Oh and the plug wires are less than a year old in fact I only drove the car 2 times with them on it.
78 cutlass W-31 build
- Thread starter Clutch
- Start date
What plugs are in it now? Yeah, go over everything ignition. If the converter is flashing around 2200, it should be launching hard. I have a 1600 stall TH350 and 2.78 open behind my 403, what a turd. The 2350 stall 2004R would absolutely annihilate one 275/60R15 tire. I need to figure out what I did wrong with the CK shift kit, only first gear.
I took out AC Delco iridium plugs today. They were brown in the center and black around the hole outside.
Put the new plugs in today plane old AC R45S and Lauren gapped them to 45 the old plug gaps wear from about 20 to about 40. All over the place perhaps that's part of the problem..... Nope. Still runs the same. To be continued the food just came out we are at jersey sure BBQ
So with my helper away I didn't get a hold lot done over the weekend. Lauren's marching band won the tob championship last year so they were marching main street USA in Florida this weekend. She's flying into LaGuardia tonight so I'm not getting sleep anytime soon. So to make good use of my time I'm under the hood agine. It rained all day Saturday here at the gray jersey shore so Sunday I made another attempt at making it run well enough to drive. I did a compression check on a few cylinders and they were just shy of 150 so good enough I guess. Went out to the building and grabbed the q-jet off the 72 455 out of my 87 and grabbed 2 Chevy q-jets while I was there. Came back home and tried the one off the 455 and the car ran exactly the same. Tried the Chevy one I bought brand new for the 350 I took out of the square body same shot. Searched for vacuum leaks can't find nothing. Then I thought what if the intake is pulling vacuum from the valley???? I once read somewhere when you use an aluminum intake on an olds do not use a metal valley pan type gasket like factory. Use a paper type gasket. Now I thought that was just for aftermarket intakes but I'm using an A-4 with metal gaskets but they are not a valley pan style. Right or wrong I don't know but that's what I did.
So this is my next last ditch effort to make it run well enough to drive.
I had this at the machine shop for quite sometime getting cleaned and the pollution holes in the bottom of the plenum plugged. Long story they were drilled and not tapped. So tonight after work I did this.
O joy how many times have we seen the inside of that motor.... It's getting old. So I've studied the gaskets and the intake the heat passages were definitely leaking so at least I know I'm fixing something but as far as vacuum idk?
I'll say this they weren't stuck like I'm used to in fact the intake came right off and one side gasket fell in the valley. It's getting late by back is screaming and so I don't think I'm getting it back together tonight. Besides I've still got to go and get some npt plugs for the new intake some of my old stuff doesn't fit the new one. I'll leave you with this.im still trying everything I can think of.
I gotta remember Teflon tape pipe plugs and rtv tomorrow.as for today
Waiting on her.
So this is my next last ditch effort to make it run well enough to drive.
I had this at the machine shop for quite sometime getting cleaned and the pollution holes in the bottom of the plenum plugged. Long story they were drilled and not tapped. So tonight after work I did this.
O joy how many times have we seen the inside of that motor.... It's getting old. So I've studied the gaskets and the intake the heat passages were definitely leaking so at least I know I'm fixing something but as far as vacuum idk?
I'll say this they weren't stuck like I'm used to in fact the intake came right off and one side gasket fell in the valley. It's getting late by back is screaming and so I don't think I'm getting it back together tonight. Besides I've still got to go and get some npt plugs for the new intake some of my old stuff doesn't fit the new one. I'll leave you with this.im still trying everything I can think of.
I gotta remember Teflon tape pipe plugs and rtv tomorrow.as for today
Waiting on her.
Got back at it today first I got the performer intake ready to go on. Plugged any unnecessary vacuum and water jacket ports and installed the thermostat and housing. I like to use the bypass hose to guide me on straight
Then I started getting the car ready for the intake. With all I've been threw with this car I decided to go over as much as I can before going back together. I pulled the drivers valve cover and checked rocker arms put it TDC compression stroke and moved the dizzy again.......
I'm once again trying to make it the last time apart. Probably overthinking everything because it should have been fine the last unteen times it was apart. This time I used a Mr gasket 4 pice intake kit and I cut open the heat crossover for my choke tubs. I also used red permatex around them and the choke tube mounting plate ultra black on everything else being careful as possible with it yet making sure everything is sealed up good this time. I very incompletely assembled it and put the carb for it back on with no linkage and all the vacuum ports plugged except vacuum advance. Didn't even bolt the valve cover down.
I turned the key and was going to stick my head in the car to check the oil pressure gauge and boom! It started! I took my hand off the key and WTF? It stayed running. I went under the hood and played a little bit choke off idle screw advance retarded hmmmmmm beautiful still a bit of a stumble but smoother than ever. I will be tuning AND driving it tomorrow finally what seams to be a W .
Note to self NEVER USE METAL INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Still a few things to do like make a new line for the booster because it's hitting the vacuum port on the aftermarket intake but that I can deal with.
Then I started getting the car ready for the intake. With all I've been threw with this car I decided to go over as much as I can before going back together. I pulled the drivers valve cover and checked rocker arms put it TDC compression stroke and moved the dizzy again.......
I'm once again trying to make it the last time apart. Probably overthinking everything because it should have been fine the last unteen times it was apart. This time I used a Mr gasket 4 pice intake kit and I cut open the heat crossover for my choke tubs. I also used red permatex around them and the choke tube mounting plate ultra black on everything else being careful as possible with it yet making sure everything is sealed up good this time. I very incompletely assembled it and put the carb for it back on with no linkage and all the vacuum ports plugged except vacuum advance. Didn't even bolt the valve cover down.
I turned the key and was going to stick my head in the car to check the oil pressure gauge and boom! It started! I took my hand off the key and WTF? It stayed running. I went under the hood and played a little bit choke off idle screw advance retarded hmmmmmm beautiful still a bit of a stumble but smoother than ever. I will be tuning AND driving it tomorrow finally what seams to be a W .
Note to self NEVER USE METAL INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Still a few things to do like make a new line for the booster because it's hitting the vacuum port on the aftermarket intake but that I can deal with.
I have used those metal gaskets many times with no issues. BUT I use Permatex Aviation sealant around all ports, except the four corner water ports. A bead of RTV around both sides of those ports plus a tall and narrow, like 3 high beads on the end rails. I toss the rubber end gaskets. My main issue is once the heads are cut, even when they aren't, those composite either barely fit or just plain won't. Plus I have seen a few people on these forums sucking oil into the cylinders with those gaskets. There is a guy on CO with a 400G with the same issues poor running and gutless. He has resealed the intake multiple times, pretty sure it is also cam timing. On a brand new 10+ to 1 motor he has 140 to 155 psi compression. Have you done a compression test? Glad the gaskets fixed one of your issues.
Yes my compression test w
Results are the same as his.
It's going to be a late start because first it's off to the farmers market with the wife and then the auto parts store.
The latest round of investigative work sounds like it's yielded very promising results. Glad to see this! 😎
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