s10sbc350

Yup the beer thing is very true lol... Seriously though it's not about having the support/help it's just that there are a lot of things that could be installed just slightly wrong and cause problems.

It's probably cheaper in the end to just buy a used 350 SBC block without intake or heads. I can pick up a relatively low mileage newer sbc for around $300-$400 here

tyeo098

Head casting #10110810
Date code: e274

tyeo098

Ok more info.

Here is what I dug up on the casting numbers.
10110810 1986-91 305
10110810 1991-up 350

Date code ends in 4 meaning either 84 or '94.
Number didn't exist in 84 so it must mean 94 meaning they are 350 heads?

Also is it possible to see the casting number on the block while its still in the car?

tyeo098

Videos:
Breather smoke: http://youtu.be/10Gl8BJ7lQY
Sparking: http://youtu.be/WutBSwTOlD0

tyeo098

Some good news at least.
The smoking seemed to hace stopped when I run it.
And the alternator is dead. that's good news since I dropped in a new old one from a 92 blazer I found at Garys u pull in binghamton and it works!

Finaly something that works

TheExaminer

Meh, for $800 I'd go ahead and rebuild everything, or get a new motor entirely. Crap, the body panels are worth more than that. If it's not eaten up with rust, I'd say you've got a great opportunity. Good find.

tyeo098

Well I'm back home in VA now...

The car was left in NY due to some heavy bitching by my mom.

I was able to drive it around up there though, and aside from it hesitating a bit when trying to get it to move it seems to be running fine. The majority of the smoke is now gone probably due to the stop-smoke we put in the oil. We cleaned the spark plugs of which both front cylinders and the rear passenger side cylinder were the dirtiest and sludgiest.

Now to wait another moth until we go back up in August for a week so I can work on it more. Going to talk with my insurance company to see what the deal is on a car that is not my DD.

Anyone have any information on those heads? I seem to be finding split decisions..

rusty vango

so, whats your moms beef? at least you didn't buy a Honda for Christ sakes!

tyeo098

Lol Rusty,

She doesn't trust the car to make the 5 hour drive home from NY to VA, and that I'll end up stranded in PA somewhere and have to sign over the car title to some mechanics place to pay for the storage of the car or something.

Just stupid **** that doesn't make sense.

I'm just stoked I was able to repair the alt and get the engine running on its own again.

Heres some more videos for your viewing pleaseure:
This one while I was working on it with a dead alternator

And this one after I fixed the alternator

Keep an eye on the difference in the battery gauge between the videos.

I was able to drive the car to town and back (about 5 minutes) and the oil pressure seemed to normalize around 30psi idle 60psi under load.

rusty vango

well, here is a opportunity to prove her totally wrong! all you have to do is cover the basics.after you service and tune it,make several 30 or so mile test runs.after which ,you check every thing. if all is well (no leaks,smoke,rattles ect) you can reasonably expect to get her home with ,hopefully,no real problems.stop every hundred miles and re check all the fluids. keep a eye on the gauges,as you go.you will need a spare and jack.jumper cables. a small tool kit.baby it as you go,resist the urge to open it up(hard,i know) just go easy and you can do it.i admit ,im jealous.been a while since I could take a road trip.

tyeo098

So I'm back in NY with a truck capable of towing thr car back... I lost that argument oh well.

But I've been taking it up and down the street a few times. I've noticed my new alt is only showing 13 or so on the dash and 10 or so at the battery. Does this mean my new alt has gone bad or is it just charging the battery that's been sitting a while?

When I rev the engine the needle moved up... so that means it putting out something right?

