I need help with my engine. It won`t start!!!!

I have finally finisher changing the engine on my 83 cutlass supreme. I have done all the work on my driveway(my mom is not happy). Here is the problem, this is my very first engine change!! I have put all the parts back on the engine in the right order, i got new camshafts in an changed the intake manifold from injection to carburated. The mechanic paid me a visit and said that everything is in place and adjusted the rocker arms. Now i got fluids in the engine and whenever I try to start it, this happens: if i keep the ignition on for more than 1 min there is smoke coming out from the starter. And the next things that happens is: if i keep the gas pressed on the carb and hit the starter, there are explosions happening in the carb. Once i kept trying for 2 mins and there was fire coming from the carb. When I extinguished the little flame with a wet cloth, I kept trying. There were explosions but no start. The damn thing just won`t start. The flame thing just happened once. Could I get some help please? I am desperate!! School is starting and I am not gonna have with what to get there!!! I am begging for help!!!! Thank You

Sounds like it could be your timing. Did you set the timing to your engine specs? Pull your plugs and see if they are wet. If so your plugs are not firing. Timing is one thing that comes to mind. Could be alot of other. Is your cam installed right? Valve might not be opening right. Alot of different scenario's.

my timing is set to 0, but the plugs could be a problem. How do I find out if the distribuitor is set in right? The camshaft is set in right, and the timing is good. I called my mechanic over and he said that the timing is good. My dad also said that the fuel pump could also be a problem. If it`s not continuously spraying fuel the carb would not have enough gas. But I don`t think that`s the problem. Could I have some more advice?

Here something I've always used if my engine wouldn't start thinking I had a bad fuel pump(I don't think that's your problem though). Take a little gas and pour it in your carb. Put your air cleaner back on so you don't have another fire. If it kicks over and runs for a few seconds then either your fuel pump is bad or maybe your filter is dirty. If that doesn't work try advancing you r timing to 12degrees deg and try starting again.

Straight up (0 deg BTC) Isn't the right timing. You need some advance. Set it to 10 - 12 degres BTDC and give it a try.

What type of engine is it? With the Oldsmobile V8s, they had a tendancy to run high timing(16 is not unheard of). If thats not the case, check your valve timing, your lifters, and for bent pushrods. It is a possibility that you bent the exhaust pushrod and it is firing back into the carb up the intake. If you can supply more info, we can help more :)

While your on the subject here I got a quick question... How can you get your timing set just right? Do you just set it to something like 10 or 12 and then take it out for a drive and just mess with it a bit and leave it at whatever degree it's running the best at?
Thanks.

Theres a few schools of thought. 1) start the car and attach a vacuum guage under the throttle plates. when you find the highest vacuum, your there. 2) turn the distributor till you hear what you like from the motor. But this is best done when you know the car.3) timing gun. Set it to the specs and then, if you are running a few mods(coil, heads, intake ect) adjust a few degrees = or -. otherwise leave it to stock. Also, there is another theory but i havent tried this one yet. 4) set a glass of water about 1/2 full on your ain filter cover. turn till it either stops shaking or shakes the least. However, i have issues with water+engine. But, feel free. :)

how do you know your your timing is right if you didnt have it running yet??? are you sure the distributer is not 180 degrees off???
check to make sure you have a good connection on the starter , and that you have a good engine to chassis ground to fix your smoking problem

drg84 . i have actually used water to get the carbon deposits off the valves. i had a high mileage 350 that had a weird noise in it that it sounded like i dropped a wing nut down the intake, i ran this thing and shot water down the carb while running . the water actually worked as like a sand blaster on the valves , about 2min. of doing this the noise went away and the old girl has run great ever since.

