Kyle,
Before you spend a lot of money to fix your problem, there are a few
things to check.
1. Make sure that the distributor shaft has no play in it. You really
should not be able to move it with finger pressure.
2. Be certain that your battery has a full charge. Even if your
charging system has a problem, the battery should be able to provide
full power to the ignition system.
3. Set the engine to TDC (or whatever you set it to when you time it) by
observing the crank marks. (You may have to remove the valve cover to
make sure that you are on TDC of the #1 cylinder) Disconnect the vacuum
advance hose and plug it. Remove the distributor cap and manually twist
the rotor to full mechanical advance. Note where the rotor is pointed
and then replace the cap. The arc of rotor copper should still
intersect the #1 plug terminal. If it does not, then the distributor
may have been installed incorrectly (like one gear tooth off).
4. Check the continuity of the spark plug wires; check the resistance
and compare the results. (Don't forget the center wire!)
5. Have the coil tested to verify that it is actually sending a good
spark to the system.
6. If all else fails, then go out to a long stretch of empty road and
run it up to 5000 RPM. As soon as your problem shows up, shut down the
engine (don't lock the steering!) and coast to the side of the road.
Remove a few spark plugs (one at a time and stuff a rag in the open
hole) and check their condition. If they are black, then you are
flooding at high speed and it is probably bad float valves or your fuel
pressure is too high at peak RPMs.
If the plugs are white or seem to be covered with a white coating,
then you are too lean. While you are stopped, remove the float bowl
covers and check for fuel in the bowls. If they are empty, then your
fuel pump is not sending enough volume for high speed operation or there
is a restriction in the fuel line.
7. Assuming everything else looks good, then check the valve springs to
see if you have a broken spring. The inner springs are hard to examine
and you may need to get additional help to do a thorough job. (Valve
float is what keeps Detroit V8s from blowing up.)
Hope this helps.
Rick Chianese
SRL311-14035
Orlando, Fl 73F and sunny
$1.019 regular / 1.139 premium (Chevron)
|