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

Sat, 22 Feb 2003 13:43:02 -0500

Also understand that the valve lash adjustment has pretty much no affect on
performance.  You will not gain any HP or TQ from replacing shims.  It's
like checking and replacing rod bearings... what ever you had before the
maintenance is what you'll have after it.

Mark Mallory
Toledo, Ohio
'95 SHO MTX

>-----Original Message-----
>From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
>[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of sho2go
>Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 11:34 AM
>To: Bruce Malachuk; SHOtimes
>Subject: Re: [Shotimes] Valve lash done.....but car seems weaker now.
>
>
>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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