Author Topic: Fastback = Broken (rant) (Read 363 times)

Starfury · « **on:** February, 11, 2009, 12:41:43 AM »

So I pulled my car into the shop at school today (we have an awesome auto program) to adjust the valvetrain because the right side has been tapping a little lately, more so than the Rhoads lifters usually do. It's tricky with the Rhoads lifters without removing the intake, but it's doable. I get it done, button everything back up, fire it up, it sounds like a sewing machine. Fantastic, so I warm it up for 10min while I clean up.

I pull out of the compound and gas it. Runs like a scalded dog, laying a good black strip down the road at 30-40mph. Get to the next light, gas it again...knock-knock-knock-knock. WTF. Let off, get back on a little, knock...knock...knock-knock... Pull over, intermittent knock from d-side vc, or so i think. Meanwhile, my roommate pulls up after getting out of class. We pull the vc, thinking maybe i forgot to tighten a rocker and it worked loose, hitting the valve cover. No dice, rockers are solid. Throw it back together, try to fire it to check oil pressure, has pressure while cranking...but won't fire. Check fuel, it's getting fuel. Check spark...no spark. WTF. Check coil with test light, coil is getting power. Still no spark.

Fed up for the night (it's dark by then), we run to town to grab a friend's trailer and come back. Trailer is a cluster in itself. Ramps can't be positioned properly for the width of the car, so we have to have one side right next to the rail, and have one tire half off a ramp. Then we couldn't get it up the ramp with just the two of us, so I called another friend who showed up with his friend to push it up onto the trailer. We then managed to put a gouge in my roommate's tailgate because he forgot to lock the hitch to the ball. After fixing that, we finally got the car on the trailer, put it in gear, applied the parking brake, and strapped the strut rods to the front of the trailer (completely insecure and unsafe), then pulled the car (slowly) back to school where it sits now. We then proceeded to drop off the trailer, come home, and drink, where I sit now.

Our thinking is that it's possible my $280 MSD Pro-Billet distributor crapped out. That would explain the knocking as detonation from failing timing control, and would explain the now nonexistant spark. That said, I've never even heard of a crapped out MSD distributor. MSD makes quality stuff, which is why I bought it instead of a cheapo Accel or something like that.

The other option is that the coil died, which likely wouldn't cause the knock, which then means that something else is knocking, which could be very, very bad.

I picked up new points/condensor and coil for tomorrow. I'll swap the points into my original distributor (which another Mustang buddy conveniently burned the Pertronix out of last month when I let him borrow it) and throw that in, then check the coil and see what's up with that. Hopefully I can get it fired and see if it still knocks. If it does...I dunno. I'll have to recheck the valvetrain (maybe with the intake off), then go from there.

joesgt281 · « **Reply #1 on:** February, 11, 2009, 05:45:53 AM »

major suckage....keep us informed.

Dne' · « **Reply #2 on:** February, 11, 2009, 05:49:28 AM »

:pop Well? Waiting for the end of the story! Hopefully just something simple! Bad gas!
dne'

daveSanborn · « **Reply #3 on:** February, 11, 2009, 07:32:45 AM »

Quote

Get to the next light, gas it again...knock-knock-knock-knock. WTF. Let off, get back on a little, knock...knock...knock-knock... Pull over, intermittent knock from d-side vc, or so i think.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this does not sound to me like any kind of ignition problem.

Are you sure that you didn't collapse a lifter?

Starfury · « **Reply #4 on:** February, 11, 2009, 08:53:04 AM »

Not sure of anything right now. That said, the knock was loud and very knock-ish, nothing like any lifter tap i've ever heard. It also wasn't rhythmic, it was erratic. I've killed a cam before, and it didn't sound like that.

I just don't understand how I can have two completely different problems surface at the same exact time, immediately after adjusting the valvetrain. But then, that's about how my luck goes...

Starfury · « **Reply #5 on:** February, 11, 2009, 03:46:17 PM »

Ok, got everything fixed, car runs fine now. Basically, I'm an idiot.

Spark problem was a grounding issue. Last night on the side of the road, I disconnected the distributor ground to pull the valve cover. Forgot to put it back on when I reinstalled the valve cover.

After readjusting the d-side valvetrain twice (swore that was where it was coming from) and running a compression check to check for bent valves (no bent valves, yay), my shop teacher came over and said that it's not a knock, it's a pop out the intake. Either I wiped a cam lobe or one of my exhaust rockers is loose, because an exhaust valve isn't opening. After pulling a couple plug wires, I figure out it's the #2 cylinder. Pulled the p-side valve cover, and lo and behold the #2 exhaust rocker was looser than paris hilton. Apparently I forgot to tighten the set screw on the rocker nut and it worked itself loose. Readjusted, buttoned everything back up, fires up and purrs.

So not only am I an idiot, but I don't have a bent valve and an excuse to put new heads on it.

tarafied1 · « **Reply #6 on:** February, 11, 2009, 07:18:05 PM »

reminds me of the time a friend of mine had his 70ish 351W heads redone. The boneheads at the shop didn't grind the valves to the right height after doing the seats and it has nonadjustable rockers. He bolted it all back together and called me to come over when it wouldn't start. He had flames shooting out of the carb a mile high! We pulled the valve covers, double nutted the rockers after backing them off and it started right up. He was freakin' out before that though, I thought it was pretty funny myself.
Glad yours wasn't too serious!!!

Starfury · « **Reply #7 on:** February, 12, 2009, 12:00:49 AM »

Ooops, lol.

A few months ago, I helped another local student from mustangforums put an intake/carb on his '68. We get everything buttoned up, time it, crank...flames out the carb. Eh? Retime it...same. Double check the firing order...good. Scratch head, retime it again, same. After quite a bit of swearing and a couple beers (I've always been able to time mine properly the first time around), I went and double checked the firing order online...and realized that, in my haste, I had set up the firing order backwards.

I'm seriously the king of stupid mistakes.