1990RS350

I've had my car sitting for about a month this winter, since I've run it. Anyway, I start it a few days ago and it starts up great, first try, nothing noticeably wrong. I did a walk around clip for someone that wanted to buy it, and it sounded great, everything looked good as well. After a few minutes, I shut it off and leave it sit a couple of days.

I go to start it and it doesn't quite turn over, so I assume the battery ran out of juice from the last start and sitting there connected. I let it charge for about 45 minutes on a 12v50A and then hop it up to 225 for the start. This time it turns over, and craps out like there was no gas getting in. Then I get out, check the fuel filter and there's plenty going through. I try once more and it stumbles, I give it gas and a LOT of white smoke pours out the exhaust. I let off and it dies.

Also, the carb was back firing pretty badly.

I checked fluids and the coolant reserve was bone dry.

I searched a bit and white smoke seems common for head gaskets, the fact that it ran perfectly one day and was drained and dead the next loses me.

jchaussee

White smoke can also mean other things, but the fact that you have no coolent is not good. Means it may be in your cylinders. Check oil if nasty milky looking then, not good.

1990RS350

Oil appeared to be fine. Hm, well it had snowed about 2 feet and melted in about 2 days, could that have slipped down my 6" cowl, into open element filter, carb, etc? If so, that's probably a lot of water in there.. I'm guessing I F'd up some rods and pistons and maybe the crank because it doesn't turn at all.

1990RS350

Edit

jchaussee

I am no motor expert. I only know thing from stuff I have screwed up. On the first issue. Make sure you have gas. See if it will start by pouring a little gas or starter fluid down carb. Put heet in the gas tank. Try to get moisture out. As far as a 400 vs 350. Was your RS carbed from factory or FI. Is the 350 same as original car ( FI or carb) if same and you still have all assoiciated wiring harnesses I would do that. If I were good at motors I would go for the 400. That way later down road you could build it more. 700r4 are pretty stout. I have had them in trucks with built 350s and had no probs. But as far as original prob, I would try to " dry" out fuel system first. I just delt with my carb last time it froze here. As we speak I am pouring out white smoke. I am hoping it is just adjusted wrong.

1990RS350

Yeah, there's gas getting to the carb. It was a v6 FI. Nothing is original. It back fires if anything happens at all.

jchaussee

Has it always backfired, or just recently? Does it fill up with fuel and leak after you turn it off?

1990RS350

I had it running just fine a few days before, then I tried to fire it up and the battery was low, I boosted it and it made some noises, carb shot flames, puffed smoke, and white smoke came out of exhaust.

jchaussee

By the way. Your car sounds like mine. Nothing original. I daily have to decide if I want to keep it or set it ablaze with kerosene. Body is good shape for most part. I need to strip out carpet to see if I have rust issues. If none then I will keep it because then I can do what I want and it will be fine. I just don't want to put a lot of time and effort into a rust bucket

jchaussee

Well before I would pull motor to put new one in ( unless you are real handy at it) I would do a little trouble shooting. Post your question about carb in the carb forum. They are pretty smart over there. Do you have a mechanical fuel pump , the correct distributer , correct carb and all that jazz

1990RS350

I'll post up a vid of how it sounded a few days before it took a dump. My body is mint aside from paint, no rust anywhere, so I'm lucky there.

1990RS350

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGbkETabvhQ

1990RS350

There wasn't a problem and the car wasn't touched from when it was running there to when I tried starting it again. Q-Jet did the same thing.

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

Same thing is happening with me (except for lost coolant), I took off my carb a few weeks ago since I was going to replace it but, I didn't get around to buying a new one. I put it back on today and my car won't start, I got it to start but it backfired and the carb caught on fire. Also white smoke came out the exhaust when it started.

It never backfired before I took it off or white smoke came out

1990RS350

Yeah that's exactly what happened. Puffed a few times then flamed up out of nowhere. Any luck or have you done anything else?

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

I took it off after it caught on fire, I think it was becuase I put too much fuel in the carb to help it start

1990RS350

Oh, yeah, I didn't do anything.. I might try starting it up again tomorrow.. any suggestions on things to try?

