What Carbon cleaner did you use?

Vacuum lines are fairly easy to spot. They are all the same size, usually have no clamps, and suck air when you unplug them.

 

I used Sea Foam carbon cleaner. And i did find my vacuum line.

 

How much white smoke did the old girl bellow out after you started her back up?

 

Oddly not that much. They said to let it run for 10 minutes, after about 20 seconds the white smoke stopped coming out and idled crappy like normal. I even did it a second time and no white smoke came out.

EDIT: And i've been using my car all day just for a test runs and it doesn't seem to run any better. Still 'misfiring' like crazy. Unless those 3 old sparkplugs and wires/coil wire are still causing it to do what it's doing?

 

mine didnt smoke and it sat for a good 4 years, i was surprised.

 

Mine also sat for 4 years, without being run. I guess that wasn't such a good idea cause now i have all these issues

 

my dad lost the keys under the seat, the springs grabbed them and we couldnt find them until the fell off the springs when it was towed, by that tme i could step on the gound from the inside of the car, because there were rust holes that big. so yeah not a good idea at all

 

I have a few rust spots but they're not THAT bad. Rust is way far down on my list of repairs right now though. Engine is number one priority right now.

 

new donor frame is first on my priorities

 

Just got the car back. It now has a full tune-up. Distributor, coil, cap, rotor, MAP sensor, oil, oil filter, air filter cleaning, carbon cleaning, engine treatment, sparkplugs/wires, they did check the gapping as well. And it's still misfiring and has major vibrations. I'm taking it tomorrow for a test drive with my friend so he can tell me what he thinks is wrong with it. By this point i really just want the damn thing fixed. I did read somewhere that a bad TPS, vacuum leaks at fuel injection units, defective fuel injectors, ignition timing, could all cause misfiring. The TPS did throw a code and said it was faulty and i will be changing that soon because i'm desperate to get the car running normal. Today i'm going to use the Sea Foam motor treatment stuff. I'll use it in the vacuum line as well cause maybe it will clean it out.

Any other ideas? I'm praying that it's not the fuel injectors because i can't afford new ones. I hate not knowing what is really wrong with my car. No-one else seems to know how to fix it either.

 

Have you checked the fuses and relay tabs/slots for corrosion and rust? That will cause your problem and is easy to fix.

 

timing could be a biggy, are you hearing any internal noises?

 

I don't hear any weird noises with the engine. When i changed the distributor i timed the belt also. 8 degrees instead of 6 just to make sure. Should i get it rechecked?

Since fuses are so damn cheap i'll replace each and every one of them. I will get 2000 grit sandpaper and check the connectors as well. I'm gonna do just about anything thats cheap that could fix the issue. I didn't think fuses and connectors could cause the issue. And the fuses under the steering colomn, correct?

 

wait you advanced it 8 and it was at 6. my truck was adanced at 6 and it ran like crap, didnt like it that much at all, maybe you need to retard it back to 0 and start from there
and yes under the steering column next to the kick panel

 

youve done the basic replacements,
thats good.
thats bad.
thats what is troubling to me, at this point seeing that youve done everything you mentioned and it didnt change anything.

when an engine sits, the cam shaft is at a certain point in its rotation. regardless of that position, some of the valves are closed (with no tension or stress on those components) while others are open, meaning the springs are compressed, putting tension on the rocker arms, nuts, etc. that would add up over 4 YEARS. ive been told, (even just over the winter months when i dont drive my car) to occasionally rotate the crank 360 degrees (every couple of months or so).

my point is, if i was in your situation, i would re-adjust the valve lash on each of your rocker arms. its nothing to be alarmed about. its a relatively simple procedure, it just requires removing the valve covers.

just a thought...

 

Could you explain how I do that? If I think i can do it i'll give it a shot today.

And i also want to correct my timing but i don't know how to do that either. Help?

 

I was just watching the video on the Sea Foam Motor Treatment stuff. It said i should consult a mechanic to make sure the treatment would go to all cylinders. And not to flood the lines. Should i check with a mechanic or just wing it? OR is there a way i can check without having to go to a mechanic?

And now for some reason I hear a sound coming somewhere from the engine like air is being sucked or is escaping. I can't seem to find where it's coming from.

 

you dont need to consult a mechanic. if your afraid to do it, just put a little in at a time, or less than illistrated on the bottle

 

But it could cause the engine to seize up. I know I won't flood the Vacuum line but I am unsure if it would go evenly into all the cylinders. Thats what i'm kinda iffy about.

