Need Advice on Engine

[Skweegle89]

I don't think you have major motor problems. I think you need to correctly set your timing and tune your carb. I think oreilleys will rent you a timing gun so you can do it correctly.


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[Skweegle89]

When you drained the oil, did it smell like gas?


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[creativesteveo]

Setting the timing would be a good thing for sure,

Honestly the whole garage smelled like gas because of what we were doing.
There's so much oil on everything under the engine. There's a leak somewhere... And oil is covered on everything from the oil pan till the rear transfer case. It's insane. I've never seen so much oil. I hope the new oil sending unit and valve cover gaskets will help that.

 

[creativesteveo]

I forgot to mention....

There's also been this strange popping noise that happens on occasion. It's not the engine back firing. It comes from the back driver side of the engine. Seems to stop when the engine runs for a bit.

 

[Skweegle89]

Setting the timing would be a good thing for sure,

Honestly the whole garage smelled like gas because of what we were doing.
There's so much oil on everything under the engine. There's a leak somewhere... And oil is covered on everything from the oil pan till the rear transfer case. It's insane. I've never seen so much oil. I hope the new oil sending unit and valve cover gaskets will help that.

Wipe off the back of the intake where it meets the heads, back by where you just put the sending unit. When you doing tests over the next couple days check to see if it's leaking. If your intake was put on using the rubber pieces that come with gasket sets, it may be leaking. Another thing a vacuum gauge will tell you.


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[Skweegle89]

You have a couple of guys on here now that can help you better than I can, so I'm going to step out and watch. Hope you get it figured out soon bud.


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[creativesteveo]

Thanks Skweegle89!

 

[350runner]

If it won't start try turning the distributor back in the opposite direction a little bit. Personally I would do the valve lash with the of engine off like in the videos I posted. That's a sure fire way to get them very close to spot on then if you want to make increment adjustments from there you can always make adjustments back if need be. A back fire out of one cylinder it could be a spark plug, wire, cap, or valves out of adjustment.. timing gun is necessary tho.

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[creativesteveo]

Tried working on my truck again today.

Took me a while to get it started, I had to stomp on the gas a lot until it finally turned over. It started up and it was squealing like crazy so I tightened the alternator and that went away. (Small Victory!) It was running pretty rough so I twisted the distributor a bit but it still sounds like ****. I uploaded a quick video so you can hear how awful it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmCw680LEYo

At the end of the video I noticed that the PCV valve was no longer sealed to the passenger side valve cover. Not sure if this is a huge issue or not. I'm guessing I just need a new grommet. Anyways, I tried twisting the screws on the carburetor to see if that would help the engine run faster. Seemed not to do much of anything. I set that back to where they were.

After this I heard that if there is any moisture in the distributor that can be a problem so I killed the engine and took the cap off. It was bone dry. I threw the cap back and then I couldn't get the truck to turn over. The first time I turned the key I heard a loud whirring noise, after that it just sounded like it didn't want to turn over. I tried to get it going, stomping the gas for about 5-10 minutes and now my battery is dead and all I get is that sad buzzing sound.

FML.


-Steve

 

[350runner]

Please do not keep making adjustments without the proper tools... (vacuum gauge and timing gun) it's like the blind leading the blind.... and you can ruin a good engine that way. You have issues that require the proper tools.

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[creativesteveo]

ok, i'll put that stuff on my list of things to pick up.

 

[rich weyand]

Check your battery cables. That's a common failure mode and cheap and easy to fix. The cables oxidize inside the insulation with no external sign. This failure mode can be temperature dependent, as the break may be reconnected by expanding/shrinking/sagging/stiffening wires and insulation. Any cables over 10 years old are suspect.

How to check the cables. After you recharge the battery, connect a voltmeter set for DC volts to both ends of the cable, then have someone try to crank the engine over. If you get more than a half a volt or so across the cable, the cable is shot. Note there are two cables to check: the positive cable from the battery to the starter, and the negative cable from the battery to the alternator bracket.

You also want to make sure the ground strap is connected between the engine and the firewall so the ignition switch and the starter agree on what zero volts is.

Here is where it is:

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[rich weyand]

Please do not keep making adjustments without the proper tools... (vacuum gauge and timing gun) it's like the blind leading the blind.... and you can ruin a good engine that way. You have issues that require the proper tools.

^^^ x2

 

[350runner]

ok, i'll put that stuff on my list of things to pick up.

Trust me even if you buy a new engine you'll probably end up using them. Right now your playing darts blind folded.

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[Skweegle89]

Does anybody recall that I posted almost that same video on my build thread a month ago? Obviously different problems can cause similar results but as stated above, time you engine and set your idle mixture correctly. Check your oil for thinning and gas smell. Pull those spark plugs, because I'm 90% sure they are going to be fouled. It could just be a bad vacuum leak, but the best way to determine that is with a Vac gauge. I hope your diagnosis comes back better than mine. Also, check and double check that your spark plug wires are in the correct firing order.


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