But oh man, when I tell it to go. It goes!!

rusty vango

well at least you can get it home. moms can, and will, put their dainty lil foot down!! so you say it runs well?? congrats! when you got your alt. did you get a NEW one or a re,man?(hard to buy a quality re-man alt these days, think china.) you can have it checked for free at such places as auto zone. dont even have to take it off. and you will know if your gauge is off or not.

tyeo098

I pulled it out of a blazer S10 sitting in the local graveyard.

here's a vid I took today.
Alt test 2: http://youtu.be/gbfkMW-sqnI

And apparently this is what my casting number looks like...

rusty vango

ah, well then. its probably on its way out. I would go to NAPA and buy one of their best NEW alternators. that way you know its right, once and done. when you get it home ,drive it down to Knoxville and show her to me!!

tyeo098

well its got no plates or ins so it'll have to be later on

As far as the alt, I'm reading about 10vdc and about 30vac. So it sounds like a diode has gone bad... joy.

tyeo098

I'm wrong about the ac volts. Its still 30 with the car off. Just my multimeter giving me headaches

rusty vango

no plates? no insurance? no problem ! after all, it IS tennessee

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

I wouldn't go by the meter on the dash. Get a reliable meter to at least use as a reference.
When I have a volt meter on it and the voltage drops to around 9v while cranking I typically write off the battery and if I suspect the alt. I replace both at the same time as they can sometimes affect each other. Yours looks like it drops quite a bit while cranking.
The battery should stay around 12v+ and maybe drop to 10v at most while cranking. Watching the voltage while cranking is actually testing the battery's ability to maintain voltage, or in other words testing the cranking capacity of the battery. That's basically what they do when you bring it to a place to have it tested. They put a load on it to see how well it maintains voltage.
Once the car starts it should be around 14.5v IIRC and stay there. If it drops out like that then I would look at replacing/rebuilding the alt even if it is new. Also make sure you don't have an under drive pulley. The alt. could possibly be struggling to get the voltage up against a weak battery and then by the time it warms up the battery is bumped back up so it's not loading on the charging system as much. That's more of a guess though.

If it still acts up take your alternator to a local place to have it rebuilt. Google whatever city you're in and "alternator rebuild" I like the smallish shops with the typical grumpy old guy as the owner.
Some of the rebuilds you get from the local parts stores apparently neglect to replace bearings/bushing etc. The last one I had with a lifetime warranty was replaced 4-5 different times and it gets old really fast.

tyeo098

Ill drop the batt on a charger (its been sitting for a while as hovering around 10v) and bring the alt down to napa for testing.

This thing is a beast to drive. I'm actually quite disappointed I will be unable to drive it back.

tyeo098

Few things for todays derping around.

Took a nice test drive, windows were down and loving the scenery of BF-nowhere New York. The engine doesnt sound THAT crappy, thats the wind


I only stopped because I felt like I was running out of gas (gas gauge apparently means NOTHING) waved to people driving past me. All 2 cars I saw in about 30 mins!

And then the coolant has been doing this ever since I came up and finish riding around.
This normal? Sounds like is bubbling. That mean its overheating?

rusty vango

yup. its over heating.time for a new thermostat and maybe a air dam. the ign timing being too far advanced would cause that as well. you don't want more than 8 BTDC. and the radiator, is it dirty? inside? full of crap in the fins outside? good thing you brought a truck after all. I don't think you would have made it home with all that bubbling going on.

tyeo098

Odd, the dash gauge never showed above 200ish....

I have yet to do timing, so that may be it. I haven't found a timing light that works! I'll see if the local NAPA has one for rent, or the autozone in the big city.

Well dang I guess its back to the parts store or junk yard to grab new ones!
No idea about what the radiator looks like, haven't really looked that hard!

I'm here all week!

tyeo098

Its also throwing a CEL that didn't show up until I gunned the engine... I'll find that out tomorrow when daylight comes again!

rusty vango

yo mama was right!!

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

If you have access to an infra red thermometer check the heads, thermostat housing and all around the engine. Try a radiator cap before a radiator. Weak spring in the cap will make it boil at a lower temp. Lower air dam is a must.
"Tyler..What? TYLER!....WHAT!?" Made me laugh. I guess all teens and parents are the same.

tyeo098

I dont

Can you see the gauge in the driving video? Did that look high?

I can try a new radiator cap, since those are cheap parts at least!
I'll also check if the lower dam is still there...

