430 build Part II...this time a 455!

JW has a thread here about how to degree a cam. With all the work you are doing why would you not take a couple more hours to degree the cam. If you don't you'll never be able to honestly say that any issue is NOT cam related. What cam? For generally mild cams 230/240 or so advancing it 6* makes all the difference.

 

The cam is a 288-98H. I plan on trying again once i get the engine assembled after i read some more. The cam card calls for it to be advanced 4* and with the timing set i should already have that 4* built in. At this point i just need to get the engine together and then cam broken in so i can load the car into the transport carrier in few weeks.

As for progress, i was all excited when i got home to see a cometic box on my doorstep. Thinking that the gaskets came in pairs you can imagine my shock when there was only one. So, 145 dollars later it'll be another week before i get my second gasket.

 

Jason

Most of the time the built in timing for a cam is not right.
We use cams from a variety of different companies and have had some off enough
where we had to jump a tooth on the timing chain to get it in range so we could time it.

At least do a rough check.
The 288-98H opens the #1 intake lifter .050" at 3 degrees BTDC.

First make sure the stock timing tab shows a true TDC using #1 piston.

Then put a dial indicator on #1 intake lifter and see if it opens .050" around 3 degrees BTDC.

Paul

 

Engine is in!

 

Tomorrow's the big day. Just have to tighten down the trans cooler lines and lower rad hose, fill the carb bowls with fuel, connect the power wire and turn the key. Wish me luck.

 

Crossing my fingers for you.

 

Well, cam break in went interestingly. First I had way too much fuel going into the engine when trying to start it but that was easily fixed by adjusting the fuel bowls. I don't really know how the levels changed between engines but whatever.

Then I got the engine started and up to 2500 rpms. No problems or leaks and it seemed to be running smoothly with great oil pressure. However, the temp kept climbing and climbing. I had to shut down after 8 minutes. Part of the issue was my blower fan died...or so i thought. I went and got two more fans and came back and started her back up. Temps climbed again so i checked the timing and i was at 40* at 2500rpms so i dropped it to a more conservative 34* but temps kept rising so I shut her down and waited for her to cool down. Started her up one more time to finish the time and then lowered the idle down to around a 1000.

The engine really seems to shake in the mounts, at idle, more than I think is normal but I still need to tune the idle so we'll see. overall, a little stressful worrying about wiping the cam lobes but everything seems fine thus far. After i get home from work tomorrow I'll start tuning and hopefully take her out for a drive.

There are a few thing different this time than last: stock radiator vs Griffen alum unit and electric fans vs 7 blade mech fan. If i cant get temps under control after setting idle and timing then ill go back to a mech fan, shroud, and alum rad.

On a side note, those e-fans sure due suck some current. At 2500rpms i was only seeing 13v at the battery.

 

I know multiple people that have melted wires and relays from the fan amp draw. Depending on the type it can be upwards 30amps each fan. Just something to keep an eye on.

 

Use a garden hose to mist the radiator. Cuts temperature dramatically as long as the engine's water pump isn't faulty.

40 degrees of advance at part-throttle 2500rpm is no big deal. Probably could have gone to 50 degrees. Retarding it to 34 likely added to the heat load.

 

I did a little tuning yesterday as well as drive the car around and temps stayed between 180-195 so everything seems to be fine.

 

Well, i did some tuning today to see if i could figure out this erratic vacuum im getting at idle. Checked all vacuum sources, sprayed carb cleaner on all mating surfaces of the intake, double checked the timing and none of that stuff made any difference. I found this vacuum troubleshooting guide and there's one situation that describes what im seeing pretty closely.
My vacuum is jumping between 2-10" fairly rapidly and when i increase rpms it levels out at 10". According to the guide, this indicates burnt valves. I suppose this isnt too hard to imagine as these are the same heads that were on my last engine that ran with low to no oil pressure until the bottom end gave up. Unfortunately, im out of time. I get underway this week and move to Cali next week. i got the car to run and drive which is all i needed to get it on the transport so everything else will have to wait until later. Looks like I have a good excuse to get some alum heads.

