Glowing red exhaust

Only on an old Chevy 6 cyl. The ignition timing was way retarded and basically was firing into a partially opened exhaust valves. Advanced the timing to specs and all was okay. I suppose the ignition timing could be @ or near TDC but the valve timing off and give the same symptoms.

-- Jarhead

What part of the exhaust is glowing red, exhaust manifold or converter ?

They can get pretty hot normally. Usually retarded timing and/or a lean mixture will cause them to after burn in exhaust manifold and heat it up further.

I would be looking for a lean fuel mixture or a vacuum leak. Ask ckeck ignition timing and check to be sure the cam timing was set correctly when the timing chain was replaced.

Agree....Last time I brought it in they adjusted the timing via distributor and tweaked it to improve the acceleration. However, it is still there. I did checkfor vacuum leaks and fixed one but red glow is still there.

If a vacuum line is connected wrong could that also cause this? What damage can a glowing red exhaust cause?

Bill

Mike wrote:

Does the truck fuel injection or a carburator ? Did you have this problem before the repairs ?

I would hook it up to a scan tool and check for codes. Also, look at your sensor values such as O2, coolant temp, air flow.... The folks who did the timing chain could have damaged a sensor or wiring harness.

Does the check engine light come on when you first turn the key on without starting the truck ? It should , that is the bulb check. Does it come on or stay on when the truck is running ?

The check engine light does come on without starting. After starting/running, it goes away. IThe last time I had a problem the check engine light came on. I jumped a few on the test unit and found my O2 sensor down pipe on the exhaust was bad. This new was $180 but found a brand new in box on ebay for $40. got lucky.... The only other thing I can think of is the throttle position sensor may be bad. When testing the O2 sensore the TPS was another alternative.

How about this. I noticed a small cap associated with the fuel injection system was broke off. Under the cap on the round post type thing was a small filter. Would this cap being removed cause any issue?

Bill

Mike wrote:

To summarize this string for a glowing red exhaust manifold. Fuel is being burned in the exhaust probably by the exhaust valves opening too early and letting the fuel out.

The possible causes are:

1. Timing gears/chain were put on wrong
2. TPS sensor may be bad. (This is not likely since the truck runs well)
3. O2 sensor is bad (Not likely, I replaced it 1.5 years ago with a new one and check engine light went away)
4. Timing is still off. (They said they adjusted it and performance improved but glow was still there)
5. Sensor wiring harness may have been damaged. (not likely since the check engine light operates correctly)
6. Fuel injection problem (not likely since I have never had this problem and truck runs good)
7. Vacuum leak (Found one could not find anymore)
8. Incorrectly attached vacuum lines

Given the above, the only things left to verify are:

1. Timing gears/chain put on wrong.
2. Incorrectly attached vacuum line

Anyone have anything else to add?

Bill

South4t wrote:

had this problem one time on GM vehicle ...350 engine, old style HEI distributor. Turned out to be an issue with the distributor. Replaced internal part "pole piece ? " and problem fixed. I don't know if toyota offers service parts for your distributor or not. You need to know if the truck is advancing the timing as it should. Do not continue to operate the vehicle with this condition.

I suspect a timming issue somewhere... I would find another shop to check it out...if the people who made the recent repairs cannot fix it.

In my case I had made some adjustments to my car at the time (78 z/28) and I was riding around that evening to see how it performed. I had been testing the wide open function of the throttle for some time that night and I stopped and opened the hood while the car was running and just about had a heart attack. Night time...not much light where I stopped.....exhaust manifolds partially cherry red. Not good at all.

----------- Elbert snipped-for-privacy@me.com

I doubt it. The cap was most likely just a cover for the filter,

I done a similar cockup with my old truck, pulled out the distributor and put it back one tooth out, does yours have multiple teeth or will it only go in one way.