Need some help! Decision on do it myself, or...
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by MsVetteMan
Now as to the tach......plugin was removed from the orig. distrib., now what the heck do I do with it? Nowhere to plug it in on new distrib. Tach is not working. It was before. I already have the ignition wire hooked up, just scratching my butt on the tach issue......thanks...
i reread your post but missed the exact specs on the dist...if you went from an HEI to a coil type dist...did you? if i recall correctly on all cars i have ever had the coil has two studs on either side of the primary one is for power coming in and the other is for the tach....
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Madison Ms
Originally Posted by bobs77vet
i reread your post but missed the exact specs on the dist...if you went from an HEI to a coil type dist...did you? if i recall correctly on all cars i have ever had the coil has two studs on either side of the primary one is for power coming in and the other is for the tach....
ooops...Is this correct?
Pro
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From: The Valley of The Sun AZ
Going back to a question asked earlier, the 81's E4ME Quadrajet is a 795CFM carb(measured with the secondaries fully open of course). However, I think on another post he said he got the 81 with a different carb than the E4ME when he bought it.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Winston Salem NC
If you look at the cap for the distributer, it has marking for BAT+ and TACH. The battery feed comes from the drivers side firewall, its a red wire, the tach wire has a condenser attached to it and comes from the passenger side firewall, I think its a white wire. They plug in in front of where the 3-wire connecter goes on the distributer.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Minnesota
You should have no problem using your external coil with your electronic tach. Some Bubba changed the HEI over to points on my 75 and the tach wire was on either the positive or negative post on the coil and it worked fine. I can't go out and look since I found a used HEI and changed it back.
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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by MsVetteMan
....3 prong hookup with one wire going for ground, one to positive, and one to negative.
ooops...Is this correct?
ooops...Is this correct?
first let me state i'm guessing..... one of those three wires will make your tach work....i think its the "one to negative" can you splice into it or other wise add a jumper to see if it will make your tach work?
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Melting Slicks
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From: Madison Ms
Originally Posted by jdmick
You should have no problem using your external coil with your electronic tach. Some Bubba changed the HEI over to points on my 75 and the tach wire was on either the positive or negative post on the coil and it worked fine. I can't go out and look since I found a used HEI and changed it back.
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Race Director
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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by MsVetteMan
Are you saying all I have to do is hook the tach wire up to either the pos. or neg. on the coil? That's simple enough to try.
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Melting Slicks
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From: Madison Ms
Thanks guys, I will try that! Just got back in from changing all the plugs (what a pita) and plug wires! Now we have new distrib., new coil, new plugs, and new plug wires! Also bought a timing light......
Took her out for a test spin......running good, but in definite need of some tuning! I'm going to try and get it running as well as possible before changing the intake and carb.
Next up: New intake manifold and new carb! Can't wait to get those puppies in!
Thanks again for the help guys, and I'm going to try that tac fix shortly!
Took her out for a test spin......running good, but in definite need of some tuning! I'm going to try and get it running as well as possible before changing the intake and carb.
Next up: New intake manifold and new carb! Can't wait to get those puppies in!
Thanks again for the help guys, and I'm going to try that tac fix shortly!
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Melting Slicks
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From: Madison Ms
WTF? Okay, I changed the distrib., plugs, and wires. Now the engine won't stay cranked. It starts to loose idle, and when I give it some gas it spits smoke out the carb (talk about combustion!) and dies........(this is only after it warms up and I am assuming the electr. choke cuts off). Wasn't doing this before.....It's running fairly smooth with a very slight miss in idle. I can tell the timing is off when I took it for a test spin. What do I do next? I can't even find the idle screw on the quad carb. It has two wires running to it, one on the drivers side to the solenoid?, and the other on the right going to ? This is not the original carb., but it is a GM quad......I'm ready to trash this carb. Am I waisting my time with this carb since I'm going to put a new one on? I was trying to get it running good before I put the new carb on.......
I have a serious cluster **** here! Thought I was going to need a fire extinguisher......
I have a serious cluster **** here! Thought I was going to need a fire extinguisher......
Last edited by MsVetteMan; Mar 10, 2005 at 11:20 PM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Madison Ms
Originally Posted by kens 80
Tach wire goes to neg side of coil. This is the same wire that feeds the dist. It counts the ignition pulses.
Probably fouled the gd plugs again! That was not fun replacing them. You must be a contortionist (sp?) to do this job.
Last edited by MsVetteMan; Mar 10, 2005 at 11:26 PM.
Pro
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From: Jackson Ms
sounds like the timing is off...you got a light, you use it yet?...may want to see if the balancer is right too. it's on a rubber ring and can slip (mostly old wore out one's) move'n the marks and if you set by your marks your setings will be off...and all that play'n with it may want to check the fuel fliter if it's a old one.
but once you get it all set and running right, you pulling it all back out when you do the intake and start this all over
but once you get it all set and running right, you pulling it all back out when you do the intake and start this all over
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Melting Slicks
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From: Madison Ms
Originally Posted by grayhook
sounds like the timing is off...you got a light, you use it yet?...may want to see if the balancer is right too. it's on a rubber ring and can slip (mostly old wore out one's) move'n the marks and if you set by your marks your setings will be off...and all that play'n with it may want to check the fuel fliter if it's a old one.
but once you get it all set and running right, you pulling it all back out when you do the intake and start this all over
but once you get it all set and running right, you pulling it all back out when you do the intake and start this all over
Fuel filter is new and looks extra clean........
Why do you keep saying I will have to pull the distrib. to change the intake and carb? I don't see that.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Jackson Ms
look at the new intake you got, see the hole in the rear were the dist. go's thru it?
maybe this will help, a smallblock with the intake off the top will look like this
maybe this will help, a smallblock with the intake off the top will look like this
Last edited by grayhook; Mar 11, 2005 at 12:57 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Madison Ms
Originally Posted by grayhook
look at the new intake you got, see the hole in the rear were the dist. go's thru it?
No biggie.....The distrib. was rather easy to intall......and it's already in, but I get your point on tuning.....wasting my time, aren't I !!
Thanks for telling this idiot, well, that he is an idiot......
glad to help ya man 
...we were all there once.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
[QUOTE=MsVetteMan]How come you are the only one that picked up on this? QUOTE]
we all noticed it , just thought you wanted to square away one componet at a time instead of installing all new stuff at once, and no i don't think it is wasted time, you are correct in wanting to get running well before you replace the carb. you will have a higher certainity of where your problem is if you replace one component at a time as opposed to all of them at once. so once you "square away" your distributor you can take it out with some certainity that it will be functioning properly when you install it, and any other problems are from the two other items you are replacing, IMO there is no better experience then replacing one component at at time to get a full range of the issues that that particualr component controls ..... i think you should recheck your plug wires to make sure they are hooked up correctly and sounds like your timing is also off.....by the way how are you taking care of the ballast resistor issue with the coil set up?
we all noticed it , just thought you wanted to square away one componet at a time instead of installing all new stuff at once, and no i don't think it is wasted time, you are correct in wanting to get running well before you replace the carb. you will have a higher certainity of where your problem is if you replace one component at a time as opposed to all of them at once. so once you "square away" your distributor you can take it out with some certainity that it will be functioning properly when you install it, and any other problems are from the two other items you are replacing, IMO there is no better experience then replacing one component at at time to get a full range of the issues that that particualr component controls ..... i think you should recheck your plug wires to make sure they are hooked up correctly and sounds like your timing is also off.....by the way how are you taking care of the ballast resistor issue with the coil set up?
Last edited by bobs77vet; Mar 11, 2005 at 09:08 AM.