Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 That little "choke piston" is often the gremlin. Plugs up over time. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I didn't realize the heat from stove returned to the vacuum of the manifold. Might be one of my problems. The tube connector at the carb is crossed threaded and sometimes comes loose. Good info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I didn't realize the heat from stove returned to the vacuum of the manifold. Might be one of my problems. The tube connector at the carb is crossed threaded and sometimes comes loose. Good infoOpen vacuum leak can ruin an entire day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 That loose connection could suck in cooler air and keep the choke from opening fully.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 More importatantly, a vacuum leak will cause issues running cold or hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 (edited) Chris, that vacuum is orificed, very small and will not affect performance. It pulls air all the time whether hot or cold air, makes no difference to the engine, just the choke. (He is already worrying enough with other issues). TJ55 Edited May 30, 2013 by TexasJohn55 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Then I beg off the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Why Chris, you are correct about vacuum leaks just not that leak. Forums are about opinions, don't take it personal. TJ55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Why Chris, you are correct about vacuum leaks just not that leak. Forums are about opinions, don't take it personal. TJ55And the reasoning for begging off the thread, you understand this particular carb set up more than I do. Therefore, participation on my part will only confuse things. No worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 (edited) Chris, just my philosophical point of view..........I have learned alot in life from those who cared enough to correct me when I was wrong, mistaken or mislead. I view correction as another opportunity to learn something. If not corrected, I am doomed to stumble along as before or to repeat my same mistakes. I appreciate correction as it benefits me. TexasJohn Edited May 30, 2013 by TexasJohn55 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 More importatantly, a vacuum leak will cause issues running cold or hot. Sorry Chris, I misinterpreted your statement, it is precisely correct because this leak at the choke WILL affect the running both cold and hot, mixture will be off depending on how it was adjusted. TJ55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Made an adjustment to the carb choke and will see how it starts in the morning. Today I un plugged the vacuum advance and plugged. Wow! Much more power. I recently purchased a new MSD distributor and it came with the two heaviest springs sets installed. Later we changed to the two lightest springs. So, I guess we will install a little heavy springs tomorrow. Day by day I am getting there. Next week we are going to try Willie method to repair rear oil main leak. The engine builder said since I bought overhaul repair kit, and he installed the parts correctly and if we pull the engine he will look into it and advise. But takes no responsibility. I should have had Jasper Engine rebuild the engine, at least I would have a warrantee and I understand Jasper will pay for removal and re install labor chargers, if engine needs re worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Did win my class in car show this past weekend but Wished the car would run as good as it looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Bill, 1) I am baffled that it drives better with the vacuum advance plugged. I could understand if wide open throttle but normal driveability should have suffered. 2) I would be irate with that engine builder if mine,(glad it's not). He should have given you the courtesy of checking out the pulsing and low vacuum and rear seal leak himself while in the car. How can he diagnose whats wrong if you take the engine to him not runnable unless he has an engine dyno. What can he do, tear it down and miss the problem again? Man that burns my _ _ _! Sorry for the rant.......no I'm not. I hate seeing someone get blown off like that! TexasJohn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Made an adjustment to the carb choke and will see how it starts in the morning. Today I un plugged the vacuum advance and plugged. Wow! Much more power. I recently purchased a new MSD distributor and it came with the two heaviest springs sets installed. Later we changed to the two lightest springs. So, I guess we will install a little heavy springs tomorrow. Day by day I am getting there. Next week we are going to try Willie method to repair rear oil main leak. The engine builder said since I bought overhaul repair kit, and he installed the parts correctly and if we pull the engine he will look into it and advise. But takes no responsibility. I should have had Jasper Engine rebuild the engine, at least I would have a warrantee and I understand Jasper will pay for removal and re install labor chargers, if engine needs re worked.Looks like trial and error with the new MSD distributor. My I ask, does the MSD vacuum advance require vacuum from a port off the carb or the manifold? I will take a poke here, some vacuum advances are adjustable. Is yours adjustable? It might be a situation were you lock out the vacuum advance all together. I believe MSD do have this option. Edited May 31, 2013 by avgwarhawk (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 That engine builder's a doozy. The thing that makes me angriest is that this situation can potentially turn a guy against great old machinery. You've talked about LS-swaps in this car, and that wouldn't even be on the table had the guy done his job right or at least owned up to it...everyone makes mistakes, but doesn't this guy value his reputation at all? When people do right by me, I recommend them to anybody who asks, and a lot of people ask me about car repair because I own four old cars and everybody knows I like them. I'm truly sorry that you've had to get into a mess that was probably unnecessary. I'm glad you're gaining skills and experience, which is always helpful around old cars, but it doesn't change the root cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadmaster75 