fuel to leak into the engine. Take the air cleaner top off and look down the carb throats to see if fuel is dumping into the engine. If not check to see if when you move the accelerator linkage two thin streams of fuel are sprayed into the engine. On the more obscure side of things you may want to pull the fuel tank pick up tube out of the tank and make sure it is not clogged or the screen is filled with rust.

If you want to go the extra mile and make sure that once you get it started you can set the timing pretty close I have found this to be pretty successful. Remove the little cover between the distributors on the bell housing so that you can see the flywheel. Take the Distributor cap off and check the point gap and that they are not burnt. Than turn the engine until you see the AF 10(just after the PM 1/6 mark) mark than turn the distributor until you see the points just begin to open. Do the same thing with the second bank at the second AF 10 mark(just after the PM 7/12 mark). If the distributors are in decent shape that should put your timing right about where it should be. More than likely the reason that the wires on the coil resistors (red boxes) are not connected is because the coils have been replaced with internal resistor coils or else someone bypassed the resistors to try and increase the spark but it will only burn your points faster and possibly destroy the coils.

Sorry I can’t help on the dash switches at this moment, I don’t have 330 manual in front of me

Zac

[rouleur35]

thanks for everything so far.

the electric fuel pump clicks, it just doesn't seem to slow down much and it never stops clicking. the only difference i can tell is that when i switch the A switch a blue light lights up on the speedo.

thanks for any more help,


tom

[rouleur35]

so i turned the ignition switch on, turned the A switch on and the fuel pump started clicking ( no difference with A switch off)

i can feel pulsations in the fuel lines

i looked in each carb and there was no leak of gas

i moved the throttle linkage while looking in each carb and saw no jets of gas

this means that no fuel is getting from the fuel line to the carb right?

is there an easy fix or will this require rebuilding?

i know fuel is flowing through the fuel log because when one of the washers broke fuel was spraying everywhere when i turned the key on.

tom

[Michael Bayer]

Perhaps a bit more history would help, before you bought this car was it stored for a long time, had you actually driven it or seen it go, did you see it start in the PPI, how many miles on it, any significant prior work?

[Jimmyr]

Tom, if you are sure that there is pressure in the fuel log and no squirt from the carb pump jets - something is clogged. If the floats have hung up sometimes a little tap on top of the carb s can free them up. As for the pump jets, remove the top of the carb and remove the screw holding the dual output jet (caution small washer is there), and run a small wire through each outlet on the part. Check for float needle drop while you are holding the top, clean and reset if needed. Any car that has set for some time can count on the idle jets clogging. They are the small brass screw on outside on each side of the carb bodies, easilly removed. A small wire and some choke cleaner spray easilly frees them. Sounds like all it needs is some cleaning, some miles, and some fresh gas. Jim

[Matt F]

so i turned the ignition switch on, turned the A switch on and the fuel pump started clicking ( no difference with A switch off)

Hi, Tom. Could you clarify this? The electric fuel pump should not function with the Autoflux switch off. Was there anything mentioned in the PPI about the fuel pump?

[rouleur35]

so the car most likely sat for some time as i bought it from a dealer who bought it at an auction, i think in october.

the car was in st louis i am in california, i did not ever see the car started or driven although the ppi was done and no comments were made about any mechanical problems except the carbs would need to be rebuilt and the idler arm needed to be rebuilt.

the electric fuel pump runs with switch on or off, seems to make no difference, will this be important if the car ever starts.

tom

[xs10shl]

Just a thought here - if the fuel pump doesn't stop clicking, and there's no gas going into the carbs, have you checked to see whether you have any gas in the car at all? (don't trust your gas gauge!)

[Rudy van Daalen Wetters]

No change in fuel pump sound would indicate no benzina in the tank. I have pushed many a car before figuring it out. Gauges lie.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705