Engine missing, Paranoia

[LuckyKenny]

Okay so about 3 weeks 600 miles ago, i changed out my plugs because one of them was fouled and it was missing like crazy

 

It's been really cool and humid the last coupe of night here about 65 with 90% humidity.

 

I don't know if it's the cam or if the car is actually missing but something is happening that i don't understand. I looked at videos of it idleing and it seems to be kind of doing the same thing

 

tomorrow when i get up i"m going to check the plug that was fouled"s cynder

 

any ideas?

 

i know the cold will make it idle a little rough< but not completely warm right?

 

it kind of does it when i"m going fourty just a tiny tiny bit too but nothing like it was

 

PS its still burning oil pretty bad lol and i have a lead foot

[LuckyKenny]

four months ago in sumer heat

 

http://vimeo.com/13215818

[TN454Monte]

Q. Did the miss go away when you changed that plug and now it's back? Or did it not go away at all and you're trying to come up with another solution to the same problem?

 

Reason I am asking is if you are fouling a plug heavily enough to induce a miss after just 600 miles, that "oil burning" is going to need attention...and soon.

[LuckyKenny]

With those new plugs in there the car ran like it was brand new.

 

Now for as long as i can remeber theres always been a tiny bit of miss in the idle, i was just wondering if it's the cam.

 

It's a med eldbrock, not sure what exact model but i know for a fact it's no stock cam lol

 

it runs really good compared to wen it was missing. I litterally couldn't powerbrake past 3k without it sputting all over the place.

 

It's the piston rings on the 3rd cylnder, the plug was pretty bad.

 

I'm afraid that it fouled out these ones too but i'm not sure yet.

 

It's burning a quart about every 1000-1200 miles. It never smokes, ever.

 

I think i'm just being paranoid lol

[LuckyKenny]

almost like this

 

 

I drove around for a week with if missing so bad to the point it was dropping 500 rpms ever 4 or 5 seconds. As SOON as i put those plugs in it just purred.

 

I think any slight hiccup from a cold, carbed engine with a cam like that will sound like it's missing a little to a person that's in my situation

 

I'll check it out and take a video tomorrow and you guys can be the judge lol i'm going to bed

[black07ss]

A quart a 1000 used to be normal especially if there was a few thousand on the oil. I would check that plug again. It could be fouled again. The wire to that cylinder could be bad. You said it misses under a load it could be that wire. Oh and 65 degreese isn't cold!!

[Gonzo]

I agree 65 isn't cold, 19 is.

If you did just plugs it's possible the wires or cap and rotor need to be replaced. I have also seen new plugs cause a miss, if you can isolate the cyclinder swap that plug to a different cylinder and see if the miss follows, then you know it's a bad plug.

[LuckyKenny]

the plug was gunked up real bad

 

that's why it think it's piston rings

[kc8oye]

kenny.. put a plug a couple of heat ranges hotter in that cylinder.. it will help stop it from fouling.

 

also, adding an MSD 6 type unit will help keep it clean until you can address your rings.

[LuckyKenny]

i put Delco r45t's in there

 

Those are hotter burning plugs than regular delcos correct?

 

I pretty much use delco everything

 

 

Here's the bad plug and here's what the rest of them looked like

 

 

all 7 looked like this

 

 

there was about 8k on these plugs

[Shadow Gray SS]

Could be valve seals.

[LuckyKenny]

It doesn't smoke at all though

[kc8oye]

that one cylinder you need to go higher yet on the heat range

get a 46 or 47 if you can find them.

[LuckyKenny]

I might have to order them online

[72-CLASSIC_RIDE]

I had a 1976 Chev 350 CI SW that did that. Got so bad it would start popping thru the Carb. Clean the plugs & would run pretty well for awhile until plugs fouled again. Finally put a new GM TargetMaster 350 into her & no more problems. Engine was simply tired!

 

Doug

[cny first gen 71]

I aggree pull that one plug out and look at it to see if its fouled again. You could try one of those non foulers there a temp fix but it sounds like you may have a bad oil ring. Just a thought

[LuckyKenny]

I'm starting to think it's the humidity mixed with the cold now.

 

When i give it everything it's got it's a monster (chirping gears and everything!) just when it's curusing at 40 as low as it can go and when it's idling it hiccups a little bit, NOTHING like it used to be

[TN454Monte]

It could be heat range of the plug, but judging from those pics I'm wondering why on only that cylinder? The rest seem to be doing fine.

 

Since you say it cleared up after swapping those plugs out then came back;

 

How many miles are on this engine?

 

Like Jake mentioned you could have oil getting into the cylinder from a bad valve seal and that's causing this, on that particular hole, it could be a bad oil control ring on the piston etc.

IMHO Something ain't right there... it seems like a lot of oil fouling on that single plug for only 600 miles of use.

[LuckyKenny]

No that was before i changed them.

 

Those plugs in those pictures are about 8-10k old.

 

This engine is really sketchy to say the least

 

It's supposedly been "stroked and rebuilt"

 

When i got it it literally burned through 2 quarts on 50 miles

 

I did a head job and rebuilt the carb, and general plugs, plug wires, hoses filters, you know...... logical stuff that needed to be done.

 

He said he had it bored out and stroked and that it was a crate motor or something. He did this like 15k before i had it.

 

I ran the numbers on the block and i couldn't really figure out what the hell i was doing or what they even meant, not to mention i lost the piece of paper i wrote them on. I had absolutely no idea what i was doing when i first got the car lol Not even a clue. I drove like a fool, literally went through a brand new set of fire hawks in 4 months.

 

I didn't get around to checking that plug again but i did get to drive it.

 

It's not missing or hesitating, there's just a 100 rpm drop that happens every 4 or 5 seconds. Idleing, crusing or power braking.

 

I guess there are some things you really can't learn in a book lol.

 

Try looking up carbed 350 mishaps on google, there's about 1.2 billion responses

[TN454Monte]

Okay I guess I misunderstood you posts. Moving on ....

 

So in effect what your are saying is you're wondering /concerned about what is causing the RPM to drop? Correct?

 

If that is the case.. this RPM drop happening at speed you mentioned; is the car's speed constant and you're ONLY noticing a variance in what your tach reads? Or are you getting a lunging or slowing while trying to maintain a steady cruising speed?

 

As far as RPM's dropping at idle, from your video, I honestly don't hear anything wrong, it just sounds like a happy SBC with a Mild cam to me...other wise known as "loping".

[LuckyKenny]

It can lope at 40mph?

 

I don't have a tach, just a really good ear

[TN454Monte]

No, re-read my post.... I said the 'lope' was at idle Kenny...LOL

 

No tach? So you're basing RPM drops on your "really good ear"? Ummm...lemmme think...Hmmmm Okay...try this.

TURN THE TUNES UP.

Problem solved!

Yer Welcome.

[kc8oye]

i agree with greg.. turn the radio up.

Get a tach installed.

put a hotter plug in that one hole, and give 'er hell.

[CrazyDavey]

i agree with greg.. turn the radio up.

Get a tach installed.

put a hotter plug in that one hole, and give 'er hell.

 

 

getting a hair cut would help too....

[MCfan]

Geez, Davey, you risk making us old guys seem intolerant! Weren't we all young and foolish once, too?

 

Young people that like cars (especially Montes) more than twice their age show an unusual level of good taste and maturity.