 

i poured a whole bottle im my tank after i did some work to getting it to run right, didnt hurt it at all. now i dont suggest putting the whole bottle in there, but just do a little, a little wont make it sieze up.

 

I'm not talking about the tank. I'm talkin about the Vacuum lines. If it doesn't go to all the cylinders it could cause the engine to seize up.

 

I wouldnt put it in the vacuum lines, just put it in the oil and in the gas. When you put it in the oil do about an ounce per quart of oil and make sure to change it after about 50 or so miles. Most people change the oil between 20-100 miles after putting in the seafoam.

 

yeah its not gonna doo all that much in the vacuum lines, gas and oil is what id do, get a full tank of gas, put it in and in the oil, then drive till empty and change the oil

 

I just replaced the oil with an engine treatment product and high mileage oil. I'm gonna change that out at 1500 miles.

 

IMO I believe flushing seafoam through the vaccuum lines in addition to crankcase/tank is best. This will clean out the combustion chamber which is typically very carbon ridden. I would try and feed it through the closest vaccuum line you can find to the throttle body.


This way all cylinders will receive the cleaner, as reliably as your fuel injectors are working i suppose. Slowly let the engine sip the sea foam, don't let it stall, you can help it idle this really helps clean things out. The Haynes/Chilton book is awesome, best 20 bucks I ever spent.

 

I'm confused on why or how you think putting seafoam in the crankcase or vacuum lines is going to help your "misfiring" issue...

 

So, you have only spent 20 dollars your whole life?

 

With all this BS he's trying he could junk that 305 and drop in a nice 350 crate engine and just be done with it. Engine factory sells a decent 350 horsepower 350 for in the 5K range.

 

I've spent a penny. Strict budget.

 

Problem with that is he'll probably be paying out the **** again for someone else to drop the engine in for him. So far I've read that they have done all the recent tune up stuff, never I have put such and such on.

 

And elso because I don't have 5k to spend on a new engine.

 

yeah he mentioned the dont have loads of cash to spend earlier in this thread. and a new engine isnt always the best answer

 

Sea Foam didn't seem to help. Although, I'm sure to some degree it did.

I'm going to try to attempt re-adjusting the valve lash on the rocker arms. I first gotta find it in the Haynes manual. I will be replacing all fuses and cleanin out connectors. And i am putting my money towards a new TPS.

EDIT: I have noticed lately that the car starts up right away instead of me having to crank it a few times. Although it does start up right away, it bogs down quite low but doesn't die and then idles funny. If adjusting the valve lashes doesn't change much, what could another issue be?

 

How long have you let it run in the oil? (mile wise) It can make all the difference!

 

64.2 miles, exact. I did read somewhere that it could take a few bottles to actually get results. I'll run it till i reach 300 miles and see what the difference is. This is the in-gas-tank and vacuum lines trial, by the way I already have an engine treatment ONLY used with oil, already in.

 

Still test driving the car. When it starts up it sometimes dies right away. Not really sure what that is, any ideas?

I'm attempting to replace all fuses in my car. Any recommendations on what fuses i should get? I was thinkin just a fuse kit from Amazon or something. From fuses 5 to 60, about 10 each. I just got my fog lights working again as well

 

autozone usually has a pretty good set, buy one or two of them and you should more than liklely have enough, the rest id keep in your console for safe keeping

 

I just checked all the fuses and they all seem to be working. I will change them anyways. I just want my car to be runnin normal.

Since it's my 18th birthday today my dad was sayin' he'd be willing to buy me new interior. Seats, carpet, leather, dashboard, shifter plate, window buttons, door panels. But first we'd have to take it to my uncles friend so he could take a look at the ENTIRE car to see if it's worth throwing money into.

I love this car and want to get at least another 4 years out of it. But with 169,xxx miles i'm not sure how much longer it has to live. I've done a full tune-up, engine treatment, engine flush (a year ago), new tranny (2 years ago), and a few other things here and there, yet i still have this misfiring issue.

I'm 30 dollars away from a new TPS. I'm hoping this fixes my issue, it needs to be replaced anyways so it's not a total waste. If not, then i'll try re-adjusting the valve lashes like TNT_Z28 has recommended.