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

Watching the video it was too jumpy to be able to see anything important.
The carb looks like an Edelbrock AFB with no vacuum lines connected to the front of it. Due to the weather, your air filter, and the type of hood you have, it's possible that some moisture got into the fuel bowls, and/or air-bleeds of the carb. If you remove the air-horn off of the carb you should be able to see water collected in the bottom of the fuel bowls. Carb-cleaner spray will clean moisture from the air bleeds, but make sure you find and clean them all.

When it's below freezing, if there is any water in your fuel system it can form tiny ice crystals that will cause needle & seat assemblies to stick open, flooding the engine with fuel, fouling plugs, and causing backfires.

Does this carburetor have a functioning choke? Is it manual control with cable, or electric?

I didn't see a seal on your cowl above the distributor, so I'm guessing some water makes its way down to the distributor. That can cause hard starting and misfires.

Since this is an engine swap, how is your spark advance being controlled in the distributor? Is it hooked to an ECM?,
mechanical advance only?,
or mechanical + vacuum advance?
I didn't see a vacuum line for a vacuum advance, but then again the video wasn't very revealing of specifics.

1990RS350

There's a clear hose running from the front of the Edelbrock performer carb to the vacuum advance on the distributor. The carb has an electric choke.

What you're saying definitely makes sense, it had gotten into the 50s when the snow melted and I had it running, a couple days later when I tried to start it was down in the teens.

From what you're saying, is it possible that my plugs are just that badly fouled up from being flooded?

I'm going to try some carb cleaner and then put in some new plugs to start with then.

Thanks

1990RS350

As for the seal, http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/ca...ocowlseal.aspx is all I can find.

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

Yes. Pull them and take a look. Some of them may have been fuel wetted.
Carburetors don't like to start when the temp is in the teens. Because of the aluminum body, the venturi effect, and fuel vaporization, carburetors tend to ice-up very easily. An enclosed air-filter housing connected to a heat-stove would help winter operation greatly.

If your choke was adjusted during warm weather cold-starts, then it likely needs readjusted for cold weather cold-starts.

I also see that you have plug wires touching metal and each other. That's not a good idea, and especially not with moisture present.

I have a little info showing some of the air-bleeds here:
http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/w...3/Carburetors/

1990RS350

Alright I'll look around for a performer carb manual to set the choke. Unfortunately I don't have a stock style air cleaner assembly, but I'll look into it. Much thanks for the info and pics. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

I forgot to mention. Make sure your vacuum advance hose is connected to the full-time vacuum port on the driver-side front of the carburetor, and not the ported vacuum source on the passenger side.


Water sinks to the bottom of the fuel bowls where the jets are. If you pull the top of the carb off you can easily see if there is water in the bowls. There may also be some particulate debris at the bottom of the fuel bowls as well.

Running fuels with alcohol (Ethanol) will cause the air bleeds to clog fairly quickly in an aluminum carburetor. Avoid Ethanol if you can.
If you have no choice, then just plan on regular cleaning of your carburetor and some extra maintenance.

If you're going to leave the car sit for a while, immediately after shutting down the engine pull the air filter top and coat the top of the carb with WD-40 spray.

In winter, moisture will also collect in your crankcase/oil, especially if you are not running a PCV system. This often shows up as a light foam on your oil dipstick. If looks like you only have valve-cover vents.

If your carb was flooding, then you may now have excess fuel mixed with your engine oil. Keep a close eye on your oil contamination from both fuel and moisture.

1990RS350

As it turns out, the distributor was connected to the passenger side port.

For some reason, the choke isn't working at all and it was having a hell of a time starting. I ended up getting her going, the best I could do was 1500 rpm idle with an awful smell, tons of white smoke, and the coolant took about a minute to disappear from full. That said, it was probably a combination of the water down on the distributor, moisture in the carb (I sprayed some cleaner on the air bleeds as shown), and blown head gasket, correct?

torque_is_good

if your head gasket is shot and coolant is entering the cylinders, you may want to stop running it. Enough coolant introduced and you'll need a complete overhaul

305sbc

iTrader: (3)

You'd better do a compression and leak-down test on all the cylinders.
You last post is starting to sound like you could have a blown headgasket.
If that is the case and coolant got into your cylinders, then there is the chance that the engine hydrolocked at some point, which can damage pistons, connecting rods, bearings, and the crankshaft.
That would be bad news for sure.