chevy 283 question?????

i finally got the timing done on the car so that it would start but now i am having a hard time keeping the car on after it starts to warm up,it almost seems to flood, i have a chevy 283 58-62 with a edelbrock 1406 carb electric choke, i have a gauge and fuel regulator (mr.gasket) hooked up, i dont know if its running to rich either, i have white smoke coming out of the p***enger side muffler, and now it seems to start turning blue, its still more white than blue, it smells like fuel, also i have an oil pressure gauge (mechanical) hooked up and now my oil pressure has dropped, it was at around 30-40 and now its barley at 10, also anyone know how to adjust an edelbrock 1406 carb so that it doesn't run rich?????? thanks again and any help would be awesome..... the car has been rebuilt in the past so i dont know if the head gaskets might need to be replaced.........

 

White smoke is usually from coolant, blue smoke is usually from oil, black smoke is usually from fuel. Sometimes it's hard to tell them apart, and sometimes there's more than one problem with an engine.

Set the float level on the carb. Make sure the choke is open all the way. Adjust the idle mixture screws for best idle, toward the lean side if you can get it to run ok that way.

 

What is your timing set at ?Why do you have regulator,are you running a high pressure fuel pump. It almost sounds to lean.

 

Timing is set at 6 degress b.t.d.c.,i think its supposed to be at 4 b.t.d.c., i am running a stock fuel pump, before i had the regulator and just the gauge is was putting out 8 lbs. And i after reading on the edelbrock website is says to not run more than 6 lbs so i adjusted it 4.5, i really dont know how to adjust the mixure screws,which is what right left???? Carbs have always been tricky for me, i also checked my oil and i think my engine might be burning oil, there was nothing on the dipstick when i went to check it....

 

This is a joke right?

 

After the engine starts to warm up for about 5 minutes there is a big puff out of the carb , almost sound likes it flooded and then the car turns off.....

 

No tedster not a joke ........ i just want to tune my car correctly, thats why i ask what one might think a stupid question........

 

To adjust the idle mixture screws, first screw them both in all the way (clockwise), but only gently, don't tighten them. Then unscrew them each one and a half turns. That should get it close. Then with it idling, turn them both out a quarter turn (that will make it richer), see if the engine speeds up or slows down. If it speeds up, go another quarter turn, etc till it doesn't speed up any more.

If it slows down or does not speed up when you adjust the screws richer, try going clockwise (lean) and see what happens.

You want it so it idles at the highest speed, with the leanest mixture. Although if it has trouble with dying, or coughing, then you probably need to adjust it a little bit richer.

Play with it see what happens. try to keep both screws adjusted to the same number of turns as each other.

 

Sounds like you may have answered your own question here....
A stock 283 should [and did] run a 400 450CFM carb to be running correctly...
having said that this will prompt a lot to say more carb is better.
If a stock 283 the figure mentioned is correct. It may be that the use of a 650 carb as you indicated has washed the cylinder of oil lube and worn out your rings prematurely.
Especially if improperly adjusted or overjetted by a previous user....

as Squirrel suggested,you might have also lost seal on a head gasket ....run a compression on that bank and report back.....

 

I understand that I just wonder how long you ran it with no oil.

 

Does that mean the if i lost a seal on the head gaskets i need to replace them? I will try adjusting the mixture screws and see what happens, squirrel and choprods and i will check back, thanks fellas......

 

If it's losing coolant past a head gasket, then yes, you need to replace the gasket(s). Figuring that out is another adventure.

 

Put oil in it. Put the regulator at 6. Check your timing by sound. Your distributor may be stuck on advance, take off the dist. cap & see if rotor/dist has a spring action play/rotation.

 

Sounds like a choke issue, you have an electric choke and sounds like it isn't adjusted correctly. Possibly too rich once the choke disengages.

The choke is on the p***enger side and simple to adjust. Loosen screws and rotate.

 

The oil has been fresh last time i checked, which was a month or so ago, right about when i got the timing figured out......

 

Even if the distributor is an hei???? I will put some oil in there and also adjust the choke as well....which way do i rotate the choke?

 

Another thing is check your oil for gas contamination caused by the over carbing,,,quite possible it is overfull and loaded with gas in the oil........=low oil pressure

 

Have you been driving the car much?

 

No i have not, i am trying to tune it up before i drive it.......

 

The choke should be closed when the engine is cold, and open as the engine warms up. See if the plate in the top of the carb closes all the way when it's cold, see if it opens all the way when it warms up. If not, then turn the housing one way or the other so it does what it is supposed to do. Make small changes, it takes patience to get it right.

An HEI can have a stuck advance mechanism, it's under the rotor, which is under the distributor cap.

 

Last time i checked the choke was open when i start the car.........

 

I had a HEI get stuck on freeway driving after 12 years of driving. Had to get a new one, even though I broke the old one loose. Check the spring action under the cap.

It may be the Head Gasket. You could have the Heads rebuilt for $80 & a head gasket kit for $30

 

how long ago was that? 1983?

 

Whenever i turn the car on the choke is open.....

 

Maybe??? How much to rebuild heads in Santa Ana these days?

 

Good question.....i should fine out though.....

 

to adjust the choke,check the black plastic choke housing on p*** side of carb.
it will have three screws or rivets securing it.
if screws loosen those and with engine shut down...
hold the throttle back a bit with one hand and turn the black housing rt or left to see which way it moves the choke ****erfly in the carburetor...
rotate it till the choke ****erfly is almost shut. and set it there for now[on a cold engine]...I see you are in California,should not need much choke depending on where in the state.

 

By now your spark plugs are totally junk. You can adjust stuff all day long and you wont get any results. Put in some hotter plugs such as AC -R46 or plane 46 if you can still get them. Get a couple of sets and replace them if they foul out again until you get this ironed out. Good luck.

 

I had the same m***ive flooding problem with my 283 & a 500 CFM Edelbrock. I didn't realize that the fuel pressure should be lower, so I got a Mr. Gasket regulator & everything was O.K. for a short while & then it happened again. I replaced that regulator with an Edelbrock one & it seems to have solved the problem. I heard here that the inexpensive dial regulators can be bad right out of the box. As stated, it's also very important to set the float levels properly. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, remove the carb & take to someone that is proficient in doing it. I did because I'm a carburetor idiot.

The thing that pains me in your explanation is about the possible washing of the cylinder walls. If you haven't already done so, change your oil right away...maybe you can save it. Because of reading threads here, I changed my oil immediately after each flooding incident & have had no bad aftereffects from the gas getting into the oil.

Good luck & keep us posted.

 

hey fleetside66 what oil can i use? i use pennzoil 10w30, i haven't even driven the car because i dont want an accident to occur and about the carb i think i will have to take it to someone who knows a thing or two.......