Well, after my starter fried, I took about a week off from trying to get my car running.

I've got an L69, with comp cam 12-238-2, Weiand Action Plus intake, Edelbrock 1406 carb, vac advanced HEI distributor.

After cam swap, I can't get the car to run right. I'm showing extremely low vacuum on the vac gage. With the initial timing at say 10*, and idle at 800 (5 speed), the vac is showing between 5 and 7 lbs. Throttle response is zero!!!

With the timing at 18 to 20* initial (I'm guessing - my timing tape is missing) and the idle at about 1000, the vac is still only at 12 lbs. I show that with this cam I should be pulling well of 15 at idle. Throttle response is improved, but not great. Of course this is way too high as I'll surely get detonation under any load other than idle.


I've checked for vac leaks in the power break booster, all around the carb gasket, all over the manifold (incase of a hairline crack), and then on the underside of the intake. No vac leaks shown, and certainly nothing heard.

The spark plug wires are hooked up properly, nothing is crossed. The entire ignition system has been replaced. The carb is tuned as well as I can get it with the engine not running perfectly.

Here is my question. Could I have the cam timing off, either by my error or by a manufacturing flaw (shame on me--I didn't degree it), or even by the chain having jumped or something?

Would that cause me to have to advance my ignition grossly as I have to? It's the only way I can get it to start easily when warm.

Everything else is pretty much water tight. Please advise.

Oh yeah, BTW, GO CATS


[This message has been edited by gruveb (edited April 01, 2001).]

 

are you sure you have the dots on the timing gears set right? that was first thing i thougth of


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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd

 

Ede,

Yeah, I am positive, however, that's what I'm afraid of too....something along those lines.

Do you think I should pull everything apart and see what I find?

 

i think i'd check the distributor and timing marks on the dampner plus the plug wires before i took it apart again. are you sure the valves are adjusted right?

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ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd

 

Ede,

The wires are correct and the distributor is dead on with the timing mark on the balancer. The balancer was correct before the cam swap, so I don't imagine anything changed there....as far as the valves go, I am going to check them again, but they should be dead on, who knows, maybe I made a mistake there, it's a lot easier to check that out than to tear it all apart only to find you mistake there after all!!

That's what I'll do. If that fails, and I suspect it will, I guess I'll have to check to make sure the cam is installed correctly, and if so, I guess I'll pull the sucker out???

 

Is it possible you have your lash set to tight ?

how Did you set it ?




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60 Ranchero - Project ( Money Hole )
85 Sport Coupe LG4 - Daily Driver

Just another Hot Rod kid, or thats what they all tell me.
Livin' the Stereotype

 

Gru,

You had the distributor out, right ?

Check this out........

Line up the TDC mark on your balancer with the mark on your pointer that says 10 degrees BTDC. Make sure both valves on #1 cylinder are open almost all the way, that way you'll know you're 10* before TDC and not 180* off when you........


Pull the distributor cap off and look where the rotor is pointing.

If it's pointed RIGHT AT #1 on the cap, then your problem is elsewhere, but if it IS NOT.......

Then ****** the distributor out, reach down with a long screwdriver into the hole in the manifold where the distributor goes....and turn the oil pump drive with the screwdriver one way or another. (you may have to try both directions.)

When you get the pump drive oriented so that the distributor drops all the way down and the rotor points directly at #1 on the cap....

It's mokey-dokey.

Try it, you'll like it.


BOR

 

Bort,

I set the valve lash by having the intake go all of the way up, and setting the exhaust to zero clearance, then turning the exhaust to full lift and setting the intake the same. I did this on all cylinders. I actually maybe set them too loose slightly, as they make a very, very faint tap, where before they did not....I'll double check, but I doubt that is where my problem is. I'm going to check tomorrow to see that the distributor is pointing where it should when the #1 cylinder is at TDC.

BOR,

I know what you're saying, but the distributor is NOT 180* backwards. I'm sure that either the chain has jumped, the cam is off, by my error, or the cam was ground incorrectly, still my fault for not checking it.

 

I think what BOR is saying is that your Timing May be Radically off.


What Confused me was setting it to 10* BTDC, and checking to see that Both Valves were **open** ?


Should Both be Closed ?




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60 Ranchero - Project ( Money Hole )
85 Sport Coupe LG4 - Daily Driver

Just another Hot Rod kid, or thats what they all tell me.
Livin' the Stereotype

 

Before I tear into everything, I removed the driver's side valve cover, popped the cap off the distributor and manually turned the engine over until I got the compression stroke on #1 and was at TDC. Timing mark lines up, distributor is of course pointing at #1 plug wire.

Bort suggested that maybe I've got too much slack in my chain, so I went ahead and ordered a new one.

It could also be that the cam is off by a few degrees, but since I don't have a wheel, I can't check it. So, off with the timing cover and I'll let you know what I find.