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Issues with my car

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Wow, thanks all for all the ideas. Can't wait to get out in the garage tomorrow to start in on it. Some things thay may help.

It is a 1098 engine not 1275. I have a 1275 sitting on an engine stand waiting for $ so I can rebuild it (or have Hap do it).

The distributor, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, coil, and fuel pump are all brand new.

The white smoke did not smell like gas or oil, in fact it did not smell much at all.

I can borrow a machined straight edge to check the head for truness, then if it is ok will put back together as TOC suggested and check the cam timing. That is a brilliant way to check it without having to pull everything off the front of the engine.

Thanks all again
Jeff
 
Were you running anti-freeze or straight water in the cooling system?

And, if head is straight, you really need to step up and get it pressure tested to make sure you don't have any cracks. Look closely at the combustion chamber and the ports, if you can't afford to have it properly tested.
 
Anti freeze

I'm not sure where to take the head around here to have it pressure tested. I did order a leakdown tester today so should be able to check that early next week.
 
Dave- don't bother rewriting this- I agree!
Jeff- Dave is saying that the crank to primary timing gear key may have sheared, I agree that this is VERY possible and does fit with the issue that it died as you were driving.
BillM
 
I don't know down there either. BillM might. Leakdown only works when it's all back together again...and if you've got a problem, it all has to come apart again.

Okay. Deep breath.
I just got off the phone with a forum member I know, who asked me to spell it out, where my troubleshooting is going.

We may or may not have a jumped chain.
However, we may have sheared the crank key, especially if the damper wasn't really, really tight or shims were wrong. If that happens, the gear starts to move on the crank, the metal shreds and shards can bind the gear to the crank.....for a while....not "in check" with the cam any longer. That also would indicate the drive dog being off....in relation to the crank, but not to the cam.

If you just stick some pushrods in #1, hold them in place with the fingers of one hand, other hand roll the engine, watching the piston, you'll know right now if there is a problem.

Okay first part done.

Second part, did you get gas after the ABFM?
And before it quit?

Third part, if the exhaust got red, the smoke may be all the carbon buildup inside the exhaust burning off...........
 
TOC,
I will try using a couple of pushrods and roll the engine over to see what happens.

I did not fill up with fuel after the ABFM.
I went ahead and drained the tank and refilled with new gas sometime since I have been trying to fix this.

Thanks again for your help
Jeff
 
Okay, good, that eliminates a half tank of water and poor running and lots of white smoke.
 
This is all checkable in under 30 min I suppose but darn if I know how to start. Check list only,

1. Put front piston at TDC. See Para B.6 (2) Make sure you are not 180 out.

2. Put Dizzy spindle at 2 oclock, See Para B.6 (4)

3. Replace Dizzy. See Para B.5 To Install. Rotor should point to plug #1

4. Check to see that #1 plug fires when rotor is pointing toward it if necessary. Use your timing light.

5. Fire it. If you have fuel and fire it will run.

6. If it did not run now and I did it I would next check timing again by using #1 instructions and then would check #2 again as well.

You do understand each of those items above could take a page of explaining. Like I said, easy to do hard to write.

Go slow, be very precise.
 
One thing I always do on a steel head at some point is go over every inch of it with a single edge razor blade. Its great for removing anything you can't see but also for finding cracks because it will hang on things pretty quickly.
 
TOC said:
I'm really surprised nobody has mention the coil yet. That always seems to fix them.
Click to expand...

:lol:

Man, no wonder my Z50 jumped time. :wall:



My guess is dizzy froze, cam spit it and the drive up and out of time. This may or may not have caused the chain to jump and/or sheared the key. IMO Dad is correct. Gotta start from square one.

Never thought about the key till you mentioned it. How bad are these things about shearing keys? I've seen a lot of small engines do it but never in a car.

