[Shotimes] Valve lash done.....but car seems weaker now.

Sat, 22 Feb 2003 08:33:54 -0800

Just one comment:  if the car is running well, no flat spots, missing etc.
then the butt dyno is notoriously unreliable.  You may have had unreasonable
expectations that the service was going to make a 'vette out of the SHO.
You may be chasing ghosts.
Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Malachuk" <bmalach1@nycap.rr.com>
To: "SHOtimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] Valve lash done.....but car seems weaker now.

> I used the helms manual for the plug wires, but I'm gonna check them again
> just to be sure. My rear head had very very little oil in the plug wells,
so
> little that it barely made it up to the hole for the plug itself. I also
> cleaned them really well, but I'm kinda thinking that perhaps some of the
> dielectric grease I put on the ends that plug into the coil might be
> hampering the spark? Marc Randolph made mention about that black cannister
> on the back of the intake, and I know it is hooked up, and the secondaries
> close upon start, but perhaps it died somehow when I removed the intake,
or
> there is corrosion in the line. That canister is easy pull off and make
sure
> there isn't any corrosion. Is there a way to test it with a multimeter?
I'm
> gonna start reading my taurus electrical/vac book in a second, but maybe
> someone's seen this before. I nearly forgot the IAC myself this time too,
> but the idle is better than it was before the valve lash.
>
> There is 1 of 3 things I'm hoping it could be, that canister, the gap in
my
> manifold to y-pipe, or the computer/running on loads of berrymans to start
> with. But first I need breakfast before I start on this. Any other
> suggestions?
>
> Bruce
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Weidenbenner" <johnjweid@earthlink.net>
> To: "Bruce Malachuk" <bmalach1@nycap.rr.com>; "SHOtimes"
> <shotimes@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 8:18 AM
> Subject: Re: [Shotimes] Valve lash done.....but car seems weaker now.
>
>
> > Two items come to mind.
> >
> > Double check the plug wire positions on the coil pack. The top of the
coil
> > pack has numbers printed. The Chilton's Taurus manual has a misleading
> wire
> > location illustration. Maybe the plug wires were damaged during handling
> or
> > the plug end is severely oil soaked?
> >
> > You checked, but check again to see that the secondary runner controls
are
> > hooked up. If not hooked up properly, the secondaries will stay open at
> <4k
> > rpm giving lesser performance.
> >
> > The computer has it's own ground wire next to the battery. It has an
> inline
> > connector so you can disconnect. Disconnect and wait 5 to 10 minutes
> before
> > reconnect. Start car and let it idle to "reboot itself".
> >
> > I usually forget to hook up the IAC valve electrical connector when
> > replacing the manifold. Is idle ok?
> >
> > A gap in the exhaust connection big enough to stick your finger in would
> be
> > really loud!
> >
> > John W.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bruce Malachuk" <bmalach1@nycap.rr.com>
> > To: "SHOtimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
> > Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 2:08 AM
> > Subject: [Shotimes] Valve lash done.....but car seems weaker now.
> >
> >
> > > Ok so after winning records for being the slowest mechanic in the
world
> > and
> > > nearly killing my father with flying shims of anger I got the valve
lash
> > done.
> > > Everything is in spec now, or tightened up to the low end of the spec.
> > Most
> > > were at the high middle to end of the specs.
> > >
> > > My valve covers are back on, everything is tq'd to waht the helm's
book
> > says,
> > > I RTV'd the plug wells, and I fixed my leaking valve cover bolts with
> some
> > RTV
> > > as well. BUT there is just one problem...The car seems weak now, like
no
> > push
> > > you back into the seat kind of acceleration like it had prior to this
> > endevor.
> > > Now I know the secondaries are closing when I start the car, and i'm
> > fairly
> > > sure that they ar opening ontime, but something just feels weak. There
> is
> > no
> > > oil in the plugwells now, and the little that was there wasn't even up
> to
> > the
> > > bottom of the sparkplug boot. The wires are the original ones, just
> cause
> > I
> > > don't have the cash for new, but at 73k I really don't NEED to have
them
> > yet.
> > > Plugs were new 2k ago and I pilled them to check the gap and to see
the
> > > condition of them. My intake was fairly clean but I still used maybe
1/3
> a
> > can
> > > of berrymans on the runners and the chambers on the heads. Now I know
> that
> > 4
> > > of the 6 sets of valves were closed and I had a little b12 on each
valve
> > to
> > > help breakup the cone of carbon on the back of the valve. but the car
> > started
> > > up with minimal sputtering. Oil is flowing like it should and the
engine
> > > sounds normal. I did clean the coil pack and put a little dielectic
> grease
> > on
> > > all the ends, I'm wondering if that might be causing spark problems.
> > >
> > > Tomorrow in the rain/sleet/snow I'm gonna reset the comp. Clean any
> extra
> > > dielectric greas I can off the coil pack. Make sure the secondaries
are
> > > opening @ 4k by bliping the TB linkage. If none of those things fix
it,
> > I'm
> > > thinkign I'm gonna have to pull the intake off again and double check
> the
> > > plugs. The car dosen't buck, skip or misfire, it just feels like
someone
> > put a
> > > rubberband around it's nuts. I did notice that there is a sizeable gap
> in
> > on
> > > the rear exhaust manifold where it meats the y-pipe. I can stick my
> finger
> > > into it, and there is a plate there rattling around. but I knew there
> was
> > a
> > > leak back there for a while.
> > >
> > > Anyhow I need any thoughts, suggestions, whatever as to what I might
be
> > > missing. The engine feels like it runs fine, albeit quieter, but there
> is
> > no
> > > push you into the seat acceleration like before. Is there any way to
> reset
> > the
> > > computer without losing power to the rest of the car? I thought there
> was
> > some
> > > kind of wire that ran from the batt to the comp?
> > >
> > > Bruce
> > > 94 Opal Frost MTX
> > > 60k 1/2 done @ 73k
> > > _______________________________________________
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