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scott
10-30-2006, 10:53 PM
i've new points, cap, rotor & condenser. rewired the coil, timed it but it till runs poorly, no power, misfiring. this started happenning w/o warning. ran great for sixty + miles down the hwy. parked it. went to bed. woke up the next morn'n and it crawled to where i meet my commuter bus. then on my way home it crawled for about 20 minutes than started cruis'n great. next day same thing.

landi41
10-31-2006, 04:50 AM
2 easy things to check.........fire (the points may have closed up) fuel (check the filter and the pick-up screen in the tank)
sometimes problems pop up that are co-incidental and un-related to work you have just carried out.........:thumb-up:

landi41
10-31-2006, 05:25 AM
BTW Where is John C. when you need him :confused: :D:D:D

thats an inside joke fellas :thumb-up:

scott
10-31-2006, 08:58 PM
thanks, my glass in line fuel filter tells me fuel is flowing, points were gapped at 10 and 12 with no change. i even pulled the vacuum advance off. it seem to be tight so i lubed the lingage. when vacuum is applied and held the lingage moves in and stays so i feel the diaphram is good to go. when i disconnect the vacuum line it didn't make much of a difference. when in nuetral it revs but put it in gear and try to go and it feels like it's running on 2 cylinders. would it even start if the timing chain slipped?

a109
11-01-2006, 04:40 PM
Have you set the tappets lately? You may have valves that are not seating.

John

a109
11-01-2006, 04:41 PM
BTW Where is John C. when you need him :confused: :D:D:D

thats an inside joke fellas :thumb-up:

Ta Daaaaa!
You rang sir? :D

John

scott
11-02-2006, 09:29 AM
i did adjust 'em a few hundred miles ago. i guess i should check to make sure the lock nuts are tight and they're still adjusted correctly. but doesn't a stuck valve have a noticable tapping sound tht is easily tracked to the affected cylinder? thanks

checked the valves. small adjustments made. nothing way off. still won't idle, won't fire on all four.

a109
11-02-2006, 09:23 PM
looks like a compression test is in your future. Possible head gasket problem. but before you get that far check for spark at all the plugs it might be new wires and plugs are needed.
John

landi41
11-02-2006, 10:03 PM
Ta Daaaaa!
You rang sir? :D

John

Yes i did..........and i see you answered :D

BrianC
11-03-2006, 01:16 AM
You might want to check your spark plug leads and your coil to distributor lead. I had a cracked lead from the coil that gave me intermitant power problems. It was shorting out against a metal clip. It would hesitate, then run fine. New lead....no problem. Good luck. Brian

scott
11-06-2006, 10:13 AM
thanks, new coil & plug wires should be here today. i guess i'll go check compression while i wait for the mailman....i just pulled #1 plug. dry sooty, guess i'm running rich. gap is good. and only a series will do this... with a comp gauge instead of a spark plug it fires right up and idles, i guess i should had had the ingnition off. anyway #1 has an 8:1

all cylinders check out w/ a 8:1 compression ratio. still running rough, dies when i rev it. wires still aren't here yet.

singingcamel
11-06-2006, 12:01 PM
i would recommend the compression check, if one has a bad valve or two ,(burnt),it may cause the sx.s
also check your return spring on your rotor,grab your rotor and clockwise?, it should return to original positionvaccum advance may be the issue .

scott
11-08-2006, 10:49 PM
new wires and bat charge didn't help. i was told i did the compression test wrong. i was told that i need to remove all plugs, open the throttle completely hook up the gage and turn the engine over a few times. this will have to wait 'til friday.

Jeff Aronson
11-09-2006, 04:06 PM
i've new points, cap, rotor & condenser. rewired the coil, timed it but it till runs poorly, no power, misfiring. this started happenning w/o warning. ran great for sixty + miles down the hwy. parked it. went to bed. woke up the next morn'n and it crawled to where i meet my commuter bus. then on my way home it crawled for about 20 minutes than started cruis'n great. next day same thing.
When the engine is running, use insulated pliers or a plastic clip to pull off each spark plug lead, one by one. If there's no difference in rpm with the lead on or off, you know that cylinder isn't firing. Check the spark plug on any cylinder that's not firing - if the plug is fouled or crudded up then it's not firing, at least assuming that the other plugs look fine.

If removing a plug wire does not result in a change, that usually means a burnt valve; it would affect smooth running and power as you're running on 2/3 cylinders. A compression check would follow.

Now, it's also possible, as stated in other posts, that you have electrical problems. A bad condenser will cause some of the same issue you've written - try switching out the old condenser for the new one and see if it makes a difference.

You should also find a plastic spray bottle, fill it with water, and start the car at night or in a dark spot. As the car runs, spray the wires with water, one by one. If you see some arcing or sparking, there's your problem.

Another check you should make is whether you have movement in the cam lobe on the distributor. Remove the cap and rotor and wiggle the shaft - it should be very minimal. If there's some movement, or if you have gold colored dust in the cap, you'll have very poor running even after you've gapped the points successfully. When you timed it [after you set the points] did it hold the timing or jump all around as you tried to move the distributor? If it did, it would mean that your points aren't opening and closing properly.

It's unlikely to be the cause but make certain that your intake manifold nuts are tight; the same holds for the carb mounting bolts. If you're getting air into either, then the car's running too lean. You'll find that when timed correctly it has no power. Do it long enough and you can also find yourself burning a valve.

As for the head gasket, is the car loosing coolant without an obvious leak? If you remove the oil fill cap, is there a foam or mayonaisse type goop underneath? Sometimes you find the same crud inside the valve cover. Again, a compression test would indicate this to you, too.

Good luck - it's usually something quite simple.

Jeff Aronson
Vinalhaven, ME

scott
11-10-2006, 11:10 AM
thanks jeff. well this is what i've got now, new coil, rotor, dis cap, points, condensor, plug & coil wires an 8:1 compression in all 4. i switch the points lead on the coil from - to + and got it runn'n again but still poorly. the plugs don't look bad. i cleaned and regapped 'em. maybe i shoud get 4 new ones.

put in new plugs no help. now it's dark and freak'n cold out. i guess it's time to check spark...blue spark going to the distr cap, a few came out the #1 spark plug wire but then the sparks stopped.

GOT IT! i said i had all these new parts, well i guess i should have mention that the point and condensor were new but put in before the problem stated. the points wire was awful close to the distr deck and it was short'n. the blue plastic of the points was melted and distorted. i replace the points and lucky for me i kept the old condensor. put it in and the rove screams again.

thanks for all you comments and suggestions. and yes it usually is something simple