The engine was rebuilt by the nice gentleman that lived in the trailer in the first pic, maybe it has a Vbelt water pump on it

My dad took off his hearing assistance because I was shooting some wild logs that come on the property earlier. Woody jerks never law it coming. He was yelling about something about the windy country roads and a less-than-legal car

TheExaminer

How come it's boiling when the gauge never showed above 200? Is your temp sender bad too? That coolant or water?

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Gauge looked fine to me. Good news is everyone that posts their gauge is off says it reads high. But then again, no one would bother to check one that reads low unless it was overheating. Go with a 180* thermostat, these cars are made to run hot for emissions. Are you sure the fan is kicking on?

tyeo098

180* thermo
Radiator cap

Wait, the fan isn't supposed to be always running? Mine is.

As soon as I turn the key to on the electric fan kicks in.

TheExaminer

No. Primary is supposed to kick on at 220 and secondary at 240--or something like that...... Which fan is running all the time? Might want to check your cts, fan relays, switch connectors and fan switches. My secondary fan started running all the time ("as soon as I turned the key on") and it turns out the pigtail connector was shorted, making the fan run all the time. That might make it harder for the engine to reach a good, hot running temp, and will shorten the life of the fan motor. Anyway, I put a new pigtail on, and it stopped doing that. After I changed it, I shorted across at the relay to test it, and the fan kicked on like it was supposed to, it just doesn't run constantly now. LOL Anyway, on my car at least, the primary fan is controlled by the computer, who gets a reading from the cts to tell it when to come on. The cts is a brass looking thingy screwed into the intake right below the throttle body with an electric connector. The secondary fan is not controlled by the computer, but simply kicks on via a fan switch that activates at a certain temp. It is screwed into the block above the starter, right around the spot between number 6 and 8. There is a connector that runs to the fan, but not to the computer. If any of these switches, connectors, relays or wires are bad, it could prevent the fan from coming on, or make it run all the time. Btw, the fan relays should be on the firewall. Drivers side, near the hood hinge. Mine has three there. One is the fuel pump relay, don't short across on that one, or you'll blow your fuse and the car won't start. (Trust me, I know)

tyeo098

I only have 1 fan, and would that running all the time contribute to the boiling issue?
maybe that combined with a wonky radiator cap...

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

You may be on to something with the vbelt pump. There is no way to tell from the outside that I know of other than looking for coolant flow from the heater hose that goes to the radiator. If you have a heater valve on your model turn the heater on and check. It should be coming into the radiator by the cap. Obviously, don't open it up when it's hot.

tyeo098

These are words, yes.

Its raining something fierce outside right now, so I probably wont be doing anything until tomorrow...

If I had a reverse flow pump, wouldn't my temps be skyrocketing since there's no flow?

I'll let the car idle up to temperature tomorrow and see what happens...

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Flow through the heater core doesn't depend on the thermostat opening, it should be immediate. Only thing that would stop it is the heater valve or a dobbed up core. The outlet to it is before the thermostat on the intake. Temps would be high with the wrong pump. You can't rely on a gauge at this point. Something is wrong, we are going through the cheapest easiest fixes right now.

TheExaminer

Hmmm, not sure about that. Joe Tag or one of the other senior members would probably know more about the details. The fan could be running because of a bad cts, wire or relay, or it could be running because the comp sees it's running too hot. Might look at your temp sender too, it could be sending your gauge the wrong temp, because in your test drive it never looked like you got over 200, and coolant don't boil at below 200! My first stop next would be a radiator shop. Could be a lot of sludge in the system that's keeping it from working right. And it's not just the radiator. The hoses can get gunked up. Some of mine were almost totally clogged with that red looking crap when I first got this car. But you said the engine had been rebuilt didn't you? Wouldn't they have cleaned out all the plumbing in the block? Maybe your radiator is just toast. IDK. I'm not expert enough to have strong opinion.

tyeo098

So its still raining...

But my grandparents came over and wanted to see the 'rust bukkit' so I used the opportunity to see whats up with the cooling system.