 

A sticky lifter, an out of adjustment rocker arm (assuming adjustable valvetrain) or worse case a worn cam lobe can all cause vacuum ticks. That's a pretty dramatic one, and it levels out at some rpm?

 

Stock 67 rocker assembly converted to oil through pushrods. It levels out around 1300-1500rpms. I assume i'd have to tear the engine apart to check to see if the cam is ok so what else can i do at this point without tearing the engine apart to further troubleshoot?

 

Are the pushrod ends the correct diameter to fit the lifters and the rocker arms? I'm thinking that the solid pushrods and the matching rocker arms used a larger radius on the pushrod end/pushrod socket, the hollow pushrods won't fit those rocker arms properly.

Next up would be a power balance test, a compression test, and a cylinder leakage test.

Any chance you have a broken valve spring? That can cause lower-RPM vacuum problems, which MIGHT smooth out as rpm increases...until the valve drops. Careful inspection with valve covers removed might locate the defective spring(s), otherwise the problem cylinder(s) should be identified by the tests listed above.

 

I didnt know that about the pushrods, I'm using the pushrods from my 455 so I'm assumingt hey are nt the corret size as you say. I've never heard of a power balance test, but I'll do a compression and leakage test when i get back next weekend.

 

If you mis-matched the radius at the pushrod/rocker arm, you can scrap the pushrods and the rocker arms.

Connect a vacuum gauge to manifold vacuum. Start engine, warm to operating temperature. Allow engine to idle.

Connect a 12-volt test light (or a thin, long nail and a jumper wire) to ground. Apply a light coat of silicone grease to the pointy end. Slide the pointy end BETWEEN the plug wire and the plug wire boot at the distributor cap end. DON'T puncture the wire or the boot. When the pointy end is far enough in, it'll ground the spark to that cylinder only. Note the reduction in manifold vacuum when the engine is running on only seven cylinders.

Short out each cylinder in turn. Vacuum reduction should be the same for all cylinders. Any cylinder that has LESS vacuum loss, is a weak cylinder.

(Done professionally, with a specific electronic tool instead of the test light, they could check the four cylinders of the upper plane of the intake manifold versus the four cylinders of the lower plane. Four-at-a-time is hard to do with a test light. If the upper and the lower plane are unequal, either the carb idle mixture is faulty on one side, or there's a vacuum leak into one plane of the intake manifold.)

 

Finally, made it to Cali and got around to conducting a compression test to start my diagnosing. Here are the results so far: No compression in number 6 cylinder and number 6 and 7 spark plus are fouled with oil. First guess would be burnt/bad valves. These heads were the same ones that were run on my last engine with little to no oil pressure for about 50 miles before the engine blew. Plus, i used 455 pushrods with 430 rockers but i dont know if that really mattered. I guess the next step would be to remove the heads and take a look at the pistons to make sure none of them are missing pieces. None of the cylinders seemed to leak any of the compression they built up so im assuming the rings are ok. Any suggestions? Well, i went and removed the passenger side valve cover and tapped on a couple of the valves with a rubber mallet and the valves just kept going further without returning so I definitely have bent valves. Next step i guess is to take the heads off and inspect pistons for damage.

 

Last time I had no compression in #6 it was from blowing the headgasket's fire ring into the lifter valley. #3 was bulged out towards the lifter valley when I pulled the other head. Maybe you'll get lucky with a set of head gaskets? Though mine leaked oil like the exxon-valdez afterwards. A bad valve won't pressurize the crankcase and the sticky valve is definitely concerning.

 

I seriously doubt it's a blown head gasket as these are cometics. Plus, Im fairly certain the sticking valves are the culprit of my lack of compression. I'll get the heads off this weekend and go from there.

I hate to say this but honestly at a minimum, I will need new heads, rockers, pushrods and possibly a cam and lifters. At this point, IF the bottom end is still good, it's going to be a decision between going with aluminum heads or finding a LQ9 to swap in.

 

Got the heads off and thankfully, the pistons and cylinder walls looked brand new. I also noticed that as soon as i removed the rocker arm assembly all the "stuck" valves returned to their fully seated positions. What does that mean? Bad lifters?