Well, for those of you that helped me two weeks ago with my code 43, thank you, changing the prom chip to a 350 chip got rid of the fault and dropped me .5 in the 1/4. But that still leaves me with a problem, I have a 350 crate motor with TPI intake in my 88 trans am, running slower than a 1.8 VW Jetta ;(

I'm curious what else I should be checking, I'm running the quarter in 16.3@84mph and still in second gear (700R4 trans). I have found MAF to be covered with crap from the previous owner not using an air filter. I checked base timing, and it's at 6 degrees advanced, not sure if that's right, I'm missing the emissions label, but it sounds right. I have no stored fault codes, and the car is pretty fast through first gear, but then just takes forever to get through second.

Any suggestions, tip, or advice is greatly appreciated

 

You'd be amazed how much power a bad MAF will lose you. If the MAF is faulty, than your a/f ratios will be all wrong.

16.3 at 84 is pretty terrible...that's on par with a tuned up, lightly modified V6....lol...

Wish I could tell ya about the timing. I only the L69 motors (carbed HO 305's) came with 6 degrees...but a TPI 350 is a far cry from an L69. You can always try adding another 2 degrees to it and see if it helps. 2 degrees over stock can usually still be done with 87 octane......although if it starts to run bad or ping then you know 6 degrees probably IS what its supposed to be at stock.

 

Alot of that would depend on what crate this "crate motor" came out of. All crates aren't created equal, you know.

What is this motor? Is it the "Goodwrench 350"? If it's that, or anything like it (typical cheap fleet vehicle e.g. phone company van replacement engine) you're doing pretty good, that's about as fast as one of those is ever likely to go without turning it into something considerably different.

 

The Goodwrench 350 is still rated at well over 200 hp if I'm not mistaken?? Of course that is the carbureted version. I have no idea about what it would make with TPI...

 

As far as what kind of "crate" motor is in there, I don't know. I just know what the guy told me when I bought the car from him three weeks ago. He said it's a new 350 crate with 300 miles or so on it rated at 345hp. I do beleive it is a new motor, due to the fact the block is REALLY clean, and everywhere I can see has what looks like fresh sealant on it. Can anyone tell me where to look for a block casting number? Then that would at least verify that it's a 350 and the era it was casted correct? Also, I have an 87 L98 corvette, will the MAF work from that on my TA? That would be alot cheaper for diagnosis purposes.

Thanks
Joe

 

Regardless of what the "Goodwrench 350" is "rated" at, it's still the identical same motor as the 165 -180 HP pigs of the 70s; the same low compression pistons, the same heads by part number as some of those high-power marvels (993s), the same cam by part number as virtually all of them (the 929), etc. etc. It is dung any way you slice it. It is intended as a replacement for blown-up engines in fleet vehicles, not as a "performance upgrade"; the best mental image of its target application is a phone company van.

I would put exactly zero faith in what the motor is "rated" at. I'd go look at the parts it's built out of. That's what really counts. You get alot of "The ZZ4 makes 345 HP (coincidental choice of number for the PO to claim? I think not); it's a 350; I went to the cheapest place I could find and bought the cheapest 350 I could find; they didn't say how much HP it would put out; it's a 350; since it's a 350, and that other 350 puts out 345 HP, then this one must put out 345 HP too".

Find out what the engine really is, before just automatically assuming that it's not meeting its potential; or, for that matter, before bliondly spending money on stuff that won't do any good because there's something else that's the main thing really holding it back.

The block casting is behind the driver's side head, on top of the bell housing flange. That will tell you if it's really a 350 at all, to begin with.

The head casting #s are under the valve cover, between some of the rocker arm studs. Next to the engine displacement, that's the single most important thing that will tell you what the motor really is.

Once you get the numbers, post them here and look them up at www.mortec.com/castnum.htm and between what it says there and what you can find out here, you'll know alot better what you've got and what to do (or not do) to get it to run better.

I don't know about the MAF; I think it will, but I wouldn't promise that they're the same type (DC vs. FM). If it's the same type (number of pins on the connector?) then it should work.