I really don`t know how the engine would behave. I have pulled it out of a 88 chevy 1500 cheyenne. It was a 305, all stock. I pulled it out on my own driveway out of the truck, cleaned it, changed the camshafts and the lobe lifters. I have turned it from injected to carburated(i went to a junkyard, and got a 305 manifold for a carburator off a 80 something monte carlo 305, and I also got a carb from a Camaro from the 70`s). Then, after I gave it a nice chevy orange paintjob, I set it nicely in the car and Noticed that I cannot start it (info just to clear things up). The issue I think I am having is probably the timing, as all of you people tell me and I thank you for your support. Everybody keeps telling me that, but i just don`t get it. I will try to set it to 10-12 degrees and see what happens, and I am not exactly sure, but I looked again and it`s like 5 deg off the 0 BTC. I also looked at the sparkplugs after igniting it a few times and they are absolutely dry.Thank You

sounds to me like you have the distriutar turned 180 degerees set your #1 cylinder tdc and pick the distributar up and turn it and get the rotor to point at cylinder #1 if it dont work, try pointing the rotor at the #6 cylinder it might start that way and if not, it will let u know if you are one the right track to getting her running.. i have had this problem before on a 350 i forgot to make sure it was top dead center when i tried to fire it up it did the same thing.(silly me of coarse had to get to work) so i forgot the rule of DONT BE IN A HURRY, hehehehe

Thank you for your advice people!! I will try to do that as soon as possible(the distributor and timing part) but today it`s raining badly (stupid Canada), and I don`t when it`s gonna stop! I`ll let you know what happened with my ride. Thank You

the gas in carb is good idea,be careful install air cleaner
before starting, if that dont work make sure when you
set top dead center that you are in( firing position tdc)
i made the mistake of thinking i was at top dead center
just because #1 piston was all the way up,it was not
and i was 180 off,one more thing just in case make sure
your choke is off.

Before you remove your distributor or anything else, get a breaker bar with a socket the size of your balancer's center bolt, back out the number one plug a ways, and turn the motor over until you here air escaping from the number one plug whole. When You here this you are coming up on number one in the firing cycle. Take it to zero and then check where your rotor in the distributor is pointing. I'll bet it is off by 180 degrees as several others have mentioned.

If so, all you have to do is pull the distributor and reinstall it with the rotor pointing to number one plug wire.

Then try the gas down the carb trick.

It should fire right up.

Hey, there, Vdorbantu:

Did you get the answer I posted and did you try it?
Just checking.:)

hey it mite be the firing order 18436572

Thank you very muck for your support everybody!! The distributor was 180 degrees off, and the battery was allmost dead!! I got a new starter, and hooked it up with my other car, and it started easily!! Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. If i am gonna need any further help, i will be sure who to rely on!!

And one mor thing, this is my very first and hopefully not last engine change, ever since i`m 18, and wanna be a mechanic, it`s very exciting.I personally love the loudness of the car right now, just with the headers, without any piping, cats or anything else. It sounds beautiful. I love it. Now i have to leave the engine running, in order to get all the fluids in, and to get a new alternator and water pump, and i`m set. Guess what happened when I tried to steer it for the first time with the new engine running? The steering hose blew up and spayed steering fluid all over my other car!! I got another one, fixed that too. Now things are looking really promising!! After i`m done with manufacturing the exhaust and fixing the gas pedal, the car is ready to run!!! I hope that in a couple of days, the car will be ready for the first test drive!! I`ll fill you in on that!!

Glad we could help.

Most of us had it figured to being 180 out. A very common thing to do on your first engine change. Heck, I've done it on many more.

Experience causes you to check further. Don't take that the wrong way. You got to do it to learn and that's a good thing.:) :) :) ;)

At least you got it fixed. That is the only way I learn is if something breaks and I have to find out what it is and fix it so then next time me or a friend has a problem and my friend tells me what his car/truck/dirt bike is doing I will know what it is. Keep having problems and having everyone here solve them so you guy's can teach me at the same time haha. :)

Glad you got it running in time for school. I know how it is when your young with your first car especially one you built the engine yourself. Keep it going.

Thank you for your support and appreciacion everyone!!

I took the Cutlass Out for a test drive and it runs like a dream. I drove her to my mechanic and he adjusted some screws and stuff, so now i`m ready to roll. One more thing, I drove to my mechanics place without the hood on because the alternator sticks out and I can`t close it, so 2 cops stopped me for noise pollution and because of the hood. And I also abused it a bit ever since I got a new differential too. I burned tyres until there were sparks coming from the rims(there was no more rubber to burn). Now I know what my dad told me when I was still in romania "Hell Son, there ain`t nothing better than the sound and performance of the Old American Muscle Cars!!!!". Thank You everyone