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rear spring then engine issue

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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 12:00 PM
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Default rear spring then engine issue

hi guy's not a good month for me with the car.first the pass rear nylon-er rear spring nut walked off and the spring ground into the pavement.a 2 mile drive home with sparks flying till it finally wore off enough of the spring to just barely skim the ground.(replace those bolts guy's).new spring and a short test ride later stopped at a light and very light acceleration something clicks and the engine is barely running.two foot ride home and neutral at the lights.pinched all the hoses one at a time checking for vacuum leaks but found none.i'm thinking i jumped the timing chain by a tooth.any ideas on how to progress with testing?could the shock of the spring collapse and the resulting grind home have triggered this?also can the timing set be replaced without removing the radiator?thanks for any help.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by billcarson
hi guy's not a good month for me with the car.first the pass rear nylon-er rear spring nut walked off and the spring ground into the pavement.a 2 mile drive home with sparks flying till it finally wore off enough of the spring to just barely skim the ground.
Why wouldn't you call a flat bed? Probably would've been cheaper than buying a new spring.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 12:15 PM
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I don't think the two are related.

How is it running once you get the rev's up?

Could be as simple as a spring in the distributor snapping and allowing full centrifugal advance at idle.

I'd check the simple things first. Put a timing light on it and see if the timing is off. If it is then see if the distributor moved.

Let us know what you find.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 02:12 PM
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it's running very rough at all rpm's and i put a timing light on it and see no sign of the tdc mark.distributor did not move and does not make much difference when rotated in either direction.thanks 76ray as i will check inside the distributor cap for damage.bashcraft you are right it would have been cheaper and i could most likely have saved the spring but all i could think of at the time was to get her home.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by billcarson
it's running very rough at all rpm's and i put a timing light on it and see no sign of the tdc mark.distributor did not move and does not make much difference when rotated in either direction.thanks 76ray as i will check inside the distributor cap for damage.bashcraft you are right it would have been cheaper and i could most likely have saved the spring but all i could think of at the time was to get her home.
How many miles are on the engine/ Does it still have the nylon timing gears?

I understand wanting to get it home, but all those sparks were right there at the gas tank.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 03:10 PM
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bashcraft yes i knew that so i slowed down and even stopped twice to let it cool down.by the time i realized what happened there was too much spring tip gone for it to be used.the car has around 97k miles on what i am fairly sure is the original engine.as far as the timing gear goes i have no receipts from either of the last two owners that the timing set was changed.in '98 the cam and other upgrades were added so it should have been done then.i have never opened the cover but i have to believe it is the original chain and gears.every receipt for every screw replaced was saved.must the radiator be pulled on this car to replace the timing set?
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by billcarson
.must the radiator be pulled on this car to replace the timing set?
No, if you can get the fan out of the shroud there shouldn't be any reason to pull the radiator.
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 03:18 PM
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it's a flex so that comes out easy.that's a relief.guess i might as well open her up and find out.thanks
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Old Jul 30, 2013 | 03:22 PM
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76ray the insde of the distributor was clean and shows no springs.i have an msd box with separate remote timing adjuster.distributor is msd also.
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Old Jul 31, 2013 | 03:22 PM
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well got into the timing cover to reveal this.i was surprised because these guy's kept receipt's for everything. only slight play on the chain and no evidence of wear on the sprockets.i will remove the rocker covers next and then troubleshoot the msd system.timing marks when together the rotor is between 5 and 6 and when both at 12oclock between 8 and 1. plugs look ok. this all happened in an instant.you guy's have any ideas?
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 10:00 AM
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well mystery solved,it was a broken valve spring.no to try to figure out a repair and how do you match the spring/looks stock ,i think.
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 10:17 AM
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a smart person will change ALL the valve springs, not just one.
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 09:39 PM
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redvetracr you are right about that i would think.the car ran well with those springs so i would like to match them.how do i know what rating they are?
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 10:49 PM
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Go back to your box of receipts and see if they were changed in 98 when the cam was. Or even if you can find exactly what cam was installed, then you can go back and find the matching springs.
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Old Aug 3, 2013 | 11:08 PM
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Way to Bill Carson! You've got it nailed now. You'll be back on the road very soon.

Pete
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Old Aug 4, 2013 | 08:06 AM
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thanks tim and pete.i have the info on the cam but nothing that i can remember on the springs.no info on the timing chain either but looks like he did change it out.should i rely on the speed shop to match out the springs from the cam data?would like to change the one spring first till i have time to do them all.
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Old Aug 4, 2013 | 10:12 AM
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They should. Cam manufacturers recommend springs for all of their cams. You should be able to go from that.
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