I purchased a TBI tune-up kit for my engine and I have a question. The kit (the NAPA one with the regulator diaphram, not sure of the part number offhand) came with a few little rods around an inch and a half long, maybe an eigth in diameter. Any idea what those are for? The instructions don't mention them. I ask because I also bought a TBI gasket kit on eBay with the regulator spring (I want to replace that while I'm in there) and it doesn't have the rods. If they're important I might have to keep the NAPA kit, otherwise I'll take it back and use the eBay set. Thanks.

 

Sounds to me like extended bolts or guides for the fuel pressure regulator. On the GP-Sorensen kits, you get 2 long screws which are used to hold the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm in place while you hold the fuel pressure regulator down and tighten it up during reassembly. I think they include them in the rebuild kits just because it's hard to hold everything in place while also keeping pressure on the FPR spring so it doesn't go flying off.

 

Hmm... I guess that'd make sense. There appears to be at least three of them. It's hard to tell through the shrink-wrap. If that's all they are I'll stick with the eBay gasket kit.

Ever try drawing a pod spacer in Autocad? Ouch.

 

Practice makes perfect. Just model it in any type of 3D environment you can. 2D stuff stinks. It isn't too hard at all once you do it everyday.

I found that modeling parts for our cars is a sinch, avoiding the R & D (Rip off and Duplicating) is the hard part in making yours unique.

 

Oh the drawing is done, in glorious Autocad R14. Damn I wish they'd give us a copy of 2004 out in the shop, they did pay for me to take courses to learn that version. There's just enough different to be frustrating at times. lol

I drew the gasket as best I could (the raster image idea didn't work, either R14 or my scanner screwed up the proportions of the gasket), printed it off, compared it to the original, and modded it to match from there. Cad stuff isn't tough, but when you're trying to make something as irregular as that gasket it's a different story. All in all a nice productive evening at work.

Now when I get a chance I'm going to cut a pair of .125" thick SS pod spacers on one of the lasers (stack them to .250"), as well as another gasket to match. Hey why not, I'll have it apart anyway right?

 

Another question. I picked up another TB from the junkers from an '89 to rebuild and toss on my engine, so that it's not sitting for two weeks waiting for me to clean the old TB up. I just took the new (to me) one apart and found the regulator spring to be FAR longer than the one in the rebuild kit. I'd guess over 50% longer than the new one. The wire diameter of the new spring looks a little thicker than the old one though, and does feel a little stiffer. They feel more or less the same when the longer one is compressed to the level of the new one, although I haven't come up with a way to measure that yet. Has anyone else found this? I assume that it'll still produce the same fueul pressure but it was still unexpected.