stumped

[cousindave]

Was driving today and she decided to start stumbling. It got to a point where she had no power to get up my driveway, even in 4low! It was not overheating and oil pressure was good. This morning i went back out and started her she sounds like crap.. it backfires once in a while and when she warmed up she stalled. Smoke looks to be coming out of the bottom of either intake or exhaust and a hissing sound? Do the symptoms described suggest cracked intake?

[solihull109]

How long was the truck sitting before you took it out?

[cedryck]

Possible poor gasket at intake, or exhaust (you say you see smoke there), poor gasket may be allowing air to intake. My dad used to take an old colemans jug with a tip and not light it, let the gas seep out around an intake gasket or carb area, and when the engine ran better he located the intake leak. cheers.

[cousindave]

It sat all summer.... bad gas?? What about the hissing?
I'll try the gas trick, thanks!

[printjunky]

Check any vacuum fittings on the manifold and around the carb. I lost a cap on an unused fitting on the Maiden Voyage (after an engine rebuild) to Wisconsin and it started running much like you describe.

How often do manifolds crack?

Get a can of starting fluid and spray it around the manifold joints, carb base, etc. Same principle as the Coleman's can, it'll suck it in and rev when you've found the leak.

[cedryck]

The colemans can with the tip works mint, just be mindfull flamable gas.

[TeriAnn]

I suggest always starting with the easiest and cheapest possible causes and work your way to the hardest to fix & most expensive.

So first check your point gap. Next check your vacuum line from carb to distributor. Next (with new rubber seal in hand) remove the sediment bowl, discard liquid & clean the screen. Next replace the fuel filter. Next replace the condenser. Next, check for a blue spark as your coil or centre spark plug wire might be bad. Next (with new gasket in hand) pull the fuel draw tube and check to see if the screen at the bottom is clogged.

Chances are very good that you will have found your problem before you hit the end of this list. Any of the above items could cause your symptoms. Electrical and fuel problems tend to show the same symptoms. It is best not to focus on one without checking the other as well.

Good luck finding your cause.

[griswald]

I would change points and condensor first...that is where your problem should be.

[cousindave]

Thanks for the advice everyone... I' m getting closer... Itried the starter fluid trick, no air leaks. I changed the fuel filter, fresh gas put in, but she still runs rough.. I found that the #1 cylinder is not firing.. I pulled the spark plug, and it was pitch black, i cleaned it and still does not fire.. I also noticed oil leaking out of the exhaust pipe where the pipe joins to the exhaust manifold. Any ideas? Where do I go from here?

[SafeAirOne]

What are the cylinder compression readings?

It sounds as if oil is getting into the cylinder from one of several possible sources.

[jac04]

... it and still does not fire.. I also noticed oil leaking out of the exhaust pipe where the pipe joins to the exhaust manifold.
My guess it that you are seeing unburned fuel seeping out of the exhaust since you have a plug that isn't sparking (so the unburned fuel from that cylinder is simply being sent out the exhaust). If all other plugs are firing fine, I would start with: 1) the plug itself, 2) the wire for that cylinder, 3) the distributor cap.

[SafeAirOne]

My guess it that you are seeing unburned fuel seeping out of the exhaust since you have a plug that isn't sparking

Good point.

[cousindave]

So i installed new plugs and wires new cap and still #1 cylinder not firing.. i checked for spark it does have spark, but dont know how to recognize weak or strong spark.. also if it has good spark, then what next?

[siii8873]

could be a valve problem, pull valve cover and inspect rockers.

[cousindave]

Ok so i was iut this morning and now #2 and #3 are not firing and#1and#4 are.. now i am truly stumped!! I have crane cams electronic ignition.. could it be this?? My dashboard voltmeter reads under 13 votls while idling could this be what is the problem?

[kevin-ct]

possible a blown head gasket? did you take a compression test yet?

[cousindave]

I checked compression today and I got as follows: #1-115 #2 -130 #3-126 #4-135. Could valve adjustment cure this or this something that has to be dealt with more drastically

[cousindave]

Could it be a burnt valve and how do i check?

[albersj51]

Those numbers arent terrible...obviously #1 is getting low as its lower than the other 3. I read of people running them with a cylinder at 50psi (doesnt run well, but it runs). At 115 psi I dont see how that would prevent it from firing. Also, since the problem seems to move I would suspect your ignition system.

[stomper]

Re-reading this thread, I am guessing you are getting an intermittent spark failure. I would check all of your plug wires and coil wires for continuity, and bend and wiggle the wire to make sure you don't have an intermittent failure to them. Check your points and condensor again to make sure they are opening and closing consistently as the rotor turns through several revolutions. you may have a worn cam lobe in the distributor that prevents the points from opening correctly each time.I would also make sure you don't have any distributor shaft wobble that may be affecting the points opening and closing fully.

Aside from these options, I don't know how to advise you any further. The coil should be OK, as it is firing some of the plugs. it has to be a problem with the spark getting directed to a certain cylinder. That is the job of the distributor and the points, and the wires to the individual spark plugs. It has to be one of these three components.

For what it is worth, I put a new distributor in mine recently, and it made a world of difference to the running of my 2.25 engine. It is an incredibly simple part to switch out, and they are really quite cheap at around $125. If I were in your shoes, and was completely stumped, I would almost consider swapping it out to know I didn't have an issue with it.

[cousindave]

Thanks for the help guys. I did check the distributor and it does move side to side. I'm going to order a new one and I'll report back!

[albersj51]

When you pull the Dizzy, I'd give the drive gear a good look and make sure its not damaged in anyway. When I pulled my engine apart last week, I found some damage to the drive gear. Nothing major, but I am going to replace it anyway. In order to get it out, you have remove the grub screw, which is behind the oil filter housing gasket...took me a while to find it :)