all sorts of problems

[Rooster's82]

So I just got back from a short trip down the coast. Great weekend full of sun sand and beer. Anyway I took my truck with my two motorcycles loaded in the bed. Right before I left I had the timing checked and adjusted (yes, I broke down and paid a shop to do it, I wanted it done before I left and I wasn't going to get to it). The guy at the shop said the timing was set pretty good and only needed a minor tweak, I guess I’m sitting at 6 degrees at idle. So I leave the shop and my truck is running great! I’m happy, I load the bike and off I go. About 15 minutes down the highway, the truck starts pinging and running hot about 220. I kept driving trying to keep it out of the RPM range where the pinging occurs (which is during mild acceleration....cruzing and full there is no ping). Whenever it pings the temp skyrockets, and when I keep it from pinging the temp would level off at about 200. Also when I would stop at lights my engine temp would slowly creep up. I made it to the beach and the truck pretty much sat for the weekend...seeing how I had no tools or anything. During the drive back pretty much the same thing happens...only much much less. The RPM range where pinging occurred was narrower and I wasn't hitting as high of temps, but the same issue was present.

So my diagnosis is that I have a ton of carbon build up which is heating up and glowing causing pre-ignition. The fact that I am overheating at stoplights would lead me to believe my radiator is clogged or something.

How do I deal with carbon build up (if that is the culprit?)? I have run a ton of fuel system cleaner (gas additive type) and it clearly hasn't done anything.

How well do radiator cleaners work? Could that solve the overheating issue at idle? I have an electric fan so I don't think it has to do with the air flow. I didn't have a thermostat in either how does that affect the cooling properties of the system? (I just put a 180 degree one in yesterday.)

Oh, and finally...I have put two new starters in my GF's car (92 corolla) and both of them needed to be knocked on within a month of install...any ideas on what is going wrong?

Also, I'm getting a bunch of vibration at about 60mph...i have had the tires balanced twice...and it is still happening. There is no pull and no uneven tire wear that i can see. What else could be causing the vibration?

Holy crap this turned out to be a novel...Sorry.

[blu87]

If your truck wasn't pinging or running hot before you took it to the shop, then the re-set timing is probably the culprit. I would move the distributor to see if he forgot to lock it down, then check the vac adv to hold a vac, then reset the timing to good specs.
You MUST run a thermostat or your truck will overheat in the summer.

[chevyfan87]

well....i cant disagree with him but...if you find carbon IS a problem....they always taught us in autoshop to put in 1 quart on trans fluid in with every oil change, as the detergents in the ATF break down carbon buildup and cleans your engine with no negative effects

[Pyrotechnic]

You really need to verify the base timing. 8-10 degrees is a good place to start with a stock motor though if you still have the emissions information sticker on the radiator support and the original motor in the truck, follow the timing info on it. Make sure you disconnect the vacuum advance if it is connected to full time manifold vacuum and cap the port on the carb.

[Rooster's82]

Originally Posted by blu87

If your truck wasn't pinging or running hot before you took it to the shop, then the re-set timing is probably the culprit. I would move the distributor to see if he forgot to lock it down, then check the vac adv to hold a vac, then reset the timing to good specs.
You MUST run a thermostat or your truck will overheat in the summer.

Yeah, i was pinging when ever i ran anything other than premium, I was told that the timing was probably too advanced, that is why i brought it to the shop in the fist place. This is also the first time i have driven the truck more than 10-15 miles straight...and at highway speeds.

I have a thermostat in there now, but it seems like it would restrict the flow of coolant and reduce the effectiveness of the system. I was just wondering why, i guess.

[Rooster's82]

I probably should have broken this up into a couple of threads...If i don't get any good responses by tomorrow i will do that.

[Rooster's82]

Originally Posted by chevyfan87

well....i cant disagree with him but...if you find carbon IS a problem....they always taught us in autoshop to put in 1 quart on trans fluid in with every oil change, as the detergents in the ATF break down carbon buildup and cleans your engine with no negative effects

I've never heard of that. Has anyone else out there done this? I thought that getting rid of carbon was more of a fuel systems issue?

[Rooster's82]

Originally Posted by Pyrotechnic

You really need to verify the base timing. 8-10 degrees is a good place to start with a stock motor though if you still have the emissions information sticker on the radiator support and the original motor in the truck, follow the timing info on it. Make sure you disconnect the vacuum advance if it is connected to full time manifold vacuum and cap the port on the carb.

I just realized that when the shop set my timing he referred to the emissions sticker...but the engine is not original. I'm going to have to take it back and talk to him about it.

I wonder if that is the problem? It sure seemed to run a lot better after the adjustments were made. why would i have less pinging on the way home than on the way to the beach? it just doesn't make sense.

[Square84]

i have poured trans fluid down the carb while it is running and it smokes like hell but it cleans the carbon out of the fuel system. not having a therm lets the coolant flow to freely then it doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to cool anything. you can also disconnect your brake booster hose with the truck running and put trans fluid in there, the vacuum will suck it in and clean the whole top end.

[BLE 'BURBAN]

No t-stat in the summer and the coolant constantly circulates and won't stay in the radiator long enough to cool down thusly causing an overheating problem.
No t-stat in the winter and the coolant constantly circulates and won't stay in the engine long enough to warm up causing a very chilly ride.

[GMBowtie79]

Square84 and Ble Burban are correct about the thermostat you need to slow the flow through the radiator. In racing applications they use a restrictor instead of a thermostat. The ATF thing is to clean oil passages and keep sludge and tarnish from building up in lifter valleys and heads. ATF should not be left in for extended periods of time run it 30 minutes then drain and refill with clean oil every 10,000 miles or so. ATF is high in detergent but will over time damage rubber, this also happens when you have a leaking internal tranny cooler in the radiator over time the hoses swell and get very soft. it does the same thing to the rubber seals in the engine. for carbon build up use hi octain hi detergent gas, octain booster, or have the heads rebuilt.

[Rooster's82]

Thanks for the explanation on how and why the thermostat works...so obvious after someone points it out.

I ran seafoam thru the brake booster right before i put the new thermostat in. Hopefully my top end is nice and clean now. I didn't let it sit for long...just ran it thru smoked like hell for about 6-7 blocks! It was fun...I'm sure all my neighbors loved it.

I think I'm going to move the ATF engine flush to it's own thread...