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Made an adjustment to the carb choke and will see how it starts in the morning. Today I un plugged the vacuum advance and plugged. Wow! Much more power. I recently purchased a new MSD distributor and it came with the two heaviest springs sets installed. Later we changed to the two lightest springs. So, I guess we will install a little heavy springs tomorrow. Day by day I am getting there. Next week we are going to try Willie method to repair rear oil main leak. The engine builder said since I bought overhaul repair kit, and he installed the parts correctly and if we pull the engine he will look into it and advise. But takes no responsibility. I should have had Jasper Engine rebuild the engine, at least I would have a warrantee and I understand Jasper will pay for removal and re install labor chargers, if engine needs re worked.BillBefore you change from the lightest springs (in my opinion..those are the correct ones for your 264 2BBL)consider:1.) you should probably have the "red" or, "silver" advance stop bushing with those springs; based on your motor and how you drive it.2.) The MSD vacuum advance should be connected to 15 lbs of Vacuum at the carburetor... not manifold vacuum.Because these are very precisely calibrated distributors (more so than stock)you MAY be seeing better throttle response on centrifugal advance alone ... the light springsallow the advance curve to begin right about 600 RPM. All the other springs (heavier) begin at well above 1000 rpm...too much foryour motor and cruising.So, after checking the aboveyou may want to try using the "vacuum advance lock-out" setting as described in your MSD book before you change those springs from the lightest.Our mission here is to prevent an LS conversion...! BTW, if you have a good engine/speed shop with a goodchassis dyno; ALL this tuning stuff can be done in a day.... money well spent.... my opinions, of course.mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Bill, 1) I am baffled that it drives better with the vacuum advance plugged. I could understand if wide open throttle but normal driveability should have suffered. 2) I would be irate with that engine builder if mine,(glad it's not). He should have given you the courtesy of checking out the pulsing and low vacuum and rear seal leak himself while in the car. How can he diagnose whats wrong if you take the engine to him not runnable unless he has an engine dyno. What can he do, tear it down and miss the problem again? Man that burns my _ _ _! Sorry for the rant.......no I'm not. I hate seeing someone get blown off like that! TexasJohnBill You don't need to remove the engine to fix the seal! And I don't see any other reason to do it at this time.Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Wille, We hope to try the wire method you show in your web site next week. The car builder not the engine builder is going to work at no charge since he told me how good he was and how many engine's he had done for he without ever a problem. Of course I took his word he was good. I wished I had Jasper Engines do the job because if they make a mistake, they will pay for removal and re install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Mike, ok will try the next stop up for distributor. I am going to take carb back apart to adjust the floats lower. it hestitated at a stop sign and died yesterday on the way home, which it had not died for a while ,it sounds much better at idle and has much more power. it was hard to start and finally pumped the gas and it started this morning. The choke is still connected but may need to dial it CW a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Mike, ok will try the next stop up for distributor. I am going to take carb back apart to adjust the floats lower. it hestitated at a stop sign and died yesterday on the way home, which it had not died for a while ,it sounds much better at idle and has much more power. it was hard to start and finally pumped the gas and it started this morning. The choke is still connected but may need to dial it CW a little.The pedal always needs to be depressed before starting a cold motor. Carbureted engines that is. In doing so it allows the accelerator pump to shoot some gas in the venturi. It sets the choke as well. I pump my gas pedal twice before turning the key. Do not press the pedal to the floor as it might unload the choke. Just press it halfway one or twice. She should start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Looks like trial and error with the new MSD distributor. My I ask, does the MSD vacuum advance require vacuum from a port off the carb or the manifold? I will take a poke here, some vacuum advances are adjustable. Is yours adjustable? It might be a situation were you lock out the vacuum advance all together. I believe MSD do have this option.AVGwarhawk, it is connected direct to the carb. but I will read the instructions to see where it should be connected. I think this distributor has advance lock out. I will try a different "advance stop" next week. I am giving it a rest this week end. I am ready for wipers so, being impatient, I ordered an electric yesterday. Now if need be I can use the vacuum connection off the manifold that I used for wipers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 One of the most confusing items I believe is the vacuum readings method. The general published info out there, state idle between 800-1200 and I am told new cars are more in that range. The big question with the charts published gives and indicates what may be wrong with your engine at different psi. My Buick manual give me 450rpm as my idle. Now since the charts are set up on 800 - 1200 rpm, should I run my rpm's up in order to work the charts. I really like the one on the internet "secondchancegarage.com whereas there's several scenarios and each one displays the needle actually moving and gives you dx. The problem is, it does not state rpm's , just states idle. Well, who's idle? My opinion, I should run my rpm's up to match the chart distributed by international-auto.com I called the fellow in the tech support at International and I could not get a straight answer from him. If i run my rpm's up to 800 rpm then I am in the range of 17-21psi of vacuum. Nobody seems to really know the answer to this question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 This is how I would