I have a Pioneer Jet Boat with a Berkeley Pump attached to a Ford 460 big block.
The 460 has a Holley carbureter, and Basset water-injected headers.
The engine was running fine until one day when pulling the boat out of the water and putting it on the trailer, we went to try to start it to drain out any excess water and it wouldn't start. We attributed it to being out of fuel. We gassed the boat back up and hauled it back home not thinking anything of it.
The next day we try starting it and aren't having any luck. Whenever the motor is cranked over it doesn't even try to start and we only get backfire out of the carb or pipes.
We've compression tested it, did a carb rebuild, replaced the plugs, and put a new fuel filter in it without any luck.
We know it's getting fuel because the fuel filter fills up and we see fuel spray into the carb when the throttle is depressed.
We know it's getting spark because we've pulled every plug and tested each plug individual for spark by plugging them into their wires and holding them to the motor (for ground) and watching them spark.
We know it's getting fuel because, well, there's nothing on top of the carb, just open while we work on it and covered up when we're not.
We've also triple checked the timing and we're 99% sure it's ok. Any ideas or input would be of immense help.