Ah, man. What the hell?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Shelton Wa
Ah, man. What the hell?
I have once again discovered that I am confused. I recently had a rear wheel bearing go out in my 79- this had me grounded for 3-4 weeks.
Now that it's fixed it's running like **** and using far more gas than when I parked it.t
It will hesitate, sputter and infrequently backfire thru the carb. Sometimes it will "break-through" and rock and roll.
I've been thru the ignition. What I am speculating now is that the sitting somehow caused varnish deposits (?) to form in the jets. Maybe?
Heck, I dunno. It seems to be improving slowly, and ya, I am aware that gas prices went up again.
I have the mixture set to highest vacuum. The Timing is, oh, around 12 initial or so. I set it with a light but inveriably dink with it by ear. It doesn't bump the starter nor pop, but it likes 12 or more.
I'm in kennewick (300 miles from home) and would like to get home on less than $60.
Now that it's fixed it's running like **** and using far more gas than when I parked it.t
It will hesitate, sputter and infrequently backfire thru the carb. Sometimes it will "break-through" and rock and roll.
I've been thru the ignition. What I am speculating now is that the sitting somehow caused varnish deposits (?) to form in the jets. Maybe?
Heck, I dunno. It seems to be improving slowly, and ya, I am aware that gas prices went up again.
I have the mixture set to highest vacuum. The Timing is, oh, around 12 initial or so. I set it with a light but inveriably dink with it by ear. It doesn't bump the starter nor pop, but it likes 12 or more.
I'm in kennewick (300 miles from home) and would like to get home on less than $60.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Timing chains don't go bad after sitting for a couple weeks, wires don't get crossed either. Go thru the steps and eliminate the easy and obvious things first. Check the dist cap for cracks and tracks, check the advance mechanism to make sure a spring isn't broken or hanging up. Set the timing to 8 to 12* advance with a light and check what RPM the timing is All In. Guessing isn't the way to go, measure it and know
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,575
Likes: 1
From: Tuttle OK
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Sounds like two wires are crossed you sure the firing order is correct? Just sitting that little of time wont cause deposits like you say. Now let that gas sit for 6 months then maybe. Where was it sitting? Was it in view so that no one tampered with the gas. The timing should be 6 degrees btdc. And if its 12 plus the advance that sounds like way too much to me. Time it correctly, then set the idle air control and curb idle. Get a vac gauge to get the highest possible out of the car.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 543
Likes: 2
From: Miami FL
St. Jude Donor '11, '14
If it using fuel then it is getting fuel. Unless something is sticking (and unsticking) in the carb, it is spark related. Cap, rotor, and loose and/or corroded connections are where I would look.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Timing chains always go bad on start up, and if you tweek the timing, IF engine runs at all, you can get it to go down the road a bit....no power though...
I have never had a timing chain go while engine running....
I dunno why that is...
I have never had a timing chain go while engine running....
I dunno why that is...
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Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Check the distributor cap for cracks and carbon traces. Maybe some moisture got into the cap while it was sitting and now the cap is shorting. If it is improving a little perhaps the moisture is drying out. Distributor caps can fail suddenly and without warning.
Rick B.
Rick B.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,992
Likes: 56
From: Antioch IL
Check the distributor cap for cracks and carbon traces. Maybe some moisture got into the cap while it was sitting and now the cap is shorting. If it is improving a little perhaps the moisture is drying out. Distributor caps can fail suddenly and without warning.
Rick B.
Rick B.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
with the ign probsTake the rotor off and look on the bottom side in the center and see if you can see a tiny black dot (carbon trace)(if you haven't already replaced it). It was fairly common for the HEI to send the spark through the rotor into the dist shaft instead of it going out the tip of the rotor where it was intended to go.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Shelton Wa
Better.
If you guys who answered see this, thank you so much. I'm learning. The car ran like a champ coming home from Seattle. (Second leg of our trek) I'm not sure exactly what did it. I am too dumb to try one thing at a time. It may have been bad gas.
The last thing I did was I heard what I thought was arcing in the cap, but on closer inspection found was the PCV rattling. Like the ball was jumping like crazy. So, I got out a roll of electrical tape and spun a few around it and crammed it back into the surprised grommet. (?) All I know is, IT KICKED ***! YEAH!!!!! I made it from Federal Way to shelton in about 50 minutes at 1 am.
We left Kennewick with high winds and I was dodging tumble weeds at 100 on I-82. Hit the pass and it was a white out. We were close to the last car over before it was closed. I let my rear tires down to 20psi and went REALLY slow. (Half gone TA radials) But aside from the posi the car did great! What a machine. I am continually amazed by this car. It is the single greatest material thing I have ever even seen.
(Went to Kennewick WA to see Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie- killer show)
The last thing I did was I heard what I thought was arcing in the cap, but on closer inspection found was the PCV rattling. Like the ball was jumping like crazy. So, I got out a roll of electrical tape and spun a few around it and crammed it back into the surprised grommet. (?) All I know is, IT KICKED ***! YEAH!!!!! I made it from Federal Way to shelton in about 50 minutes at 1 am.
We left Kennewick with high winds and I was dodging tumble weeds at 100 on I-82. Hit the pass and it was a white out. We were close to the last car over before it was closed. I let my rear tires down to 20psi and went REALLY slow. (Half gone TA radials) But aside from the posi the car did great! What a machine. I am continually amazed by this car. It is the single greatest material thing I have ever even seen.
(Went to Kennewick WA to see Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie- killer show)
