OK, a little background info... Less than 250 Miles on new plugs, Dwell is 30 degrees, Idle Speed 600 RPM. Here's what it's doing, at idle the RPMS fluctuate, e.g. go between 550 - 610 or so. And, at the same time, vacuum readings go from 14" - 16". Vacuum doesn't exceed 16" at idle. The car bogs down when going off idle, but has no problem accelerating, or holding speed(e.g. RPM stays steady). It does have tons of power. The car has a reman dist and carb(2vg). Does this sound like something as simple as a carb out of tune? BTW: I don't have a timing light, so I can't check timing.
John, It could be many things , but first you must check the timing . Sorry I know you said you don't have a light but you need it . Also check vaccumn lines for leaks , Spray carb cleaner on the lines. See if the idle changes. If it changes you have a cracked vaccumn line . Check vaccumn line routing ,be sure all lines go to correct ports . Spray carb exterior around the base gasket and the top gasket .If idle changes tighten all screws , check again. Replace gaskets if you need to . Like i said it could be many things , but heres a start . Others , i'm sure will also tell you more tips. My fingers are getting sore !!:laugh: :TU:Good Luck
yeah what Bruce said Also...if none of that works, do a compression test on all cylinders. You may have an exhaust valve leaking. That means valve job.
it may be something simple. Did you gap your plugs correctly? Did you hook up all of your spark plug wires in the right firing order? Just some questions to think about. It may even be time for a new coil.
Plugs are gapped at .030 Firing order is correct, and like I said it runs fine when it's at part or full throttle. Hrmm, Coil... anyway to test that effectively?
I think the last coil I bought was around $10. That was for a stock coil. The Accel, etc "performance" coils run higher. I had the rough idle miss on my LeSabre and it ended up being a burnt exhaust valve seat.:gt:
Well, hopefully it's not an exhaust valve.... really not looking forward to rebuilding the heads. Especially since the car doesn't even have 90,000 miles on it. Is it possible for a sticky valve or lifter to cause this?
Check the float level :TU: Just another thought , It sounds like one of those hit and miss problems ,Good Luck !:Brow:
Well, after I picked up my girl friend and took her home, I played with the car. Here's what I found, the idle speed was set to 400, I turned the set screw up to 600 and all is well. I think when I last checked it, the choke might have been partially closed or something. But, when I went out today, engine at normal(195), idle speed was 400 and rough. And, the choke was completely open. Vacuum is steady at, 18" and no idle problems. Plus it starts with the flick of the key, unlike before where it took 3 tries before she would keep running. Overall, I'd like to thank everyone for their help. And, of course, Buicks are the best.
One thought is to check your fuel line. I just replaced 6 feet on my wagon after I was able to stick my finger right into the rubber hose. It was not only swelled but rotten as heck from heat. I litteraly just pushed my pinky into the hose from the side. I knew it wasn't that bad on gas and my major stumble went away. Matt uzzled:
