so now im confused. im at #1 tdc compression stroke. verified by feeling the air push out of #1 spark hole prior to reaching tdc. at this point my rotor should be at#1 right? if i go 360 to tdc again on my dampiner this is # 6 firing stroke
"so now im confused. im at #1 tdc compression stroke. verified by feeling the air push out of #1 spark hole prior to reaching tdc. at this point my rotor should be at#1 right?" Yes sir! My method for adjusting valves goes like this.working on one cyl at a time. 1.Roll engine in direction of rotation until the exhaust valve just starts to open and then adjust intake valve just like you've been doing. 2.Keep rolling the engine in direction of rotation until the intake valve almost closes and adjust exhaust valve just like you've been doing. It really helps to watch the lifters while doing it like this. 3.Move on to the next cylinder. 4.Remember,,,one cyl at a time & stay focused. It may take a little longer,but thats how Ive always done it,& this method applies on soild or hyd valvetrains.Doing it this way pretty much ***ures the valve/lifter you're adjusting is on the base circle of the camshaft.(Valve is fully closed)
thanks, i got all flustered. am gonna try again. at tdc of each cyl arnt the valves closed awaiting spark and they have been closed building compression and will remain closed till the bottom of the stroke till the exh valve opens?
dont use the rubber end gaskets on the intake, they make it raise up and can leak inside, like scotch said.
"thanks, i got all flustered. am gonna try again. at tdc of each cyl arnt the valves closed awaiting spark and they have been closed building compression and will remain closed till the bottom of the stroke till the exh valve opens?" This is pretty much correct,& I forgot to mention its MUCH easier to adjust the valves with the plugs out. Sorry. As far as that intake gasket goes,the Fel-Pro 1206 is very nice.They come with cork,sticky-back end rail gaskets that will not leak,& not raise up? the manifold if installed correctley.The block & bottom of the intake surfaces need to be super clean & dry(like rubbing them down with a clean Laquer thinner rag).If youre real ****,you can pucker the surfaces with a center punch to keep things tight(er),which I do. A dab of RTV in the corners & you're good to go,providing the engine is ventilated properly(PCV & a good breather filter) Everyone debates over this & everyone has their own preference,and I refuse to use the rubber thingys. I just dont like silicone hanging out (and in) my engines. I removed the manifold from one of my motors a couple of times experimenting with things,& re-used the gaskets.Light film of white grease on all gaskets before setting the manifold down.Never had a leak.Here is one of them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/TroyCagle1/Troys_T_Engine.JPG Keep plugging away man,,,& stay basic. You sure got alot of us thinking here !
No,,,,just glue the intake gaskets to the heads,& use rtv in the corners after the corks are stuck. A very light film of white grease on the outside of all gaskets,& set the manifold down.
so i should coat the surface of the intake gasket with white grease? whats with the centerpunch thing, never heard of that. im usinc a pcv and a breather
Yes,,a very light film of white grease. The center punch thing. Use a piece of s**** metal & tap it with a center punch. Look at it & feel it.See how it raises the metal? The end-rail gaskets will 'bite' into the punch marks,keeping it from slipping.It's really not necessary if the block is clean & dry when you stick the corks down. Good luck,gotta go work on a Hemi.
E.O.I.C. is the most accurat way to adjust your valves short of doing them one by one with the intake off. I am thinking about getting it tattoo'ed on me somewhere. - the only time I use silicone on the intake gasket itself is a *touch* of it around the water p***ages. just a tiny amount to fill any voids that water may p*** through. I use silicone on the end seals because 85 percent of the heads we install have been angle milled, and the intake simply wont sit down with an end seal in place. this is something so confounding, it has to be simple. try this when you get it back together...any vac*** lines going to the carb (except the vac*** advance)- remove and plug them. see how it runs. then, one at a time install them and see where the problem lies (***uming the intake doesn't fix it.)- hey...does this thing have an automatic transmission in it? and if yes, is the line to the trans hooked up and in good shape? power brakes?-booster leak? any other goofy vac*** operated doo dads? hell, I figure that as long as we are clutching at straws, might as well get myself a handfull... and you are 100 percent SURE the firing order is right...right?
