/6 Matt
30 Degrees Crooked
Sorry this is non-mopar related.
Dad has an '85 Chevy Silverado 2WD Long Bed truck (which I would like to have some day [GASP!]) and it came stock with a 305 and a 4-speed auto. I think if I remember what the O'Reallys? guy told us, it has a 42RE or something with a 42 in it. Anyways, it now has a GM Goodwrench 350 Crate Motor in it (not sure which model) and it has the 4 Barrel Quadrajet (I wanted to say Thermoquad).
The truck suddenly one morning would hardly start and wouldn't stay running. Dad said he thought he had moisture under the dizzy cap and I agreed that it might. Well we took the cap off, dry. Put it back on, same issue. Dad starts looking at his wires (which btw are routed under the exhaust manifolds up against the block :banghead
and sees that some had the insulation rubbed off on from touching and vibrating on the firewall and the manifolds. So dad went ahead and replaced the wires (grant it, when dad bought this truck a year ago, he did NOTHING but drive it. No oil change, tuneup, tranny service, NOTHING) and after replacing the wires and fighting with foggy, sleepy minds to get the right wires on the right plugs and quintuple checking, it ran better but still the same issue.
At this point, the truck cranks, and runs real rough and peters out in ~10 seconds unless you keep your foot on the gas.
While screwing with the wires and occasionally test starting the truck, dad observes "Wow! These manifolds get super hot really fast!" Now at one point, for some reason, dad holds the choke closed after I start it and VOILA! It stays running. BUT its idling very high, like 1800 rpm I would guess and its missfiring so bad that it sounds like gunshots out the exhaust in the back.
Dad's solution: Get new plugs (like that's really the issue) and I humored him simply because I new the truck needed a tuneup and we are at this point in time, halfway done with the tuneup between new plugs and wires.
No change in the truck.
Dad's suspicion/diagnosis: Burnt valve(s). His basis: I think the valves in his head are burnt, no I haven't said that to him, I'd probably get a slap upside my head if I did.
My suspicion/diagnosis: Its a Chevy, just kidding I think its A MASSIVE vaccum leak causing a very lean condition. My basis: 1. The truck only runs with the choke shut, still idles high and missfires like crazy with the choke closed completely. B. The exhaust manifolds are getting too hot too fast. Lastly, the truck was running hot a few weeks ago and he discovered that it was low on coolant, after adding coolant the truck still fluctuated between 205-230 F (normal operating temp is 210 F which I feel like Chevy pushes it with those kind of temps, but whatever, OM knows best.)
Granted, I'm only 19 and only have 8 years experience. Dad's 56 and has 35+ years of experience. Mom overheard him state burnt valves and went pale because a year and a half ago, he blew up the motor in his Dakota and we still haven't swapped the motor from my brother's donor truck into his truck. A year ago my sister's van crapped out. While swapping the engines, we discovered upon pulling the pan that the number 1 or 3 piston disintegrated and bent a rod, but that's another story. A month ago, her boyfriend's Neon had it's water pump **** on the Interstate which took out the timing belt and probably bent every valve on the head (god I love zero-tolerance motors!) and now dad's truck is decomissioned.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I right now have a crippling car, transporting two people back and forth to work, a '92 4WD Dakota almost finished after a front seal replacement on the trans, a Plymouth minivan waiting to have it's brand new motor dropped in, a Neon halfway to having it's head pulled off (guess what I'm gonna do after I get off here) a Chevy that won't run, another 92 Dakota waiting on a motor swap, and 89 Dodge van that I wouldn't even register to drive cause it runs so bad (I'm at a loss on that one) A 95 Dakot donor that's waiting for it's motor to be pulled, tranny dropped and rear end stolen before we scrap the damn thing AND top it all off, I got a '65 Falcon that I started body work on almost 4 years ago and got the front clip sanded, the interior stripped and the rot cut out the floorboards before taking a 3 year hiatis due to lack of time. I can't have another project car going on here and mom's gonna have a second stroke and her parkinsons is gonna shake her head off her neck if we have another massive project/repair go underway on our daily drivers.
