hi all.....So i've been trying to revive my 66 chevy malibu without luck. At 1st cranking was at normal speed without turning over. After verifying fuel with new fuel pump, a new set of points and condensor as well as a thorough cleaning of the distributor i tried again however this time cranking is extremly slow and the fan belt is a bitch to turn by hand. i;ve been doin voltage test and so far the battery drops from 12 to 3v instead of the recomended 9v

also the + terminal on the ignition coil terminal drops way low as well. im thinking maybe my starter has some faulty wiring although i can hear it trying to crank the engine can any one help me get this think running?

Got a battery charger?

Sounds like a low battery

"turning over" means engine is rotating, not firing off.

yeah then engine was cranking fast without firing but now cranks really slow like it'll crank once and then get stuck. I assumed the battery was ok since it read 12 V before cranking ........but ill pick a charger and see what happens

Measuring 12v on the batt. is not a way of knowing if it's good or has a full charge. That can only be determined, at best, by a batt. tester with a load device incorporated. Even then, it's only an indication of battery charge level and health, not certain proof. The starter draws one hell of a lot of current that the average tester can't begin to simulate. So charging the battery is a good thing, just to be sure it's topped off.

Did you remove or turn the distributor in your cleaning or point installation? Also, how did you set the points, feeler gauge or dwell meter. Sounds like the timing could be off. After installing new points the timing must be checked. You didn't mention doing that.

You may need to disconnect the coil wire and set the dwell with the engine turning over. Then you may need to move the distributor until the engine starts (or at least turns over faster) and then set the initial timing per specs. A bunch of guys on here can tell you what the specs are if you don't have them but you'll need to tell us what engine you have, trans type, carb, etc.

BTW - fan belts are supposed to be a bitch to turn by hand = good compression.

Charge the battery and answer/do the above and get back to us. We'll try to help.

Ok will do with the battery and rotating of distributor......I installed new points and condensor and used a feeler gauge.....regarding the distributor i pulled the entire thing out shaft n all but i figured that the timing would be alright (at least enough to run) so long as i didn't crank the engine. I planned on adjusting the timing to spec however the way my manual explains it.. id have to have the car ideling.

holy SH^&! .......charged the battery verified spark and lastly rotated my distributor until i found the sweet spot. She fired up so suddenly that a smacked my head trying to get out from under the hood. next ill tune the carb and brake system...thanks for eveything

bump

Done that(smacking the head thing) a few times.But it goes away in a second when you here the sweet sound of the motor running.Best sound in the world.Gives you that fuzzy feeling when you fixed it right.