only vac lines are the brakes, whitch are to a full manifold port behind the carb. a pcv hooked to the front of holley beneath the meter block, a full manifold to the modulator of my th350, and the dizzy vac to the timed port on the holley. i have also tried the dizzy vac t'd into the full vac port with the modulator. all lines are new except the hard line to the modulator and that appeared to be in good shape. how do i tell if the break booster is leaking? i have never had any brake issues. and the line is new. no other vacuum do dads. what about plug recomendations? im using a delco r43ts. plugs were white some minor black fouling but with the ****ty running this would be expected. yes i also double checked (for the third time) the firing order is right and i will check 5 more times as i reinstall everything tomorow. what do you use to "glue " the gasket to the head as fuelroadster said to do? lux what is EOIC ?
heres some pics....also check out a vid when it was runnin sort of..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msj3mvBsLSU
not alot of progress today had other things i HAD to do. got it all tore down and clean valves adjusted. got everything to reinstall. i am gonna hit it in the am. i hope she runs right!!! thanks again for everyones interest and tips
well still no luck.took the intake off.re adj the valves. re sealed everything. still wont idle at 10 or 12 deg. only 18 .with all in set at 34 with vac disconnected it still goes back to about 18. vac is at 10 at idle and will raise to 20 with about 1/2 throtle. i can get it to idle at 1000 with this set up but when i put it in gear it drops to about 400 and dies. it idles smooth for about 4 min then looses rpm to about 600, struggles, then slowly picks back up..... im totally confounded
sorry about the delay.... E.O.I.C.- Exhaust opening, intake closing. did you ever hunt the vac*** lines? time for the silly questions. when the builder that did the work ***embled the short block, did he have the intake? there is a possibility that if he angle milled the heads, he did not match the intake...which would result in a m***ive vac*** leak. how to check...before you put theintake back on, simply place it on the heads with no gaskets- and look to see where the intake touches at- if it seems pretty flat against the heads, you should be okay...if it seems to touch across the top and not the bottom, it may be the culprit. if you pull a spark plug wire, is it getting a nice fat blue spark, or a dimmer red one? how many turns out are you currently on all 4 adjustment screws on the carb? are you sure the carb base gasket is sealed up right? have there been any major backfires? and if yes, is that carb built with a backfire protector in the baseplate? where is the float level in the carb? what fuel pump and regulator? what springs are in the distributor now? is the post from the coil to the rotor good?
It's a hydraulic cam, right? Do the valves make noise? If not, there shouldn't be an adjustment problem. If so, something still isn't right. Have you checked the vacuum can on the HEI for leaks? Have you "trammed" the engine, or just stuck a rod in the spark plug hole and watched it to find TDC? Your total advance should include your vacuum advance. Total advance= Initial + Mechanical + Vacuum What kind of timing light are you using? Does it have a knob on the back or is it "straight up"? Is it an elastomer damper? Does the keyway line up with the TDC mark? I'm just saying that there are a lot of different things which could be wrong. I think you have a timing problem of sorts. get back to the basics and start by tramming the engine to find TDC. Tramming is done by using a piston stop in the #1 hole and a degree wheel on the crank. Rotate the engine by hand clockwise until you hit the piston stop (be gentle), mark the degree wheel. Then rotate counterclockwise until you hit the piston stop again, mark the degree wheel again. Split the difference on the degree wheel and you have found true TDC. Make sure you use the same reference on the degree wheel for both marks (obvious). Then you can be 100% sure that the timing is right. I would then check the vacuum can. Set the initial timing with the vacuum can disconnected and then check what the timing moves to when it is reconnected. Or if you have a hand vacuum pump, you can pull a vacuum on the can by hand and watch the timing change. Thats what I would do to start.
oh yeah....I would also disconnect all of the vacuum accesories to make sure that there isn't a leak there.
to check the intake for leaking internal put one hand over the oil fill hole and one over the pcv hole if ther is vacuun there then the intake is leaking Also when you put the vac*** gauge on does the gauge jump around if it does valves are not adj. right.