handle the chart since it starts at 800 rpm. Since your idle should be 450 I would half the value for advance showing on the chart for 800. So, if the advance shows 10 degrees at 800 make yours 5 degrees at 450. Just a method I would try. It is trial and error. The fellas at BuickV8.com went through trial and error with their MSD distributors. They got theirs dialed in. I'm certain yours will get dialed in with some tinkering. I can say with certainty that these 264 can idle very smoothly and provide ample power for any driving condition short a 1/4 mile challenge with a top fuel dragster. She is a torque producer. Keep at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Avg, I experienced the same vacuum readings with the stock distributor. With 800 to 900 rpm my gauge needle settles in and psi is up. The reading is about 17 to 18 psi. But wild at 450, 650 etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Anyone got a clue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Fresh out here except already posted observations. My 264 idles on 17". John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 John, I assume that is at 450 rpm and needle is steady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 If the vacuum gauge is all over the map off idle then I would think the engine would be running eradically. Is it? If not, is your vacuum gauge reading currectly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Chris, since I don't know how a good running 264 nailhead runs like, I don't know. I know it has little power and hard to start. Hestitates when I began to give it gas and around curves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Chris, since I don't know how a good running 264 nailhead runs like, I don't know. I know it has little power and hard to start. Hestitates when I began to give it gas and around curvesWhich is a shame. I can burn the clutch out in second gear with the torque of my 264. I know these 264 are not rockets but they are very capable with today's driving conditions. It is not unusual to slide up next to a BMW running 65 mph on the highway to have him make a double take on the 59 year old Buick being driven like it was stolen. With the numerous issues you are experiencing I would have hoped you would have stuck with a OE distributor. The reason I say this is introducing the HEI also introduced new problems in making that distributor work correctly. Need to address one issue at a time. At this point, if the car was mine, I would get a good known/working OE distributor. I would install the distributor and assure it was dead nuts working as designed. I would not go any further until that task is complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Chris, since I don't know how a good running 264 nailhead runs like, I don't know. I know it has little power and hard to start. Hestitates when I began to give it gas and around curves Continuing saga.. Now your floats are too low and choke too lean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 A person walked into a showroom in 1954, tried out a new Buick and paid more than the cost of a Ford, Chevy, Pontiac, Plymouth, Dodge, and a whole host of lesser cars. They were smooth, quiet, and reliable. The term "driveability problems" didn't even surface until the government started writing the specs on cars. They started in the morning, ran smooth, and were good enough to command a premium price. While you are driving, ask yourself if you would spend the equivalent of $25,000 on it today. If you wouldn't something ain't right.Last time I was looking for a new "family" type car I was replacing my '94 Roadmaster. After trying out new cars in the $20,000 to $30,000 range I realized I was comparing a 15 year old $30,000 car to new $30,000 or less cars. Then I figured out why Tahoes are $50,000.The '55 Buick is just a good running car. In about 2 hours I am wrapping up work for the day, opening the garage, instantly starting a 50 year old 401, backing smoothly out and zoop; into town for coffee. No hiccups, no burps, no farting just like they did it 50 years ago.I know, I owned this one 47 years ago: Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest btate Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I just drove the car a few minutes ago after last carb float adjustment. It hesitates worse. Engine sounds awful. sounds like a rod knocking but not being a car /engine expert, I am not sure what the noise is. Will try to adjust bleeder needles again, stop up the manifold fitting and it seems too far retarded, so will advance some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) Oh how I wish you lived in Texas, we would come visit, BS, drink cold tea(?) and get that puppy straightened out! Ain't that right boys?! Don't you have any members around Knoxville that is interested in helping out a fellow enthusiast? JohnEdit: correction on Knoxville, that should be Chattanooga! Edited June 6, 2013 by TexasJohn55 correction (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadmaster75 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Yeah, I like that idea, John ... or,how about a traveling BCA version of Overhaulin' where we all pitch in and tune crap out of Bill's'55 ... then he buys us some steaks and Martinis ....... then .... on to CountryWill's to unchain his Straight 8 !!!! (that might cost him more thansteaks & martinis, tho!)How much we got in the BCA coffers for a travelin' road show like that?!?!I'd sign up for some summer good deeds like that.mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 mike, roger that. Did I ever tell you what a beauty that silver 58 is? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 how about a traveling BCA version of Overhaulin' where we all pitch in and tune crap out of Bill's'55 ... then he buys us some steaks and Martinis ....... then .... on to CountryWill's to unchain his Straight 8 !!!! (that might cost him more thansteaks & martinis, tho!)How much we got in the BCA coffers for a travelin' road show like that?!?!As long as Robert is in attendance and writing tech articles along the way for the Bugle, I'll endorse it! (Steak and Martini dependent, of course!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Man, I have seen a picture of THAT brother. He might need a steak and a half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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