Ok I need help again. Crank no start.

[Silent viewer]

Yea Thanks Cutlass. I was talking with a guy at work and he thinks its the timing also. I know the timing is off because of when I tried to set the timing awhile back, the mark was all the way at the bottom from top dead center and nowhere near the scale to adjust properly, so I just left it where it was at because it would not allow me to match the mark with the scale cause it would bogg down when I turn the distributer. Ran decent enough for me at the time. So Do you think the timing belt could have slipped? Does my 3.8 have a belt or chain? I see in the manual that v8's have the chain but the sorry *ss chiltons book doesnt get into specific detail about the v6's timing chain or belt. How hard is it to get to the timing belt to see if it is wore down or out of alignment? Is replacing and aligning them a pain???

it does sound like the timing chain slipped, i have had this happen to 2 3.8s that i have had in my regals. this is a very common issue with these motors, the problem is that the teeth on the gears are coated in nylon(i think, dont quote me) or some kinda plastic at least and the stuff gets old and breaks down untill it all falls off. the replacement gears do not have these gears, they just have solid metal gears. as far as fixing it i think that it is a pain in the *ss job but is doable if you have some experaince with timing chain replacement or similar work. in my case i decided i had a good excuse to drop a small block in mine!

 

[JuuCeD82ReGaL]

Thanks for adding ya .02 cents buddy. Are u having to remove a ton of sh*t to get to the timing chain and gears. My ultimate dream and goal is to get a 305 or 350 and put it in. I was hearing it shouldnt be very hard but it will when me and my buddy have no motor swap experience. I wanted to keep the engine bay very simple. No ac and remove everything thats is not necessary. All in all I just want to see spark plug wires and a engine. So, still no1 ever has read my other post where I was trying to find how much a motor swap would cost just ball park figure? Anyway ya'll have a good weekend. I will try and do same :?

 

[Silent viewer]

yea, the whole front of the motor has gotta come off pretty much. its a b*tch. as far as a swap it could be as cheap as 500 and goes all the way up to stupid amounts of money. i had 800 into my first with a salvage yard 305 and then 3000 into my 350 but that included lots of dress up parts and performance parts along with a full rebuild. good luck whatever route you go

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Yes it is a PITA. I did it on my dad's 1980 Cadillac with a 368 V8 in it. It too had the crappy "Cylent" nylon tipped aluminum cam gear in it. It was starting to dry out and crack when I took it off. Just remember if you do this that you will need to dismantle the oil pump and pack it with vasalene in order to get it to prime again. Sounds odd, but I wound up running the engine dry and could not get oil pressure, so I had to do this and it worked.

As for a 350 swap, it can be cheap, but to get the best performance it likely will not be. If you need to pass smog, you need to read my sticky as it details the smog legal crap you will need to pass a visual inspection for a 305 Monte Carlo. This essentially makes it a legal swap with a minor technicality.

 

[Coveted]

So, still no1 ever has read my other post where I was trying to find how much a motor swap would cost just ball park figure?

from page 2

A good 350 swap if you do it yourself, can be done pretty cheap.
To pay a shop, probably like 1000 all said n done, between motor trans and labor.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If you pay to have it done, it will not be cheap. If you do it yourself, I would have no less than $1500-2000 on hand to take care of unforeseen expenses. If you need to pass emissions, add another $500-1,000. Don't forget, you will need a new exhaust system, a transmission (preferably), most of the accessories, a carburetor, ignition, etc. If you have a good donor, you can do it cheaper, depending on what donor it is and what it has.

Post what it is you wish to accomplish with the swap and I can give you a better idea. If you want to do a real ghetto swap with header mufflers, and rigged up everything, and do not need to pass any inspections, it will not be too bad. If you like having everything work properly as it should, like the A/C and cruise control, expect to pay a bit more. I spend $4,000-5,000 12 years ago to completely convert my car with a rebuilt engine and trans, a new exhaust with a 3 inch single cat, and all of the proper emissions control equipment right down to the proper computer and Air injection. Since we no longer have inspections, my setup is mildly changed from that as I have a non computer HEI and Quadrajet now, and also got rid of the EGR and AIR systems. I keep them boxed up and ready for me to use in case I ever need to pass a visual inspection.

 

[JuuCeD82ReGaL]

Well. I guess u can say I Want it simple. I dont want a/c or all the other stuff. Air compressor etc can go. I just want it basic and thats about it. I would really like to stay around a 1,000 with a simple small block. I now do have a older guy who can help me with the rebuild and he is a master tech. thank the lord. So now its about finding a good small block that doesnt need to be rebuilt. I dont need or want catylic conv. We dont need emissions down here. And thats it I think. Thanx again every1 for the feedback.

 

[JuuCeD82ReGaL]

Today while fiddling around with the choke, It seems that when I hit the accelerator with the car in park the carb seems to pull in air and only air until the car boggs out. Its like u can hear the sucking sound when hitting the accelerator and the flap moves but very little. I've tried turning the choke in different directions but it runs best where it was at. Any explanations on why the carb is pulling in so much air and not alot of gas with the air to give me the power I need to get out of the driveway? And why the heck does the rpm's drop so much when its put into park? Vacuum issues?

 

[JuuCeD82ReGaL]

Come On, BUMP!!!!!!!!!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Bring the damn thing to Tampa and I will fix it for you! But seriously, try pulling the hose off the brake booster and plugging it with a bolt. If it fixes it, the booster is bad. If not, check all of those by now hard and brittle vacuum lines that are strewn about the engine bay. You could also do the carb cleaner trick and spray it around to see if it changes the engine performance while it is running. If it does, you have found your leak.