Ram 50 1988

[xboxrox]

Try this: use a wooden chopstick or equivalent tool & with all spark plugs removed you should be able to rotate the engine by hand while grabbing the V belts ~ so with thumb on the #1 spark plug hole determine which stroke is compression AND watch the chopstick until it reaches high as it will go or just at the point where it begins to go down again ~ you will know where TDC (top dead center) is on the #1 cylinder ~ LOOK at the crankshaft pulley timing mark to see where it is pointing on the timing cover timing marks ~ check that both intake & exhaust valves are closed loose rocker arm gap ~ paint a blob of WHITE paint on the pulley timing NOTCH ~ remove the distributor cap check the rotor make sure it points to #1 spark plug wire & also trace the wire to it's end to ensure it's the #1 wire ~ do same for all 4 cylinders ~ if the rotor is not out by 90° or 180° degrees then it should start ~ if spark is firing at each spark plug then it must be a fuel or vacuum leak issue ???
Great Work so far ~ George

[tortron]

it "sounds" like the plug wires are mixed up tbh, it might be running on 2. but yeah if you are getting spark at each plug then its timing

[PrestigeWorldwide]

https://youtu.be/yV57Mbhi-xU
it starts!
i hears crackling. hoping just oil burning off. has not been started in who knows how long.
i have to mess with my carb for sure. the fast idle cam is messed up. the first open clearance stays closed, supposed to be .9" clearance open i believe...

[PrestigeWorldwide]

also, theres a vacuum leak at my thermo valve for sure. needs to be replaced.

[geezer101]

Definitely sounds like a misfire. Pull and test each lead individually while it's running to find the culprit. Might be a cracked insulator on a plug etc.

[boozehero]

Just read through this thread.

Note... after the engine has run through a heating cycle, warm it up again and check your compression. I bet it goes up substantially.

This is important! If you haven't replaced the balance shaft belt and the timing belt, it would be a good idea. The balance shaft belt frequently fails and can take out the main timing belt. How do you say it?
NO BUENO!!
Too bad you live in Cali... The best way to remedy the carb problems... a Weber conversion. I lived there for 1.5 years and the smog boyz are bastards.

*You have to have zero vacuum leaks. If the leak is big enough, the engine can act like it is skipping and will have a high idle or no idle at all.
*Just for a laugh, check the spark plug porcelains. If one has a crack, it will skip. This is overlooked too many times.
One other I recently encountered...
A friend's shop had done a tune up on a Chevy 4.3. It was skipping afterwards.
I isolated the skip to #6 cylinder - Know what it was?
The tech didn't check the spark plug gap and it was completely closed. Re-set gap, engine ran fine.
Another one - a carbon track or cracked distributor cap.
Maybe a bad plug wire.

I know this stuff may have been mentioned, but it doesn't hurt to check.

Good luck!