Alright guys i bought this car in july and now that i have a good job i want to start restoring my engine. I have pics of my engine and carb just to make sure everything is there and everything is in good shape. The car runs and drives alright there is a lot of hesitation in the morning and there is a nice plume of smoke that comes out of the exhaust when i start it up. So any help would be great. I also have a big hole opened in what i think is the crankcase cover. should anything be there?

 

 

You need to get those wires off that exhaust manifold on the driver side. Where's this "hole" you are talking about?

 

I assume that's the big hole you're talking about. If so, that's a "heat stove" over the exhaust manifold to bring heated air up to the air cleaner snorkel when the engine is cold. Since you have an aftermarket open element air cleaner, you don't have a snorkel and the heat stove is doing you no good, which is probably either leading to or causing your hesitation when first started.

What color is the plume of smoke? Is it only when started cold, only when started warm, or anytime?

Your EGR valve isn't connected, and the "air source" tube to the back of the carb air horn that it uses is open on the carb, which is an unfiltered air source for the engine. Won't make it run badly, but will let dirt into the engine.

There are other things, such as the carb bowl vent capped off (not a biggie, running wise). The vapor canister has been disconnected, can't tell what they did with the tank vent line from your photos, but my guess is they capped it off, meaning your tank has no means of maintaining pressure on the fuel as the fuel level drops. Have you noticed anything when you remove the gas cap?

 

only thing i could see what you might be talking about as a "hole" is the tubeish thing on the drivers side exhaust manifold.

with the stock air cleaners there was a tube that went to it and to help the engine warm up it would open and suck in the air.

 

Upper right corner of your picture, there's a sensor attached to the cowl lip with a vacuum line and blue electrical connector. There isn't supposed to be a vacuum line on there, where does it go?

 

Get a proper clip on the throttle cable. That piece of wire on there is begging for trouble.

 

From your user info:
"Car: 1985 Pontiac trans am
Engine: 350 4bbl"

There was no 350 in 1985 f-bodies. Were you told a 350 was installed? It's possible, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 25% of 3rd gens advertised as having a "350" actually do.

Also, your alternator has a flat multi-groove belt instead of v-belt. The flat multi-groove on the alternator and v-belts on the rest was only used in '86 & '87 (all v-belts '82-'85, serpentine from '88-'92). Any idea what's going on there?