Okay Larry... The plug is replaced. The initial timing is taken back to 0* TDC with the vacuum disconnected. I adjusted the air fuel mixtures to match (novice attempt) but it seems like the car is under much less stress. I hadn't taken the idle back. It's at about 750 rpm. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions ? Video link below: https://www.dropbox.com/s/637qc4oyu0ujbna/video jun 23, 8 28 16 pm.mov?dl=0
I had a 455 in my first Riv back in the 80s and it ran well for several years after a rebuild. Then one day out of the blue I had 1 plug that would get smashed flat like the one shown. Only difference was that the smashed plug was as clean as the others. Around the same time my trans mysteriously got water in it and had to be rebuilt. My summary was that someone had gotten under the hood and sabotaged the engine by putting water and washers (or some such foreign substance) in my engine. Living the lifestyle I was back then anything was possible. I never figured out the issue as my license had been suspended and I had to sell the car as is to pay fines and cost to keep myself out of jail. In my case I really doubt it was detonation.
Paul .. your intentions are good but we are trying to prevent him from damaging his motor .. hammering it WOT to read plugs is kinda counterm productive at this stage Idle speed is set once all else is good .. tune your idle mixtures using a vacuum gauge to maximum vacuum You also need to check your dwell setting on the points It's a roundy round process where sometimes one adjustment affects the others and you have to go back and re-do.
Look at the rivited build tag - should be under the hood up near the cowl and windshield. Snap a pic of it and post it .. but Im almost certain its Antique Gold
Didn't see a video post ? .. but in post # 37, the shot underhood - it looks like you disconnected the vacuum advance hose and left it sitting on top of the upper radiator hose ? Did you plug it with anything .. or disconnect and plug the nipple on the carb ? It needs to be plugged when timing or else you'll have a vacuum leak which is no good - either plug it with a plastic cap at the carb nipple or you can use something like a golf tee and insert it into the hose when disconnected from the vacuum advance canister. .. a meter like this is almost essential when working on stock ignition for rpm and dwell .. http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7605-Tachometer-Voltmeter-Analyzer/dp/B00062YUUS or I think Sears sells them, maybe even a generic auto parts store .. and a cheap vacuum gauge and set of nipple plugs - again, any decent auto parts store
Besides setting the timing, have you tried 93 octane yet ? That will help if you previously used 87 octane.
Watched the video .. looks nice and sounds good (quick - get that screwdriver off the fender before someone else yells at you) How close are you to Holland PA ? http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?297788-Yardley-s-Picnic-2015&highlight=
yup but a couple few words of caution 1. DO NOT DROP EITHER ONE OF THESE TOOLS! My vacuum gauge is poop now because it got bopped a little to roughly sliding off of my fender and now reads super wonky. 2. The dwell meter works great if you have stock points ignition but if you upgrade to electronic style its nearly worthless. note# I have the EXACT versions of both of these tools LOL
unrelated to the topic but could someone here explain to me exactly what that vacuum pod in the top right hand corner of this pic is for? I see these in a lot of under hood pics of Buicks and it appears to be a water control valve. My car does not have this specific piece at all and in the service manual there is nothing like it either. I'm guessing its a non stock control valve someone put in probably because it was easier to get and or cheaper than the stock screw in the intake manifold type. ****oh lawd***** another thing I noticed in this pic is the vacuum line disconnected from the vacuum advance. Bro you need to cap that off. You cannot correctly set the idle mixture or speed with a vacuum leak like that. It wouldn't surprise me if some of those vacuum lines and diaphragm connected to the combustion control stuff on the air cleaner was leaking badly as well.
It's a stock valve for AC cars. When you run AC, the valve closes and prevents the hot coolant from ciruculating through the heater core, this helps to lower vent temps (colder air).
My car has stock ac but has this part routed to the intake manifold like this. a quick google image search shows that having the valve inline with the heater hose was a later design. I wonder why it was changed?
