looking back through the thread and found you have a 5.3 you want to put on it, so it doesnt make sense to spend much on the 305. but i would take everything out of the carb and manifold and plug the ports, seal the exhaust, get a one wire hei(i got one for like $5) for a mid to late 70's sbc. then you just have to deal with the lockup on the 700 there are vacuum or electronic conversions for cheap. it should run that way if there isnt anything wrong with the carb. i ran mine that way for a few years but like i said i wasent that worried about mileage. so you could just run it that way until you get the 5.3 in

 

A holly dp is going to take so much time to tune, and then he has to tune it AGAIN when he puts it on the 5.3. I agree with going carb'd and vacuum advance distributor though. I hate to say it, but ditch the tbi since it's causing so much trouble. Get either an edelbrock or weiand dual plane intake manifold and your carb of choice. You'll also need an adjustable regulator for the carb.

 

He's factory carbed. If he decides to go that route I will send him a Holley 600dp, and an HEI distributor for shipping cost. Picked the carb up a few weeks ago in trade for some other stuff. Should bolt up to his stock manifold for now. All he will need is an ignition coil, and an $8.00 vacuum gauge from Harbor Freight. On that note I actually am headed out to Buffalo NY with my car in a couple weeks once the new motor is in. If you are within a couple hours, I'd help put the stuff on, and help tune it.

 

tried it every possible way jwfirebird. still got nothing, but! atleast now, i know why it was on, and why i couldnt check it, and why the car ran like ****, and boy oh boy do i feel stupid as all hell. pics soon

 

ecm fuse. totally forgot that i unhooked the tps when i changed the fuel filter, totally forgot i cant do that with the batt hooked up. totally forgot that it blows the fuse. id swear the car runs better then ever now. i might just top my 5.3 with the old quaddy and have my bro at hendrick ship me a cup car air cleaner (mostly for looks) haha. that sall in due time though, for now im just soooo glad that its running again

 

and 68strat is always so nice to me haha, offering me carbs and stuff. i appreciate it bro, but it aint no racecar.......... yet

 

Actually the engine controls fuse. It provides the hot power to the things the ECM controls, like EGR, MCS, AIR, etc. The ECM provides the ground that closes the circuits. ECM will still be powered up when this one is blown.

 

where were you when this all started smart guy? kidding of course. but hmm, i thought it was funny it was only 10 amps, is that why my secondaries wouldn't open? or do anything? is it safe to assume that because the only code i can get now is code 12 that the burned plug and now useless air diverter valve is fine to.......well ignore?

 

Good to hear it's running better. The quote in your sig is sarcastic right? My car went into the high 13s with a 70s target master motor with very few mods. Hoping to maybe graze 12s with my new motor.

Ahh 3 wires to make my motor run. Love it.

 

yeah, i cant remember what thread it got said in, but i found it hilarious at the time

 

also random but if anyone needs a sunpro super tach II pm me, i have one and honestly would hate to ruin the stock-ness of my interior to mount it so i guess they're for sale, make offers

 

 

been falling in love lately with ronal r9's and amg pentas

 

r9's

 

pentas







**** i even love these 80s mercs haha

 

one more, these cars, and these wheels look so killer

 

the painted ones look better, im not a big fan of shiny.

as for the 5.3 why in the world would you stick that antiquated pos on the most efficient truck engine they made? you should be able to get a used pump from any vortec v-8, 96+(not 4.3) they all are the same pressure. i think the early pickup ones had normal metal lines not the nonsense plastic junk. the regulator is on the rail. so you just need to get a stock 99-03(if you dont want drive by wire) intake,tb, fuel rail, ecm and sensors/wiring. you can get those turn key enignes for pretty cheap not sure why you didnt go that way. you are going to have to have what ever pcm you get tuned which is likely 200 or more. if you had gotten the turn key they usually throw it in

 

Focus.

Where are you now? Is the EFE still hooked up? AIR system working? If these are not working we can work on removing them or repairing them. Any codes? Replaced O2 (it needs a working one)?

