Not enough power! :)

[WorkinLonghorn]

Well.If you have determined that it IS missing on one cylinder, and running on 7,(running rough,idling rough with audible and regular bup bup bup out the exhaust,then you need to start checking the wiring,plugs,and distrib cap.
The longer wires should read between 4K and 15K Ohms. You can always just pull one plug at a time and hold it against ground and have somebody crank it over and make sure there is a good blue spark at each plug.
If there is,and it still misses (and the plugs are good,clean,gapped right,not cracked etc.) then check the compression.

[SS68]

what should be a normal reading when doing a compression test? also would this tester be ok to use?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92697

or should i spend more money on a better tool?
dont tell the old lady

[oldblue1968chevy]

ok im back guys!

got my carb. put on...dont THINK its leaking gas (guy at the store had it set perfect) and i put it on and heard a hissing noise..well i didnt hook up my power brakes and thought he was wrong and decided to play with the screws..(WHICH ONES AIR, WHICH ONES FUEL) well, its running now...i dont think theres gas in the oil. I Check my number 1 plug and plug above the starter...

they look pretty ickky...black..maybe a lil oily here and there....but nice and brown in the middle.

will test plug wires plugs tomorow and takin the whole truck to oriellys guy and have him look at it (if he will) lol

[SS68]

sorry wasnt trying to jack your thread just in the same boat as you right now

[oldblue1968chevy]

thats fine i need one too...sorry to jack my own thread but would that^^^^^work on ATVS also?

['72customdeluxe]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

ok im back guys!

got my carb. put on...dont THINK its leaking gas (guy at the store had it set perfect) and i put it on and heard a hissing noise..well i didnt hook up my power brakes and thought he was wrong and decided to play with the screws..(WHICH ONES AIR, WHICH ONES FUEL) well, its running now...i dont think theres gas in the oil. I Check my number 1 plug and plug above the starter...

they look pretty ickky...black..maybe a lil oily here and there....but nice and brown in the middle.

will test plug wires plugs tomorow and takin the whole truck to oriellys guy and have him look at it (if he will) lol

Did you look at the edelbrock tuning guide I linked earlier? It really helps. Oily plugs sounds like you don't really have a rebuilt 7000 mile motor

[WorkinLonghorn]

Compression readings should be around 150. Make sure you follow the instructions and disable the ignition and have the throttle open during test. Some books say that you can have a variance between cyliders of 20% so the lowest one could be 120 psi,but really they should be all around 150 for max performance.135-150 has been sugested in one reference I have.
You could try that Harbor Freight one. I don't like their stuff in general. Maybe you could just get one at your local parts counter. You will need it for future vehicles too.

edit; If you have sooty plugs then it was running rich. You need to make sure the choke is fully open after warn-up. If so then you need to adjust the carb or even change some parts.
If it actually is oil on the plugs,and you see blueish smoke out the pipes you may have internal prolems or just bad valve seals.

[ZombieWeinerDog]

well, i have to ask a question, my truck was running horrible and not firing in one cylinder. it was the plugs, ALL were bad, all of them were covered in black soot. the one that wasnt firing was surrounded by soot and bent. it also has black smoke out the tailpipes when i shift. what can cause this? i am pretty sure it burns oil also.

[Jacfourteen]

Originally Posted by ZombieWeinerDog

well, i have to ask a question, my truck was running horrible and not firing in one cylinder. it was the plugs, ALL were bad, all of them were covered in black soot. the one that wasnt firing was surrounded by soot and bent. it also has black smoke out the tailpipes when i shift. what can cause this? i am pretty sure it burns oil also.

black smoke means that you are running rich. I would check the choke first (after warm it should be open), if that checks out then you need to adjust/rejet the carb. What carb you running? I know that the aftermarket carbs have tuning guides online, and if it is stock I'm sure if you google it you can find some recommendations on how to tune and/or rebuild it. Good luck!


Edit: I see in your sig that you are running an edelbrock, check out the guide mentioned earlier in this post.

[WorkinLonghorn]

Soot and black smoke is a "rich" condition. The first thing to check is the choke butterfly valve that you see when you look at the top of the carb.It should be fully open when the engine is warmed up. If it is closed you need to find out why and get it to open up as it should.
Then if it still runs rich you need to chech the float. That requires taking the top off. Those floats sometimes go bad and sink and your carb gets too much gas. Or there could be some piece of something lodged in the little float valve.

Those are the most common causes. There are others but check these first.

[mclairmo]

I know this is obvious, but a plugged air cleaner can also cause a rich condition.

[WorkinLonghorn]

Oh yeah I forgot that one!
Sometimes when I'm browsing the u-pick yards I see all these junked vehicles with what look like the original air filters- all black with dirt-and I wonder if that was all it needed.

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay guys..

ive got the edelbrock on.....far as i know im not getting gas in the oil YET....the plugs are black and sooty not oily..im buying new ones asap, and new gas lines (there old and look like there ready to leak) tomorow im supposed to be selling a wheeler (i buy repair resell) for truck gas/spending money...so hopefully i'll have a few $ to throw at the truck....if i remember i may to try pickup a compression tester at the parts store...thanks and i will be back! preciate it

LIST:
8 New plugs (any good brand)
new rubber gas lines
compression guage
Air Breather (what style i want an open one...should i go with a k&n filter) or anykind??

['72customdeluxe]

Add a vacuum gauge to your list to tune the carb. Don't worry about getting an expensive filter for your stock motor unless you have all the diagnostic tools to tune it right anyway imo. My latest plugs, ngk v-powers, have lasted way longer so far than the r45ts delcos i've used before so far. I have bad valve seals so it oil fouls plugs. You might try ngks. Around here they cost the same as ac delcos. A 6-heat range ngk for an early 90's chevy v8 pickup would be a good bet because hotter plugs burn off oil easier. Do NOT use a glass fuel filter

[WorkinLonghorn]

....the plugs are black and sooty

Are you reading the advice about this? You are running rich. Take another look at the past few posts.

[oldblue1968chevy]

how long will it take for the plugs to change so you can read them after you change carb. settings? ive got both front screws rougly 1.5 turns out and played with the idle a little also..i need a vacumn guage to get the most vacum and a comp. tester to test my cyclinders........how can i lean it out more?

['72customdeluxe]

edelbrock official tuning guide I put on the first page of this thread. Please read it. Tuning screws only affects idle/very low throttle fuel. You may have to get some jets.

[oldblue1968chevy]

okay my bad

electric choke is not hooked up so choke is always open not closed. carberators are very confusing. how do you guys do this..i watched the video on the edelbrock carberators but not whats up there thank you!

[71tahoe]

Here's another easy check. Take the PCV valve out of the valve cover and shake it. You should hear a rattle kind of like a spray paint can. This can clog and foul all of your plugs.

[oldblue1968chevy]

pcv valve is good

i picked up 8 ac delco plugs today and a vacumn gauage...what setting am i trying to achieve..

plan for sat. morning:

check all 8 plugs for good fire
install all new 8 plugs
play with my new vacumn guage
cruise in at town between 10am-4pm

['72customdeluxe]

EDELBROCK TUNING GUIDE, posted on page 1. It has EVERYHTING you need to know. Just read it all