mazda b2000 won't start after head gasket replacement
 

I bought a 1986 b2000 that had a blown head gasket...after pulling plugs , cranked the engine and water shot out of number 3 cylinder...when pulling head , i found that head bolts around number 3 and 4 were not torqued ...fairly loose....inspected head, valves..all seemed undamaged. cleaned everything up and replaced head with new gasket... set timing.. new plugs....checked for spark on plugs , was sparking....without adding coolant or replacing timing covers...i tried to start engine...would not start....tried gas and starting fluid in carb...still won't crank.....got compression...spark...gas... and timing are there .................at times it seems like it is going to start but doesn't.....what can be wrong....????? ANY help will be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re-check your Timing Belt setup to ensure the cam & crank timing are correctly set, and re-check that your distributor is installed correctly.......it is probably the latter and you may be off by a tooth or two. Let us know what you find out. And welcome to the forums.

i have rechecked crank setting again...distributor rotor is directly at number one plug wire , it took a little pulling out and replacing to get it right as usual......the only thing i am not sure of is....the cam gear is on A mark...but it appears someone before me worked on this engine, truck was not running when i bought it ( didn't ask too many questions when only paying $250.00 for it) and my question is...can the cam gear be put on cam shaft more than one way? this is the only thing i haven't taken off.... the crank timing gear can only go on one way because of woodruff keyway on crankshaft end...like i said plugs when removed from engine and and left on wires and grounded on metal parts...when engine turns over they spark in the order of 1 3 4 2, although the spark looks kinda weak to me, but when touched (on purpose) they shock the crap out of fingers...LOL......it's puzzling to me that the engine doesn't even fire at all...no matter how i adjust distributor......

well here is an update to my situation with my B2000...just received compression tester and found low readings on all cylinders...ranging from 25 psi on #1, 38 psi on #2, 55 psi on #3, and 65 psi on #4.......when heaD WAS OFF, ALL THE VALVES SEEMED TO SEAT CORRECTLY....could all the rings be bad...don't think that's the case...should i have this head checked at a local machine shop or just order a rebuilt head?

Low compression
 

If you haven't already pulled the head back off, you could squirt a couple shots of 10w40 into each sparkplug hole and then recheck your compression. If the rings are worn and completely dry your compression may be low because of that.

I cannot believe that piston rings can be the cause of the low compression numbers.

I'd set the crankshaft to TDC #1 as below, note the crankshaft gear keyway pointing straight up, red arrow (confirm that it's at TDC #1 and not TDC #4). At his point, you CANNOT use position of the distributor rotor to help you, this is camshaft timing, not to be confused with ignition timing. With the valve cover removed, your B2000 engine with manual-adjusting valves should have BOTH valves for #1 closed, so not pushed down at all.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.maz...e6d0f753e7.jpg
Then take a photo f the face of the camshaft for us, and post that. This is a photo of my B2200 camshaft gear at TDC #1; there is a #1 under my yellow paint mark. See the hole just above the bolt? There's a "pin" on the camshaft so this gear can actually fit onto the camshaft in four different orientations. So post a picture of your camshaft gear when the bottom gear is in the position as shown in first photo. If you don't want to pull the lower timing cover, you should be able to confirm position of the crankshaft gear using a mirror and a light.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.maz...5c8e879750.jpg

Sup man,

I remember when I was a kid before the internet I was desperate (side story) to get my Mazda 626 running. I may have stored some lessons that might help...
First, you say you bought a car with a blown gasket, how did you know it had a blown gasket in the first place? Are you leaving something out of the story here? I'd start there because at first glance after reading your post, it seems like you're doing everything right, but obviously there’s still a problem.Next, have you ran a tap & die for the head bolts associated with the leak prior to replacing the new gasket? (I think it’s important to assume the bolts didn’t just come apart for laughs)Next, prior to removing and replacing a head it’s important to scrape and polish the two joining surfaces, in addition to using a gasket sealant (type depends on proximity to your intake manifold)
If those things are set, I have a handful of alternate routes to look at. Lmk and good luck!

Same Problem
 

Hey. I am having the same problem. Wondering if you ever got it all figured out?