Are you certain it's burning oil and not just leaking oil?

There's no reason you can't create a reliable driver from what you've got with minimal cost. Don't buy shiny stuff.

 

i know naf, hell a set of pentas or r9s cost more then the car haha, o2 working? no idea, both are original, i doubt it, yes im burning oil, valve seals. i no longer have the ported vacuum switch that controls the air modulator valve, so id say no none of thats working, anyone know what it costs to have an exhaust shop, remove my air tubes? if its pretty cheap ill go that route, but right now they do nothing, hell the pumps done nothing since day one of owning the car, no belt. what else?..... nope no check engine light, brake light is stuck on but thats my fault, damn e-brake handle clip is loose and the plug wont stay on its broken, don't worry though the brake is not on

 

speaking of shiny, you know i actually washed my 6 shades of white car today, i think it looks good, does anyone else have the problem with taillights, rear plate, and back bumper getting just covered in dirt and grime over time? or just me. first time its been white since i got the car

 

You can take the AIR system out. You may have to plug the check valves on the ends of the tubes if they leak. Taking the tubes out of the manifolds is best done with the manifolds off and application of some heat. Be sure to tuck up the electrical connections out of the way so they don't get melted or short on something.

The valve seals are a fairly easy job but can take a while. If you go into this I'd recommend removing the accessories for better access. Replacing the heater hoses and water pump while you're at it may be worthwhile depending on their age and condition.

Keep in mind that the motor itself is generally the one thing that's least likely to fail, provided the oil is changed fairly regularly and the cooling system is good. It's all the other stuff that goes bad that causes problems... ignition, carb, sensors, alternator, etc. A motor swap on a budget when all that other stuff is suspect isn't the key to dependability.

 

Once the AIR pump is removed, a small bolt in the top bolt hole on the front of the block is required. This bolt hole goes through into the fuel pump rod cavity and will leak. Too long a bolt will hang up the rod.

If you haven't already, I'd look at all new (not necessarily in order):

Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, O2 sensor
Water heater and upper/lower radiator hoses.
New water pump with new nipples for the heater hoses (if the old ones are corroded up)
All new belts
Inspection of batter cables for signs of corrosion, clean/oil each end or replace
New front brake calipers (reman ~$13 each) hoses and brake pads if needed with fluid flush, check rear drums for signs of leakage at cylinders and shoe thickness
Repack or replace front wheel bearings
Change transmission fluid and rear end fluids
Coolant flush WITH antifreeze (it doesn't JUST provide antifreeze protection it also prevents corrosion)
New steering components (ball joints through center link) with alignment
New struts and shocks
Inspect strut mounts and replace if necessary
New RUBBER VC gaskets

Most of the above can be done fairly inexpensively. RA is a good source for some of this stuff. Some times I come across some of this stuff 'like new' on a vehicle at the JY so let me know what you may need. I picked up a brand new 700R4 rubber pan gasket sitting in the back of a camaro that they just let me have a few months back.

Do an accurate mileage check. Fill it up completely, write down the mileage, drive a few hundred miles, re-fill it, divide the amount of miles driven between fill ups by the amount of fuel required to re-fill it. Do this every time. Post back what you get. If you're not near 20 mpg some money and time spent now will pay off quickly.

 

thanks naf, most of the mechanicles are fine, although i do need to do o2's and i need tires pretty soon didnt realize the air had check valves. i thought they were juts open tubes to the valve

 

although what i am kinda in need of now is a new passenger side headlight bracket (the black plastic one) and a new trim ring, i broke the trim ring a long time ago (pretty sure it was broken anyway) and idk how the plastic bracket broke but now when the car sits and idles the headlight rattles and kinda squeaks very annoying, also a safety hazard to oncoming drivers. does hawks or thirdgenranch sell them?

 

Junkyard would be cheaper for the headlight parts, I don't recall ever seeing a broken one either.

