Guest Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 Ive got a 71 skylark with a 350 4v(originally 2v but converted at some point with the 4v manifold and cab).I have put on performance HEI,adjusted kickdown to the max,and recently put on a rebuilt q-jet from a 73 350 to repalce post 76 carb that was on it.I did this because of extreme acceration problems.Runs alot better put still have problems when it warms up a little.Thought the carb would fix it.What else could it be?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 Did you check the timing and the compression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 Try what Tom said. Initial with the auto trans should be 10, but 12 is a bit better.<P>I would also think a 70 or 71 carb would work alot better as the 72+ have more epa junk on them each year. Check the choke coil and such, als check the idle mix. Also make sure the idle is set correctly. 600 in drive is what it should be (auto trans), make it (for simplicity), 900 in park. If you go over 1000 in park, it'll deisel on ya.<P>-Scott<BR>from the been there, done that a zillion times department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 What are the problems specifically? Sluggish? Pinging? Missing? Surging? Give more detailed info and we can be of more help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 The best term I guess would be sluggish.In the morning when I floor it from stand still the non posi rear burns rubber but ten minutes later it will not.Things Ive noticed wrong in general with my car which i dont know will help is what i think is a bad brake booster, slight leak in the intake manfold where some block off plate is(what is that?for the choke?)Bye the way timing is good.Thanks to all the knowledgable buick nuts here.Will be happy to answer any more questions for any infomation left out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 How's your choke? Sounds like it's running rich, which is fine when the engine is cold, but once it warms up, the car will be sluggish. Did you rebuild the carb that's on there now? Was it for a 350 or a 455? (jetting will be different) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 Thats a good question. Where can I pick up a stove choke? Used to be electric choke "170" carb.Bought the carb rebuilt from j+cs parts in new york which is supposed to be a buick specialtist,even told him my cars specs to better the rebuild.From my own investigating the carb looks to be from a 73 350 auto trans buick.Carb change seemed to have little to no effect on my annoying problem.Thanks GSMAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 If you don't have a choke stove, how does the buitterfly stay put? Is it locked wide open, floating? Is it there at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 I think it could also be lean. It runs ok when its cold because the choke gives it the extra gas it needs. Engines are more forgiving if they are running too rich than if they are too lean.<BR> I think that if it were running rich enough to hurt the power you would have black oil and spark plugs. What do they look like? <BR> If you smell gas when you step on it, it is too rich. If you smell oil it is too lean <p>[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: Tomsriv ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Thamks for the response! The butterfly is open.But even when I had the other "170" electric choke carb my problem was still there.I replaced that carb thinking that was causing a lean condition.Exhaust smells more of gas than anytihing.Will pull a plug out when I get home from work and will report back.By now I am wondering if this is even a carb issue.One thing I wanted to ask is what performance aspects can be affected by temperature? Even when there is no overheating. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2001 Share Posted September 18, 2001 Heat can cause increased electrical resistance. Is your electrical system in good shape? How about all the little wires going to the coil and ignition system? Have you replace your spark plug wires recently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Still havent had time to check a plug. But you bring up a very good point.When doing the hei conversion I used this crappy and very thin wire to power the coil.Probably a tach wire-only thing I had in my garage!Going to buy a new wire for the coil and see if that does anything.Thanks so very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 I have been reading through your posts and "sluggish" after its warmed-up is the problem your having??? Or is there more that I have missed??<P>A cool engine will make slightly more power than it does after its hot. It might be that after your car has warmed-up it doesn't have enough power to break the tires loose and be running perfect! What type of car and engine combination are you running? Your fist post noted a 350 I believe.<BR>Example:<BR>1973 skylark 350,4bbl, auto, 2:73 open Rear End with 225-70r15s. Also any hop-up stuff: cam, intake, whatever.<BR>I apologize if you have already provided that info and I missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 I see that it's a 71 skylark 350 2bbl that you have added a 4bbl and HEI. Again, if spinnig the tires from a dead stop is your only problem then I would bet there is no problem. Not enough Horsepower. What is probably hurting you the most is the rear end gearing, 2:73- 3:23 I would guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 I have a '71 2bbl, 2.56 open rear with 225/70's and she can spin the tires on most surfaces. Only from a standstill tho.<P>LiveWire, if the model number on yours is 44437, then it's the same as above, outside of the tires. ;-) For a lil added pep, make the initial 12*.<P>-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 HEI needs a full 12 volts to perform properly...the original points setup may have had resistance built into the wire used to power the coil.<P>Make sure you have full battery voltage to that HEI via a decent gage wire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest COMPACTBC Posted October 9, 2001 Share Posted October 9, 2001 Some very wise person once said, "MOST CARBURETOR PROBLEMS ARE ELECTRICAL". I recently had the same problem that you are having with my '64 Riviera, that is it ran OK when cold but when it got warmed up it was like someone hooked up an anchor to the back bumper. The cure was to put on a new coil, the old one dropped its voltage when it got hot. Give it a try, its a quick easy fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 9, 2001 Share Posted October 9, 2001 The hei set up is brand new and just hooked up the the correct power feed.I thought the power to the coil was suffering due the the fact I used the old points wire.Heres my new question, is it possible I could have damaged the coil by using the resistor wire?It is hooked up correctly now but still has same problem.Im not sure what else to check.I cant remember that well but I think I had this problem even when I had points. Any more suggestions or possible trouble spots? still very frustrated.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 9, 2001 Share Posted October 9, 2001 Also wanted to know where the heck can I get a choke stove? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 9, 2001 Share Posted October 9, 2001 The resistance wire shouldn't have hurt your coil. It would just give it less voltage. <BR>It sounds to me like maybe you should take it to a shop that has one of those cool scopes. They show what your ignition system is doing. It might be cheaper than just throwing parts at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfkurf Posted February 16, 2002 Share Posted February 16, 2002 Think Positive. If you can't burn rubber, your tires will last longer. You'll stop trying and will use less gas. Cheaper all around.<P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJVetteGuy Posted February 16, 2002 Share Posted February 16, 2002 Another quick thought, check your oil pressure. I've had a few 350s that were low on oil pressure, when the oil warmed up it was too thin to keep the lifters pumped up. They'd have balls to the wall until the oil got hot. Also, do you have your vacuum advance on port vacuum or manifold vacuum? The vacuum advance should use a vacuum port located above the throttle plates for a vacuum source. If the vac. advance gets manifold vacuum(source below the throttle plate) it could potentially work opposite of its intended design and retard the timing under load. As for the choke stove, I may have that in NOS. I'll look through my parts stash and let you know. Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now