My uncle lost the motor in his ' GTO this way. The guy he sold it to left the dizzy loose. Dizzy shot out and oil pump drive fell down into the rotating crank @ 5500 and took the side of the engine out.
 
not sure how it could spit the drive up as there is a preaty good sized casting holding it in there with a 7/16 bolt as well. Now if that bolt was not in place...

Hmmm, wonder if the dizzy was tight, clamping plate bolted but the Dizzy housing was not bolted allowing the geared slotted piece, what ever it is called, to jump a tooth.

Guess you could suck a valve, sheer a cam or some other sillyness but chances are thin.

In my humble opinion shearing a key on the crank just will not happen, chain would break first.
 
Boy, Jack, you must live on the good side of the tracks. Seen keys shear, partially shear, wobble, usually because the damper or cam gear retainer wasn't tight. You haven't lived until you've quoted a timing chain job, find out yeah, sheared, but did so because the damper was loose, the keyway in the CRANK is so wobbled out there is no saving the crank....so, needs a crank, timing chain, gears, timing cover, seals, gaskets, oh, and why not just ring it while you're in there....then you should address valves and guides.....
Like I said, Jack, if you ain't ever seen that, you live a very sheltered life.
 
Hmm, have never run an A 40 engine that I have not build. Solves a lot of problems.

I do farm out the machine work but specify what I want.

Course I have only had three BE's and built maybe 6 engines and 6 refreshes so I have lots of time to screw one up. lol
 
Here is an update.

I did as TOC suggested. Put in pushrods in #1 and #4. Put car in fourth gear and rolled back and forth. The cam and crank seem to be in time with one another. On one revolution the pushrods do not move (compression stroke). Rotate crank 360 and as you rock the car the pushrods alternate movement. As you can see from these pictures:

https://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/jmlook111/TDC/

The rotor is pointing to the #1 plug wire, piston is at TDC, notch on the damper aligns with the TDC pointer.

Any ideas before I put it back together?

Jeff
 
Sounds like you got it.

Gesh, I did not know you had it apart.
 
Jack-That's the whole point of checking this stuff this way. Head is off.
Can't do much else.

But, split overlap okay, rotor pointing to #1, good. Get the head sorted and on, we'll go from there.

I thought about dropping down there today (I was in Issaquah) but just not up to it.
 
Ok, I'm back (had to make a detour thru Cabo :cheers:) so this took a little longer to get back together. I had the car back together, head torqued, vales adjusted, timed, etc. It fired right up and started doing what it was before. Running at 2000-2500 RPM's. Couldn't get it to slow down. Watched water temp rise rapidly. I backed the idle adjust screws all the way off on both carbs with no effect. Then I put my hand over the intake on each of the carbs, no effect when on the rear carb, killed engine when over front carb. Engine was only running on the front carb. I pulled both carbs off again thinking I had some sort of vacuum leak in the front carb. Then I noticed the throttle disk was askew and would not close all the way. It was open enough to let the car run at the high RPM with the idle screws backed all the way out. I believe my lean condition was because the rear carb was doing nothing, causing those two cylinders to run very lean. I adjusted the disc to get it to close as much as possible. Here are some pictures of the disc and my attempt at shining a light thru the carb showing how much of a gap there still is.
https://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/jmlook111/Carb/
My question now is, how tight are these supposed to be? With the idle screw backed all the way out, should this be completely closed off or is some gap supposed to be there. If no gap is allowed is this as simple as replacing the disc or is the carb body shot?

Thanks again
Jeff
 
Jeff
I can't comment on how far the butterfly should close (don't know actual dimension) but it sounds like you found a large part of the problem. Now put it back together and give it a try.
Just think of all the troubleshooting skills that you are learning!
BillM
 
The discs must be physically capable of closing completely. If they will not close all the way there is something amiss in the linkage or they are assembled incorrectly. Once you get them to close freely you will be able to adjust them. Bob
 
I'm not sure if it shows up well on the picture, but one of the two holes that mount the disc to the throttle shaft is egged out pretty good. Is it supposed to be like that for adjustment or is that part of my problem?

Thanks again
Jeff
 
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