I would remove the 600 CFM carb, sell it and bolt on a Q jet from Everyday Performance... it will never run right with that carb...
Hi all, Tested the vacuum and it was approx 20 and jumping very slightly, about 1-2 wither way.......... I took off the drivers side valve cover off and can see the very rear valve spring, rocker and push rod (push rod is actually spinning in place) is not moving too much compared to the other ones that are moving pretty rapidly......... The nuts on the rail are tight and nothing appears to be loose on this side........ Would this indicate a worn lobe on the cam shaft?..........I have not pulled the other valve cover off yet (pain in the arse to get around the a/c and heater box) to compare to this side........I adjusted the distributer back and forth and also the idle screws on the carb to adjust the reading on the vacuum gauge form 16-22 just to see if any there was any difference in the jumping of the needle........Still had a jump from 1-2 off.............Thank you in advance for your help.
If one rocker is not moving like the others, yes, the cam lobe may be going flat. Take the whole rocker assembly off, and pull that push rod. Look for damage to the push rod or rocker.
Finally got the other valve cover off and all seem to be working good. One thing I noticed on this side is 2 of the round plastic push button things inside the rockers (keeps them in place) have broken off and were just sitting there. Need to replace those (any suggestions?). I will pull the 4 bolts on the rocker assembly and check the push rod and rocker. I am hoping it is not the cam. I am trying everything else first. Thanks again.
Push rod and rocker on that one appear to be in good condition, no obvious signs of damage or abnormal wear. I need to check all of the push rods as well, a couple that I pulled were clogged. I noticed there was no oil on the rockers on those 2......... I may be pulling a lot more apart on this than anticipated.........Also, oil pressure when started goes to 35+- psi then tapers off to 5-10 after reaching normal temp. That does not seem normal at all. Maybe no oil is getting to that one lobe.
you should get a oil pump booster plate and gasket shim kit for oil pump. hopefully you don't have any major problems but if you have plugged pushrods the rest of motor could need other work.
Yeah, I am looking at pulling the engine to take better look at other areas. Not really what I want to do at this time. I am going to disconnect A/C and other components because of limited space to work and cramped on the pass side. Any info or recommendations on gasket kits, camshaft, lifters, oil pump booster plate, etc. where to buy and maybe at reasonable costs.
Gaskets and oil pump plate can be ordered from autozone,O'Reillys, advancedauto or most auto parts stores.if you are going to pull engine , get a 5/8 pickup tube/sump and drill out oil passage from sump to oil pump to 1/2 inch.allows easier oil supply to pump.the taperformance 212 is popular but I heard Crower compu-pro level 2 or 3 are good torque cams.I have a set of standard size used hi compression piston if you want to go that way.then with a little head shaving and porting big ta valves igf you can swing it, and a ta310 cam you could really bump it up a notch.
Thanks for the input alec296. Unfortunately, this is a bit unexpected and funds are at a minimum for a larger build. I am looking to repair and replace what I need and get this back to working condition without substantial costs. I won't really know what I need until the engine comes out. Pretty sure I will need gasket kits for the engine.
Thank you LARRY70GS. I will pull the intake off and check inside. I am also going to do a compression test on the cylinders tonight to see if there are any other issues. I don't want to pull the engine. I have been hemin' an hawin' over it for a few days now and do not like the idea at all.
Test results from the compression test are in...................Engine normal operating temp, coil disconnected, all plugs removed, throttle wide open on carb...........Drivers side #1-75-80, #3-150, #5-152, #7-155.......Pass side #2-100, #4-150, #6-150, #8-150........The #7 (155) on the drivers side rear is the one that I can see the rocker arm and spring barely moving, which I think is the problem that I have been talking about, but has normal reading...... #1 & #2 are the front two that are pretty low (#1-75-80 & #2-100)........ I tried these two again and got the same reading........ Any and all ideas at this point are very much appreciated..........I am still taking off the intake as LARRY70GS suggested to have a looksee inside and see if there are any visible issues. Thank you to all for your help.
alec296.....I started to take the top end apart and saw your post...... I put everything back together and tried the test you mentioned with engine at normal temps and the #1 reading did not change (80-90)........#2 reading went up 10-15psi to 115-120 (last was 100).......Between the possible #7 exhaust valve lobe on the cam being worn, several push rods not having oil thru the holes, the #1 has possible valve issue and the #2 has possible ring or valve issues, I am pulling the motor and rebuilding........who knows what was previously done with a past rebuild 6-7 years ago by a prior owner.
Also, after running and bringing to temp, when I pulled the plugs, they still appear to be normal with no signs of oil or fuel on them.
NEW UPDATE: I pulled the whole front end off and pulled the motor. I was fed up with the tests and decided to pull it out. Took apart most of engine today. I am glad I did. The camshaft on #7 exhaust was round with no lobe. 4 others were rounded as well. The oil had some shavings and the oil pick up screen had a lot of shaving sucked into it. I still need to pull the pistons and crank....I am doing a rebuild at this point..........Is there a good complete rebuild kit out there with all the gaskets, bearings, camshaft & bearings, lifters, etc., not including the pistons, pushrods, valves, springs? I have looked around and kits seem to have either all items or half of the items. Any info would be great.
You have done a good job following all the suggestions the v8 group gave you; well done. I am no expert but I too suggest you get rid of that carb and get a good rebuilt Qjet from one of the experts here on this board. It sounds like the cam was not broken in with the right oil and wore the lobes off realy quick. Good luck with the rebuild.