I noticed when the throttle is pushed it seems like the upper hose gets a vacuum pulled on it, like in the video below
The engine was up to temp, around 200 or so on the dash gauge (for what its worth) and the coolant reservoir was filling and emptying and so. Also the coolant level is well below the 'full cold' line when the engine is cool? Could that add air to the system and cause issues?
:
And I got his thing:



But the radiator itself is fairly clean? (Externally at least)

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Wrong pump, the upper hose would be under pressure not sucked through. The same thing happens to lower hoses when there is no spring in them to keep them from collapsing. You nailed it with the v belt pump.

tyeo098

And if I'm going to Gary's U-pull-it in Binghamton (big city, BIG CITY!) what kind of car/truck would I be looking for to pull the correct pump out of?

They dont have any thirdgens... ones with engines at least.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

No used water pumps in this forum! Get new, remanufactured at the very least. They're not terribly expensive.

tyeo098

But they only want $7!

For that chump change I'll just find the latest model S10 Blazer and yank it there.

I have to travel to the city to drop my mom off at the airport, and its right there.

I take it I'll also need a new pump gasket? (one time use item?) I'll buy that new :P

Otherwise, is this the correct model?
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...320_0252663387

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Pumps usually come with gaskets. Do you really want to get halfway through your trip home and be changing a pump on the road? We can tackle your fan next. The best part is once you're done, you can pull up to the guy that sold you the car and leave it running while you talk for 15 - 20 minutes and watch him keep looking for it to boil over.

Edit: yes that is the right one

tyeo098

Well the car is being towed home, so no worries about that. It wont be driven very much at all except for test runs when I get back to Manassas, VA. A 7$ water pump will serve that purpose very well. Heck, I'll grab 3 of em and if one is bad I'll drop the next one in!

Aside from a swift kick in the nuts I don't think I'll be doing much talking to that guy, he was some rando off craigslist anyways

I'll grab the pump tomorrow, do I need to pull the engine to replace it? I don't have the tools to do that here...

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

3x7= $21. A pump is around 35 with a warrantee and only one time pulling all of the accessories. Penny wise and dollar foolish.

tyeo098

I'm a bit confused, elsewhere I've read (on the TPI subforum?) that the upper hose is the return hose? Shouldnt that mean that it does pull a vacuum as the water pump revs up and pulls more coolant?

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Returns coolant to the radiator not the engine

rusty vango

YOU DO NOT BUY A USED water pump!!!! come on now.its one of the most important things for the health of your engine. and they are CHEAP! dude, buy a NEW one. or wait till you have enough money for one. and by the video. yes you have a v, belt pump on a serpentine system, a big no,no.

tyeo098

Alright alright... Ill stop by NAPA tomorrow and pick up the 35$ reman one
10% off when you reserve online, woohoo!

Now to indulge in youtube videos on how to swap it out!

I'll get to testing the fan relays. Somehow. But my air dam is still there!

tyeo098

Any reserves going with a NEW off-brand instead of a reman?
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...6642_644399_0_

Nvm, the NAPA one has a lifetime warranty.
http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/GenuinePartsCompany/1096713pdf?$PDF$

rusty vango

uh, what I saw dosent appear to be a proper fire bird air dam. looks home made to me. and they wont cool properly unless they have the correct one.

tyeo098

Ok, Ill see if I can find the proper one locally.

How did you all know the pump was spinning the wrong way?
I still cant wrap my head around the cooling system.

From what I can tell, the water pump spins and sucks coolant from the radiator through the intake hose and spits it into the engine through its 'legs'.
Then it cycles around inside the engine, and comes out the water neck (where the thermostat is) and through the upper pipe, back into the radiator, where its cooled and sucked back in via the pump.

If thats the case, wouldnt the pump spinning properly pull a vacuum on the upper line when spun up? Since its connected to the radiator and the pump intake?
And if so, wouldn't that mean my pump is working correctly?

How did y'all diagnose that to accurately and quickly? What am I missing?