QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTOR HEALTH [Oil Smell, Coolant Temps, Black Spark Plugs, Loud Alternator]

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freedgguccii

freedgguccii

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Hey! This forum has been super helpful so far and I love it. I had a few more questions/concerns about my 440-3's Health.

1. My brand new spark plugs are CHARRED/BLACK on the tips, I'm thinking its a bad air/fuel mix but I'm not too sure.
2. Coolant POURS out on shutdown, I need to get an aftermarket gauge to see my accurate temps as my OEM gauge isn't too trustworthy, what's the thread for the coolant sender 440-3?
3. My new alternator HOWLS after some load on the motor, It's refurbished from NAPA if that helps
4. Oil still smells a tad like gas, NOW I have had this issue before when my Carb kept flooding my motor, But I'm thinking its too rich, causing it to still leak down from excess. Anyone else having this issue?

Sorry for the demanding questions! I just wanted to see if anyone could guide me in the right direction for all of this :] Thank You
 
The only water port on all RB&B and hemis gen2 is 1/4" pipe thread for factory temp gauge and it is on the water pump. I had to use a Meziere water neck # wn0028u to give me another water port for F.I. on my Hemi. Check the thermostat that it is opening fully, put it in a pan of water supported in water so doesn't touch bottom of pan and make sure it opens before boiling. If you can put a temp gauge in pan to see what temp. it opens. Do you mean soot black on the plugs? That is telltale sign of too rich. What carb are you running? Do you know specs on motor, compression and cam. More information is helpful for us to do long distance troubleshooting. Unless your not using heater other plug or nipple is I believe 3/8"pipe thread. You can always use the heater to help cool things down.
 
My suggestion would be to start with a through tune up, including a compression test.
 
tonysrt said:
The only water port on all RB&B and hemis gen2 is 1/4" pipe thread for factory temp gauge and it is on the water pump. I had to use a Meziere water neck # wn0028u to give me another water port for F.I. on my Hemi. Check the thermostat that it is opening fully, put it in a pan of water supported in water so doesn't touch bottom of pan and make sure it opens before boiling. If you can put a temp gauge in pan to see what temp. it opens. Do you mean soot black on the plugs? That is telltale sign of too rich. What carb are you running? Do you know specs on motor, compression and cam. More information is helpful for us to do long distance troubleshooting. Unless your not using heater other plug or nipple is I believe 3/8"pipe thread. You can always use the heater to help cool things down.
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Noted, I'll look into that.

And yes I should have clarified its black soot, I have a 4160 Holley! I do not know specs/compression/cam sadly, BUT in 2002 the motor was FULLY refreshed.
 
Be sure to check the power valve in the 4160 carburetor, that may be part of the problem.
 
How many miles are on this thing. Is it in the motorhome.

First thing that jumped out at me was that you've had flooding issues before. That may be a fairly low compression engine to begin with and if those rings got washed, it may be time for a rebuild. I think you may have more then one issue, especially with the overheating. I don't know if any members are close to you in the Nashville area, but it would sure help if someone knowledgeable could get their eyes on it.
 
OldmanRick said:
How many miles are on this thing. Is it in the motorhome.

First thing that jumped out at me was that you've had flooding issues before. That may be a fairly low compression engine to begin with and if those rings got washed, it may be time for a rebuild. I think you may have more then one issue, especially with the overheating. I don't know if any members are close to you in the Nashville area, but it would sure help if someone knowledgeable could get their eyes on it.
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Well I had flooding issues before because I tried to rebuild the carb and messed it up LOL. Got that resolved. And yes it is in the motorhome, Unsure of miles on motor sadly. Hopefully it didnt get washed, I haven't noticed any odd smoke or anything of sorts. I don't believe its overheating as my infrared thermometer was reading 140f at the front thermostat neck hose. The block read around 180-190 as well.
 
Just another thought, while not getting hot idling at home, a exhaust blockage will certainly cause it under a load. And that could also explain the black plugs.

As far as the alternator whine, it probably is just a faulty rebuild as long as the belt tension has been correct.
 
freedgguccii said:
2. Coolant POURS out on shutdown, I need to get an aftermarket gauge to see my accurate temps as my OEM gauge isn't too trustworthy, what's the thread for the coolant sender 440-3?
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Is it overheating, or normal operating temperature and just dumping coolant on shutdown? Most importantly, how far are you filling the radiator? DO NOT top it off. A radiator with just a coolant overflow hose, and not a coolant recovery system, only gets filled to the top of the core, or about 1"-1 1/2" below the filler at the most. Overfilling the radiator is just guaranteeing that it will puke coolant every time you shut down.
 
Professor Fate said:
Is it overheating, or normal operating temperature and just dumping coolant on shutdown? Most importantly, how far are you filling the radiator? DO NOT top it off. A radiator with just a coolant overflow hose, and not a coolant recovery system, only gets filled to the top of the core, or about 1"-1 1/2" below the filler at the most. Overfilling the radiator is just guaranteeing that it will puke coolant every time you shut down.
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Normal temps to my knowledge! Just dumps on shutdown, no sounds of boiling/doesn't feel or smell hot either. I need to check my levels again
 
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