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Re: Long-Backfire damage and tubing flares

To: tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Long-Backfire damage and tubing flares
From: cvaught@hawaii.rr.com
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 09:39:12 -1000
i hope you used the arp hardened drive shaft for your new oil pump. the same
thing happend to my mustang and i found out that it ia a common occurence, 
especially
when the ford driveshaft is used with a high volume pump and tight bearing 
clearances.
that is why i am building the strokes 342 for the mustang.
chris in mississippi.

>Folks,
>        Friday morning I headed for work and decided to
>see if I still had a slight backfire on acceleration.  Well,
>I should not have done that. KABAMMMM !!  The motor died
>and would not restart in neutral.  I rolled into a DOALL
>parking lot and stopped.  Tried to start it again and the
>loudest explosion I have ever heard came out of one tail pipe.
>I figured that I had an Ignition problem as I just receintly
>installed a MSD 6AL on the Tiger.  I have a stock magnetic
>pickup Ford distributor.
>        Pulled the distributor cap and noticed that the rotor
>was loose and rotated several degrees from normal.  Checked the
>inside of the rotor and found that the plastic locator had
>mostly sheared off.  No sign of contact with the distributor 
>cap.  Was able to get the rotor back in the slot of the
>distributor shaft and it appeared that it might hold until
>I could get home and replace it.  
>        About that time some guy drove up wanting to look 
>at the Tiger.  That took a while.
>        Replaced the distributor cap and cranked it.
>No joy.  Pulled the cap and using a screw driver near the
>magnetic pickup I determined that the MSD and the pickup
>were working.  Got nice fat spark off of the coil wire.
>        Cranked a bit more with the cap off and noticed the
>distributor/rotor was NOT turning. @#$!^%$#@!
>        About that time DOALL opened and I was allowed to use
>their phone to call a wrecker.  DOALL is an industrial
>supply house for bandsaws ( up to 2 1/2" bands), all kinds of
>machining tools and accessories, taps, dies, drill bits,
>chemical, etc. and flaring tools.  I promply ordered a RIDGID
>flaring tool for about $45.  Will let you know how that turns
>out.
>        Short tow home and a call to work that I wouldn't be
>in.  A gallon of oil dry added to the drive way where the wrecker
>dumped a couple of quarts of oil.  At least it was clean oil.
>They have one very bad leak.  I assume that they add a few quarts
>of oil before every towing job. By the way this was the very
>first time my Tiger has ever been towed. 
>
>        Pulled the distributor and 3 teeth were off of the
>distributor gear.  Checked the cam gear and it appeared to be ok.
>        
>        Pulled the oil pan and found two teeth.  Pulled the
>oil pump so I could remove the windage tray.  Found the third tooth.
>Also noticed a full 1/2 spirial twist to the oil pump drive shaft.
>The oil pump was locked solid as well.  Got the rotors out of the
>pump and  the two parts are stuck together.  There was no crud
>that locked up the pump. It is as if the internal rotor had moved
>slightly to one side and jammed its self into the outer rotor.
>There appears to be a tiny flat at the peak of the inner rotor
>where it is stuck to the outer rotor.  Plan to use the rotors
>and drive shaft as a paper weight in my office.  There was no sign
>of any scratches on the parts and the oil, all 14 quarts was
>clean.
>        Had a good distributor gear from the older point type
>distributor.  The broken gear had also sheared the roll pin
>so I had to use a cut off wheel to remove the broken gear.
>Found some gauling on the distributor shaft under the gear.
>By spinning the shaft with my electric drill I was abke to
>smooth the shaft.  Forgot that the roll pin hole is off set
>on a Ford so I of course pressed the replacement gear on wrong.
>Was able to rotate 180 and put the roll pin in.  Distributor
>now fixed.
>        New high volumne oil pump, pickup tube, drive shaft,
>pan gasket, RTV, 24 quarts of 20-50 oil and a rotor went
>for $120.  Called in the order and was able to get the parts
>Friday night just before they closed.  Checked the pump,
>drive shaft, pickup tube and gaskets to be sure they were
>correct.  Didn't check the rotor.  Dumb Ass parts man gave
>me a GM rotor.  Fortunally I had an old rotor that was still
>OK. 
>        Got everything back together and decided to adjust
>the valves. (Have Harlin Sharp Roller Rockers and screw in
>studs on this 4 barrel Cleveland).  Released the rocker,
>gently tightened the nut until the pushrod could not be rotated
>with gentle finger pressure, then took one more full turn of the
>nut and locked it with the allen screw.  I believed that I had
>had the motor rotated properly for each valve adjustment.
>        Back together with eyeballed timing of the distributor
>and started it up.  Ran like crap.  Kept it running until it
>started warming up .  My wife came out and said " What is that
>dripping under the Tiger?".  Shut it off looked under, Had the
>Tiger up on Jack stands) lots and lots of liquid.  Assumed that
>the rear of the oil pan was leaking until I smelled the fluid.
>GASOLINE, about a couple of quarts was on the floor and more was
>dripping on the now hot headers!  Fortunally I was able to mop
>up the mess without burning down the Tiger, garage and house in
>that order.  I have a fire extingusher in the garage and it is fairly
>big, but that much gasoline would have been a lost cause if
>it had ignited.
>        Turns out that the less than year old 3/8" steel fuel line
>had rubbed on the aluminum intake and wore a hole through the
>tubing.  Not a mark on the aluminum manifold.  I assume that the
>vibrations due to the Holly Red fuel pumping caused the tubing
>to vibriate continiously at that point.   Fixed that  problem.
>Adjusted the timing to 10 before and the Tiger had very rough idle.
>        I assumed that the backfire that I had previously
>experienced on acceleration was due to the need for more
>fuel.  I have a 650 double pumper with  pink accelerator pump
>cams.  I remounted the cam to the #3 position. ( which I now
>believe to to be wrong with even less pump shot)  All the other
>cams have 2 holes and #2 provides a bigger shot of fuel than #1
>which is the normal factory setting.  On this cam the fuel map
>for the # 2 position was not in the Holly book.  Probably
>will change  to position 2 as soon as I can.  Of course this
>working on the carb messed up my throttle linkage so a few hours
>working on that.  
>        Drove to work Monday and the Tiger was VERY rough.
>Soft backfire through the tail pipes even when I just barely
>accelerated.  Held up traffic I was so slow.
>        Last night did a "short the plug test" and found that
>#1 and #6 cylinder had no effect on the running.  Plug on #6
>had an open circuit and plug #1 was shorted.  Replaced the plugs
>and still no luck.  Did a compression test and found zero pounds
>on number 1, all others were 170 to 180 psi.  Re adjusted the
>valves on #1 and got 175 psi. Idle nice and smooth now.
>        About to go to work on Tuesday, wish me luck.
>
>
>                
>
>        
>James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
>

66 Sunbeam Tiger, 289, Performer RPM intake & cam, Holley 600 DP, Mallory 
ignition, aluminum radiator, 4 speed toploader, centerforce gold clutch, 
headers & flowmasters 

88GT ready to install: CHP 342, 58cc AFR 185's, Holley SysteMax II intake, Pro 
magnum Rockers, ED cam, Pro-M 77, 38# Lucas injectors, Walbro 317 255lph pump, 
Romac, A9L, 3.73's, Aluminum driveshaft, 70mm Accufab throttle body and FPR

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