Dad has an '85 Chevy Silverado 2WD Long Bed truck (which I would like to have some day [GASP!]) and it came stock with a 305 and a 4-speed auto. I think if I remember what the O'Reallys? guy told us, it has a 42RE or something with a 42 in it. Anyways, it now has a GM Goodwrench 350 Crate Motor in it (not sure which model) and it has the 4 Barrel Quadrajet (I wanted to say Thermoquad).
The truck suddenly one morning would hardly start and wouldn't stay running. Dad said he thought he had moisture under the dizzy cap and I agreed that it might. Well we took the cap off, dry. Put it back on, same issue. Dad starts looking at his wires (which btw are routed under the exhaust manifolds up against the block :banghead
and sees that some had the insulation rubbed off on from touching and vibrating on the firewall and the manifolds. So dad went ahead and replaced the wires (grant it, when dad bought this truck a year ago, he did NOTHING but drive it. No oil change, tuneup, tranny service, NOTHING) and after replacing the wires and fighting with foggy, sleepy minds to get the right wires on the right plugs and quintuple checking, it ran better but still the same issue.At this point, the truck cranks, and runs real rough and peters out in ~10 seconds unless you keep your foot on the gas.
While screwing with the wires and occasionally test starting the truck, dad observes "Wow! These manifolds get super hot really fast!" Now at one point, for some reason, dad holds the choke closed after I start it and VOILA! It stays running. BUT its idling very high, like 1800 rpm I would guess and its missfiring so bad that it sounds like gunshots out the exhaust in the back.
Dad's solution: Get new plugs (like that's really the issue) and I humored him simply because I new the truck needed a tuneup and we are at this point in time, halfway done with the tuneup between new plugs and wires.
No change in the truck.
Dad's suspicion/diagnosis: Burnt valve(s). His basis: I think the valves in his head are burnt, no I haven't said that to him, I'd probably get a slap upside my head if I did.
My suspicion/diagnosis: Its a Chevy, just kidding I think its A MASSIVE vaccum leak causing a very lean condition. My basis: 1. The truck only runs with the choke shut, still idles high and missfires like crazy with the choke closed completely. B. The exhaust manifolds are getting too hot too fast. Lastly, the truck was running hot a few weeks ago and he discovered that it was low on coolant, after adding coolant the truck still fluctuated between 205-230 F (normal operating temp is 210 F which I feel like Chevy pushes it with those kind of temps, but whatever, OM knows best.)
Granted, I'm only 19 and only have 8 years experience. Dad's 56 and has 35+ years of experience. Mom overheard him state burnt valves and went pale because a year and a half ago, he blew up the motor in his Dakota and we still haven't swapped the motor from my brother's donor truck into his truck. A year ago my sister's van crapped out. While swapping the engines, we discovered upon pulling the pan that the number 1 or 3 piston disintegrated and bent a rod, but that's another story. A month ago, her boyfriend's Neon had it's water pump **** on the Interstate which took out the timing belt and probably bent every valve on the head (god I love zero-tolerance motors!) and now dad's truck is decomissioned.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I right now have a crippling car, transporting two people back and forth to work, a '92 4WD Dakota almost finished after a front seal replacement on the trans, a Plymouth minivan waiting to have it's brand new motor dropped in, a Neon halfway to having it's head pulled off (guess what I'm gonna do after I get off here) a Chevy that won't run, another 92 Dakota waiting on a motor swap, and 89 Dodge van that I wouldn't even register to drive cause it runs so bad (I'm at a loss on that one) A 95 Dakot donor that's waiting for it's motor to be pulled, tranny dropped and rear end stolen before we scrap the damn thing AND top it all off, I got a '65 Falcon that I started body work on almost 4 years ago and got the front clip sanded, the interior stripped and the rot cut out the floorboards before taking a 3 year hiatis due to lack of time. I can't have another project car going on here and mom's gonna have a second stroke and her parkinsons is gonna shake her head off her neck if we have another massive project/repair go underway on our daily drivers.