I've been stressing a lot about my car and i want the damn thing fixed but money is such a huge issue I can't just take it somewhere and say "Here are the keys, see you in 3 weeks, it better be restored". Of course i'm not trying to restore it completely, but i don't have money for a new car, or even a decent used one that won't have the same issues. I'm trying to prolong the life of my dream car and get the most out of it i can until i can afford a new car or until i finish college. It seems like no one where i live knows anything about these cars so i'm on my own mostly. Sorry for rambling but i need as much help as i can get.

 

See section 4B-11 in your book. Covers TPS checking and adjustment. Before you spend the money on a new TPS I would make sure it really needs replacement. Also have you checked your vaccuum lines especially to the MAP sensor, and even the MAP sensor itself? Do you have accsess to a compression gauge, Multimeter and vaccuum gauge? These would be worthy investements if you are planning on owning a 3rd gen for 4 years. Before you throw money at new parts, I would pinpoint the problem first.

 

Man, you're old.

I'm starting to think it's the cam.

This is a good article to read through if you're running out of options of what it could be.

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/care/cf106.htm

 

I do not have a pressure gauge of any sort. I do have a Multimeter how ever. We did a code test and the TPS threw a code saying it was faulty, same with the MAP sensor. I replaced the MAP sensor already.

And I am reviewing the information on Misfiring, ShadowZ, I think this will explain a lot and i can narrow down what could still be causing my issues.

 

forget the interior ask dad for an engine rebuild, interiors are easy to learn, buy some material or a kit and eventually do it yourself or take averything out and some simple grean scrub brush and a vaccum will do more wonders than you ever thought possible. as long as its rust free itll last more than 4 years guaranteed if treated right

 

I've cleaned most of it with simple green but the driver seat is completely torn apart and the passenger seat is ripped in 3 places. I asked him and he said i can not get interior, and get something that is about as much as new seats(foam for all 4), leather(for all 4) carpet(except door panels cause those are in great condition). I already have a new dashboard as well. What would you guys recommend? A cam does sound like it could be the issues.

EDIT: Even if i do let my dad get me interior, i'm almost positive i can afford cam shafts. They're about $120, right? I could do 4 full details on cars and have enough with money left over.

 

roughly 120 yes, look it up on summit. go to the jy and find some 4th gen seats those are leather and look much nicer

 

On summit the lowest i found was about $100. There was one for $70 but it seemed iffy to me. They range from 100 to 300. Hopefully this friend of my uncle can find whats wrong with it before i go and buy things that aren't necessary. Unless there is a very simple thing i had overlooked that could cause misfiring, then it's gotta be with the engine internally

 

I meant actually test the components before replacement. The ECM will throw a code relative to the problem but don't assume it is the part itself at fault. Could be mal-adjusted, wiring issue. I would spend the money on a compression gauge which is half the money of the cam itslef, not taking into consideration you'll need gaskets, coolant, and possibly lifters..etc. Considering you have roller lifters, a wiped lobe seems unlikely, unless your engine was heavily abused.

 

check craigslist or any local fbody forums, sometimes you can strike a great deal on a good shape cam or any part for that matter

 

Let's see here....

Before you get too caried away with buying a cam, a cam swap shoul involve purchasing many other parts such as:
-a new set of lifters
-a new set of push rods
-a new timing chain set
-a front main seal set
-a new oil pan gasket
-an intake manifold gasket set (since the intake will be removed to do the lifters)
-a new water pump (cuz you'll be removing it anyway and yours has 160k)
-the various odds and ends that go along with major engine overhaul
-and of course, after reading this thread, I'll assume that you'll pay someone else to do all of this.

Sorry to be a buzz kill, but it's never as simple as "a cam"

 

Thank you for being the hero of the day, TNT. I mentioned what I think it sounds like the problem may be, the cam, not all involved in solving that problem. Of course someone is going to imply that just pulling out his cam is going to solve it, and only that part.

That'd be similar to replacing the pistons for a performance oriented build, and leaving the stock crank and rods in. I guess you always have to go into detail. I just expect people to have a general idea of what a cam swap would include, since this is after all, a car forum, and that's a very basic thing.

Not everyone has the equipment or skill to do a cam swap, but the idea of what would be included is pretty simple.

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...Code=RLERCAMXE

Not exactly like finding just a cam on craigslist, but you can get it done for under 1,500.

 

i would figure out if its the cam for sure though, unless you just want to buy all brand new internals and rebuild the whole engine, which isnt always a horrible idea