 

Well I pulled a valve cover and found casting number 14102191.
According to http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm is a head for a 87 and up 350, but it doesn't give any more info. Does anyone know, is this just an ordinary "phone company van" head. I'm still trying to access the block number, if I can get that I'll post it also. Again, I appreciate any help I receive, this is going to save me tons of cash trying to find the "bad" parts if it's just a low output engine.

 

Hmm. I'm a bit alarmed that you mentioned that the previous brain surgeon ran without an air filter. The particles in the air will sand-blast your rings and cause hot spots on the valves. There is a reason that every production vehicle in the last 100 years had an air filter.

You might want to get a compression or better a leak down test on that engine before you start throwing money at it to make it go faster.

Troy
So Cal

 

191 sounds suspiciously like a TBI truck swirl-port casting.... basically, a late-model phone company van piece.... but I'm not positive. It's certainly not a "good" head, about the only one that would be a "good" one that's 87-up and not Vortec, would be the 083 L98 heads, and maybe the 081 TPI/L69/LG4 305 heads.

 

86-87 Vettes use the same MAF as 86-87 F-bodies. PN 10046030 or 14094712.

 

1986-88 14102191 350 1.94 1.5001 - EFI, swirl port


Those are crappy swirl port heads, don't use them on anything resembling performance. Instead sell them to a 4X4 guy who wants low-end power.

 

My mom had a 2nd gen with one of those engines, or close to it.
I think that was about a 19 sec @75 mph car.
I couldn't believe they could make a 350 so slow.

 

Yeah, that's pretty weak. They made a 350 once with, I believe the number was, 145 hp. No joke. Plus you have to factor in that the 2nd gens, in addition to being smogged-out emissions cars, were quite portly. I remember reading a car mag article once about a 2nd gen with a built 454, on slicks, that only did 13's..... High 13's I think.

 

Well guys, thanks for your help. I'm starting to feel like I got scammed on the car. Oh well, just live and learn I guess. Looks like I might have a Trans Am for sale, anyone interested. I'm going to have to sell it, I don't have the cash to re-build the engine with some performance parts, I spent all of my "play car" cash on this one. Hopefully I have better luck next time.

Again, thanks everyone for your help.

Joe M
Addison, IL

 

Sorry about your luck. Next time, test drive it. And if it doesn't do what the owner says it could do....no matter what excuse he/she gives, don't buy it.

 

I wouldn't give up on it necessarily, if the car (body, interior, options, color, etc.) is what you want. An engine isn't as expensive as you might think. It's a whole lot cheaper than a whole car.

If the rest of the car meets your requirements, keep it; and save up your money to do something about the motor. In the meantime, find out or figure out exactly what you have (heads, block, cam, etc.) and what you want; and get yourself a plan together for dealing with it.

Any time you buy a used car, expect at the very least, some distortion of hte truth, if not outright lies. Remember Rule #1 of buying a used car: "Never believe a single word out of the mouth of a used car salesman, unless you can verify it yourself independently". Rule #2: if you like what the salesman is telling you, see Rule #1.

 

Going through the traps in second gear doesn't say much for the highway gears in there either.
As long as it's a solid car and everything else is what you want, then work with it. Has to be a lot cheaper than getting rid of it and starting over. A clean solid platform is the hard part. What's under the hood is easy.

 

Yeah, don't sell it!
I had a motor like that in a truck, a set of junkyard heads and a 4bbl really woke it up.
It isn't the best block to have, true... but now you can mod it.
Like everyone else here.

 

Well, part of the problem is that the body isn't very solid, actually lots of rust especially underneath and the interior is in need of some major TLC. I just bought the car for the motor and trans. The car felt really quick when I test drove it, but I wasn't able to take it any where that I could get the car out of first gear. This was my third car so I really didn't need it, just wanted it for bracket racing. I figured a mid to low 13 sec car with an auto would be a respectable street class bracket racer, but I guess I just use my high 13 sec daytona 5sp or my vette. Again, thanks for the help, and advice.

Joe