Will not stay runningsounds like there is a heavy miss. New spark plugs (NGK) and alternator. I pulled a spark plug and looked black and smelled like fuel. I need to adjust the rocker arms because I hear a tap from the valve cover. Any information would be helpfully.
All of the plugs look the same? The compression is good? You have looked for vacuum leaks? You have checked the timing?
--scott
This is probably going to be a process of troubleshooting. First, find out if it is an ignition problem.
You can buy a very cheap spark plug tester which will allow you to evaluate the spark from each cable as the engine is running. That will give you a point to work from.
If you find, for example, that one or two cables routinely misfire, look at the individual cables (if they are not integrated into the cap), and at the distributor cap. I have seen some similar cars that were prone to get water, splash or condensation, inside the distributor. If that happens you may burn a carbon trace inside the distributor cap and you will have this type of problem.
In some cases, you can wash out the cap with WD-40 to get the water out, and you may be able to restore ignition.
Let us know what you find.
Hey, sounds like you have a ignition system problem. Scott gave you some good advise to go on. He mensioned check for spark with a spark checker, if you dont have one and can't afford one you can do a "cylinder power balance test" very easy. - one cylinder at a time with the engine running you, disable spark to the cylinder by removing the spark plug wire from the top of the distributer from that cylinder. Now when you remove the spark from the cylinder it should make the car drop in rpm and run like crap if it DOES NOT drop in rpm or make the car run crappy than you found your problem cylinder. You mensioned the spark plug looked black and smelled like fuel. Whenever you pull a spark plug out it will always smell like fuel, and the black color is normal BUT if the black color is oil deposit than you have an oil cunsumsion problem, and you did mension you had a bad lifter ticking. If thats the case than you could have some worn valve guides or piston rings, and this will cause hard starting, misfiring and hesitation. --Dereck
I had an '85 doing the same thing. Check for vacuum or air leaks. Mine came down to a crack in the intake hose, on the underside where the flutes in the hose are.
New hose, $65. Duct Tape, $2.99...
How many miles/what condition? Tapping from under the valve cover? Drive it till it drops.
They are fun cars to drive though, aren't they? I had an '85 GTS a few years ago.
yes they all look the same, i have yet to obtain a compression gauge, i didnt see any vacuum leaks upon visual inspection nor did i hear anything but i will double check, timing i have not yet looked at,
it is possible the O2 sensor is out therefore causing the computer to dump more fuel into the compression chamber therefore flooding the system causing it to miss or not turn over?
i have not yet picked up a spark plug tester but i do know that the wires and distributor cap and rotor have all been changed resently but i will check to make sure there hasnt been any damage done in the installation process.
yes i was just going to pull each plug to find out where the miss was but the car does not stay on long enough for me to run the test
after a visual inspection i did not see any vacuum leaks, the tapping im just going to adjust the lifters, i would have to say less than
130000 miles on the motor we dropped a new motor in that had only about 50000 on it
I'd check compression first. Did the problem happen slowly or suddenly?
I doubt it could cause that severe a problem, but disconnect it and see what happens. If the engine runs much better with the sensor disconnected, the sensor is a problem.
But I don't think the sensor is the issue, it's more likely to be timing or air. It's easy enough to rule out, though.
--scott
Does the oil smell like fuel? AAP diaphragm in carb is common fault...
ok what i have done so far is installed a new O2 sensor and seems to run a little better but still rough idk if the computer needs to relearn or what. As far as the hard start i am in the process of testing the voltage from the ignition coil but i must ask do i need to have KOEO and have the black lead on ground and positive where the ignition coil wire comes out? I have the specs on how much it should read also where is the connector or wires i need to test for the primary side? Also do you no the specs for rocker arm adjustment? i looked in a hanes manual and i think it is .0008-.0024 (intake) and .
0012-.0028(exhaust) i just need some clarification. Once i am able to get rid of the rocker arm play i can listen and do some more tests.
is this only in carburator systems? im running an EFI system
No vacuum or intake leaks?
Checked the timing?
Carb only.. sorry
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