Also when you put the vac*** gauge on does the gauge jump around if it does valves are not adj. right. Good point. A vacuum gauge can tell you alot.
ok for lux 1 replaced all vac lines 2builder didnt have intake, i bought the block balanced. fly wheel, pist, crank,dampener,cam installed, timing cover onwith all the work done. i bought the alum heads and had them ***embled per the specs of the block.used mls head gaskets followed torque specs re torqued after first heat cycle. intake seems to match up well all gaps without gaske are less than .005. 3 good spark 4 i ***ume u mean th a/f screws. i am at 1 turn. meter block is cold to the touch. 5 resealed the carb today can spray with start fluid and no change in idle 6 no major backfires some minor on innital fire up till i got time close 7 have removed the site plugs and verified it is level with bottom of hole 8 holley mechanical fuel pump 80 gph no regulator 9 heavy springs(silver i think) dizzy is new blair 1 valves dont make noise 2tried to blow in the vac can thru the tube with no luck. how do i check the vac adv can? 3 i did not tram i stuck a braizing rod in #1 and felt it go to the top (on compression) marked balancer spun till i just felt it just start to go down , marked balancer, split the lines for tdc worked out dead on with 0 mark on balancer 4 so i should set the all in to 34 at 3500 rpm with vac adv connected? to full manifold vac port or to the port on the carb(timed) 5 using reg. inductive timing light 6 have disconnected all vac accesories except the brakes. should i disconect this also? will they still work? sorry if that is a stupid question! lol im running a r45ts they are a few threads short of entering the comb chamber if i try a longer throw it puts the tip in the chamber but on all these long throw plugs the shoulder(part between threads and nut) is short and once i hand tighten them in i cant get anything on then to tighten them. i have straight plug alum heads but teh holes are recessed about 5/8 meaning the threads start 5/8 below the plain of the head there is a larger bore hole for this 5/8 but the shorter shoulder puts the "nut" of the plug inside this hole with no room to tighten. thanks for the input....
vac guage stays steady at 10. if i tromp it it falls of to 0 but if i slow accelerate it will steady rise to 20
whats that on an internal intake leak? cover what and do what? lol. so cover the breather and pcv holes and what will happen?
put a for sale sign in it and go get a mopar!!! just kidding. you said the timing cover was already on when you bought the motor??? i wonder if the crank is timed right??the builder might have installed the cam advanced or retarded and din't tell you. this might be throwing your timing of on the dizzy. check the actual cam timing and see where it is at. you will need to beg, borrow, or buy a degree wheel. just my .02
The brakes will still work without vac, the pedal will be a little harder is all. Keep working at it- I'm interested to know what the hell it is!
Couple of things caught my attention.... DITCH THE DISTRIBUTOR AND INSTALL A STOCK HEI....do a test run and verify that is not a problem... Then I noticed you said internally balanced now.....is your current crankshaft balancer /and it's timing marks placed accurately giving a correct reading? Good luck...
im so lost at this point i dont know where to begin.any HAMBers wanna spend a weekend at my lake house huntin, fishin, wrenchin?lol anyone know anyone around va, nc,wva? i need help (with the engine also)
o.k i'am in s. va. and have had a few run ins with 400's put a stock dizzy in! if that don't work retard the cam timing 4 degrees. both have worked on 400's in the past. its a ***** sometimes but i have a few that work real well after pullin out my hair with the same type problems you are havin!
The vacuum can goes to ported vacuum on the front metering block of the carb. From the picture it looks like that is where the line goes. You can check the can with the engine running with a timing light on it. Disconnect the hose from the can and see where your timing is. Then reconnect it and the advance should jump 5-15 degrees (somewhere in there, depends on the can, amount of vacuum at idle, etc). If it doesn't move, your can is bad. I have seen bad brand new cans. Also you should check to make sure the mechanical advance is working. Same deal, put a timing light on it and when you rev it all of the mech. advance should be in by 3000 rpm or so, depending on the springs/weights you are using. The 34 total advance includes the vacuum advance. The brakes will still work, but be prepared, they'll be hard. I would disconnect them. Also I would disconnect the PCV, trans mod., everything. I'm honestly not sure about the plugs and I have never run that brand of heads. I would call the manufacturer of the heads to find out the plug style they say to use. Are all of the plugs clean? I did see a 355 one time with some older brodix track one's on it where there was a casting flaw under one of the intake spring seats. So it was pulling oil in on one cylinder through the spring seat. It was a ***** to find. The fact that it was missing on one cylinder was easy, but the cause was hard to find.
all the plugs look clean i am gonna pull all vac lines and try again to set it to 34 total in by 3000 with vac hooked up ill check mech and vac can at that time here is a pic without timing cover. hay go fast where you at ? i dont know how to degree the cam. this is my first real experience with a built engine im trying all the suggestions i can but there comes a point..
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