Well guys, it's come to a head. I'm going to sleep on it tonight, but I think I'm going to part the Monte. I've spent two months on this motor swap and about $10,000 and still can't drive my car. I find today that a new fan controller didn't help a cooling issue I was having because the engine isn't circulating water. I've also got gas in my oil. Considering the small amount of time the engine has run and temperatures that it's seen plus the gas in the oil it is probably safe to say that it already needs a rebuild.

I can't financially or mentally put any more effort into it. In the past six years the car was driven around 2000 miles; it's time for someone else to have it (or pieces of it).

I can't fix one thing without at least two more problems arising. This all for the past two months. All my spare time has been spent away from my family and in the driveway on a piece of junk that I obsess about.

 

Just get it running first. I am sure you will change your mind.

 

It will crank, but can't get any significant datalogs as I can't drive it. There is blockage in the cooling system somewhere; I just dont know where it could be.

 

Is the radiator stock/original? I'm sure it isn't too bad. I guarantee there is always a shop willing to fix it if it comes down to it.

 

I can't get it to a shop; they wouldn't be able to do much as it's a motor with aftermarket intake, heads, cam, and custom starter chip. The engine, radiator, water pump, hoses are all new. I'm getting water to the heater, but for some reason it won't make it to the radiator. Just pulled the oil dipstick; I think I've got as much gas in the oil pan as the gas tank.

Update: Somehow the thermostat that came out of the old motor (put this in after the new one didn't work) went bad while sitting on the shelf. I installed a 160 I had lying around after drilling a 1/8inch hole in the flange.

I still haven't re-aquired the pride in the car that I once had, but we'll see if that feeling comes back once I start working on the tune a bit. I used some AE settings I found here which turned out to be way too much fuel (mucho exhaust backfire).

 

Thats good news. What about the gas in the oil pan?

 

I feel your pain, same problem I'm having (lots of $$ in a TPI swap) and haven't put 500 miles on it in a two-three years.

I have a complete TBI set-up in my shop, I've been fighting with throwing it on my car.

The gas in the oil was what screwed up my engine, I had it rebuilt after the gas in my oil thinned it out so much it burned up.

If I had to do it over again I would have bought a complete running drivetrain and dropped it in instead of building everything from scratch.

It helps me to walk away from it for a week or two to sort my thoughts and cool off.

 

just a thought. are you running a reverse flow engine with a standard flow pump? saw somewhere that was a problem and could cause overheating.
hang in there - 10k is a lot to walk away from.

 

You mean a reverse rotation pump, right?

 

hey dust, could you have flooded the motor so bad that you got alot of gas in the oil......seen that once before on a guy who was tring and tring to get a motor to start after a rebuild

anyway when you get it running you will have to meet up with our local 3rd gen group, we are from slidel, la to p'cola, fl i know the monte aint a 3rd but we would atleast like to see it one time

 

I may have to take you up on that.

 

get you a third gen and we will let you join

 

I've got some thirdgen parts :P

 

parts hmmm PM sent lol

 

Just wanted to clarify, if I have gas in my oil, could that cause the car not to fire up? I was getting ready to datalog and the car died....now I can't start the dang thing and fuel pressure and timing is good.

It seems like I had this issue before, change the oil and plugs...and it fired up.

 

You need to do a fuel pressure test by just turning the key to on and let the fuel pump prime without cranking the motor over and while watching the fuel pressure guage. I'm willing to bet it will prime to what PSI your regulator is set to and then I bet it drops immediatley. This means that gas is getting passed the injectors and going straight into the motor (which means bad or stuck open injector or injectors).

If this occurs, change injectors with new ones.

Don't start the motor until you change the oil with some straight 40 (SAE 40) and use a WIX filter.

Also change the plugs.

Then try to start it....... I bet the motor is still saveable.

Hope that helps!

 

Have you figured it out I am having the same problems

 

I still haven't found my problem(s), but am regaining interest in it. I'm getting my starting and idling worked out slowly, but still am having trouble with the overall tune.

 

I am having the same gas in my oil during my jeep swap , I have already torched 1 new motor , I have it rebuilt in and runniing but it still gassing the oil, great when it's cold runs like a beast.....But as soon as its up to temp I cant go 50 feet without it sounding like its going to blow.. I keep 10 gallons of oil on hand so I can try differnet things and then change the oil .. I am not going to burn up another 1 thats for sure.. I got some great advice yesterday from another guy with same problem I checked all the things he did to solve and thats not my problem go ahead and look at my linkl below your and follow the links maxmont gave me maybe it will help. I cant take it any more I many thousands into mine and cannot run it either.. Its all brand new I dont get it
Good Luck

 

I see alot of posts where the motors are "overbuilt" and guys are tring to dump ungodly amounts of fuel into the motor. What size injectors are you using? Also what cam? By custom starter chip, you mean a chip to start tuning with??? Sounds like you have the stuff to burn chips. Just for giggles, try a stock setting for the prom. You just need that motor to run..so you can have a starting point. Sounds like you have too big injectors or something. Those motors should run with a stock prom....not run good....but enough so it don't self destruct. Let us know what your specs are. Don't give-up. It's only a motor. It can't think.....but you CAN!!!!!!! You'll get it!!

 

I think I've got the rich situation solved. The engine starts and runs, but still needs some adjusting to the startup fueling. Right now at idle and under load it runs lean, but at light cruise seems to be running pretty well. I'm running what started as a AUJN.bin; removed EGR, adjusted the injector constant (small LS1 injectors), used an LT1 timing table (seemed everyone running AFR heads has their timing set pretty close to this when done), and the small crank and startup enrich adjustments.

I'm over the frustration and am now ready to get to burning chips; just need the time. I've even bought a HSR for the next time a runner has to come off.