 

yeah it would, if there was a junkyard in 50 miles with a thirdgen in it haha

 

see what the people have parting them out in the classified section

 

not much as for updates, because there havent been any. just been driving it, getting ready for another winter, taking care to try and get my ttops to seal and all my weatherstripping is nice and tight

 

well for some reason its running like a diesel again. sounds like ****, misses hard, and vibrates like all hell at idle, runs just fine and no loss of power though pulls hard still all the way up my hill

 

sounds like a vacuum leak, try spraying around things with carb cleaner with the engine running and listen for changes

 

you dont get a dead cylinder from a vacuum leak, unless its a hole in the block i guess, which it isn't, just saying, its probably the cap, the wires, or somehow its timing related i will do the usual tuneups soon, dont worry not driving it on 7 in the meantime, not an idiot

 

Heh, I'm sure it's not as bad as driving a subaru H4 on 2 cylinders...

 

if it has good power going up hills why would you think its got a dead cyl? you can usually tell that if you feel the exhaust pipe as it warms up, or if you have a ir gun that would be better

 

oh you could feel it alright, car shook bad at idle, and made that unmistakeable sound. very mechanical. and you could smell the raw gas it wasnt burning on atleast one cylinder, turns out it was the wires, got a new set, idles and runs fine, sound and smell are gone

 

When you drop a cylinder or 2 it smooths out as you go up in rpms, but at lower rpms it's very noticeable. @jwfirebird

 

im just glad its fixed again....................until its broken again

 

lol, maybe you should name your car christine too?

 

Funny enough a co worker said it sounded like christine the other nite. But it hasn't tried to kill anybody. Not like my firebird did

 

welp was on my way back form lunch today and at a stoplight it came back, diesel sound at idle, vibration, raw gas smell in the exhaust, its missing again. :/ goddammit

 

Wires burning through the coating and arcing? Have you pulled ur plugs and checked em

 

Yyes. They looked worse then usual. Of course they were champions. Its got acs back in it now. Proper gap. I'm beginning to think its vacuum related somehow. I don't hear any leaks. Hoping its not what I fear though. Don't wanna replace timing set.

 

Misread and confused myself

 

Timing... Want me to send you a timing light? LOL

 

i have timing lights, 4 actually one is a penske racing branded one from the 60s by the looks of the case. no i was just gonna check to see if there was any slop in the chain tomorrow, gonna take the cap off and all my belts and try and move the crank pulley by hand to see how much the rotor moves with it, if it doesn't do it enough or moves too much or moves the same amount but somehow ends up in a different place then where it should be with #1 at tdc. gonna be a long fun greasy day. 86iroc: seems to be #4 but i cannot verify, thats the side i hear ticking most when its missing and i know this is vague but it seems to shake most towards the passenger side so its definitely bank 2

 

did you check the coil? distributor contacts? wire contacts? Any corrosion on any of them? you might be able to slip the timing cover over the balancer enough to slide your hand behind it and see if you can wiggle the chain. Much easier than taking the balancer off....well, putting it back on is the hard part (especially when your adapter gets stuck in the f@#$ing crankshaft).

 

timing chain is unlikely to cause an intermittent issue.

I would first check all of my ignition components. Not saying it's ignition, just be my first look.

Fouled spark plugs are going to be a symptom of the problem. Yes you may need to clean them or replace them, but they're not a cause of the issue.

 

well today it seemed fine, after it still missing this morning (cold damp) and being fine all day (dry, high of 70) i think the caps got a crack i cant see, gonna try my old one if it happens again but for now its fixed again......again

 

guess who feels dumb. was cleaning my nasty old 305 up a little today and noticed my vacuum lines coming off the modulator and to the pcv valve were wet 0.o found out that for some reason it was pulling gas from the carb, and trying to push it backwards through the pcv valve. thats probably alot of the problem i was having too, switched the two bottom hoses which i believe i had wrong and now the car runs great, also re ran the wire to my oil pressure switch, now my gauge works again, and correctly....... i think. also did a long overdue wash and cleanout of the car, guess what im saying is its good to be king right now

 

lol irony will probably punch a piston through the side of he block tomorrow to teach me to say things like that

 

Yes, Car Karma is the worst. Good luck!