Any DFW guys got some free time need EMERGENCY help??

[Quackaddict]

Hey guys money is getting really tight as you all know the job I got is real close to the house and we are going to be selling one of our cars with some help from family. The other side of that coin is I need to get my blazer running ASAP!!!. I am having an issue keeping it running. It will start and die start and die. I believe the distributor is a tooth off and I also HIGHLY believe or should I say know my vacuum lines are all jacked up. If someone has some free time that knows alot about engines and maybe has a 80ish model 350 so we can compare vac lines it would help me out so much you wouldn't believe. I can only pay in cokes and gatorades but I really need help

 

[broncoman6524]

if you think your dist is a tooth off. follow these instructions.

1 crank motor over until the mark on the harmonic balancer is at or about 0degrees via the indicator.
2 pull cap off dist.
3. the rotor *should* be pointing toward your #1 cylinder
4. if it aint pull the dist. and drop back in until it is.
5. put it all back together until it runs right.

if you want i can go snap some pictures of my motor. although i dont have all of my vacuum lines hookep up. i got an 84 k5 hope this helps good luck bud

 

[Citizen Rider]

i will be comin through sometime between now and monday with my blazer, as soon as i find a trailer, and we can look off mine if you still have problems. Im not very knowledgable of engines but i can cross stuff off and narrow down the problem...

 

[Quackaddict]

yeah when the motor does run you can hear the vacuum line. it is the little siver T behind the carb that has 4 holes on it. I also broke the little tab off the ported vac switch on the front of the intake manifold the line that goes up into the air filter.

I have noticed a couple of time it is like the butterfly valve on top of the carb will get stuck in the "open position" which prevents the motor from running sometimes it doesn't. When you hear the truck run you can hear the vacuum pretty bad.

I think the distro problem because sometimes it will back fire if you rev it or it will backfire through the carb on occasion. checked the plug wires they are right.

Citizen if you are down this way just let me know.

 

[Citizen Rider]

The butterfly on your carb is your choke. Tonight i rigged mine so it would not close cause a lil jar from backing up or something would close it and the vacum would hold it down. So its now open.

There should be a diagram on top of your grill between your hood and where it latches that shows your vacuum hook up... Get a haynes manual also, it has alot of stuff in it that is good to have as far as diagrams and where they need to go.

 

[fabjunkie]

I think the distro problem because sometimes it will back fire if you rev it or it will backfire through the carb on occasion. checked the plug wires they are right.

If it's backfiring through the carb, then either your timing is off (could be a tooth off or too advanced) or the vacuum advance is not working. You really need a timing light to see where it is at.

When I first bought my truck, it would rev and drive but backfire through the carb. When I put the light on it, the timing was so far advanced the line on the balancer was about 40 degrees counter-clockwise. Got it into spec and the motor would not rev (advance). When I pulled the cap to check the vacuum advance (which was shot), the weights were about wore through on the studs in the dizzy. I ended up putting a new dist. in it to make sure everything was good before I handed cash over for the truck. It ran like a champ after that.

 

[broncoman6524]

how exactly can you tell if your dist needs to be replaced? my truck has NO power and im not sure if its my gears, 400tranny, ****ty motor. or all ofthe above. I dont have a tach but when im driving and punch it i *feel* like it only goes to 2500-3500rpm?

 

[Quackaddict]

Well let me give an update as to the situation.

Well I started the truck today and it just would not stay running so I got it to TDC and pulled distro cap. The rotor was sitting I guess the way to put it is one tooth past where it needed to be.

Got it lined up put it all back together and it wouldn't start at all thought to myself this is odd looked back at the haynes to see if I had missed something and though maybe I had lined it up wrong..pulled distro cap and sure enough I had it 180 degrees out so pulled the spark plug which I should have done before and set it to TDC but this time one the right stroke lined it up and started first turn and ran like a champ.

However it when I shut it off and restarted it it was a pain in the rear to restart which it had never been got it started ran just fine shut it off pain in the rear to start.........wondering if it may be old gas.

Now here are the issues this is gonna have to be a daily driver soon gonna give it a shot anyway so I still gotta do brakes, grind the front shaft a little more, replacing windshield Monday then get it registered and everything. Time will tell. but I was proud of myself

 

[Citizen Rider]

Might check vaccum advance and your timing.

 

[Quackaddict]

I don't have a timing light. When it runs it runs awsome it just has all of the sudden become a pain to start.

How do you check the vacuum advance??

 

[Jimbo*]

A pain to start-turning over verrry slow, like a weak battery? Your timing is too far advanced. Loosen and turn the distributer slightly clockwise while it's running, it will smooth out some.
Jimbo

 

[fabjunkie]

ditto

 

[Quackaddict]

Thanks guys no it wasn't a battery issue it was just a pain to start like the engine wants to start but won't then it will finally kick in and run fine. I will try the distibutor idea tomorrow.

Found another problem today......was trying to start it and it was like the starter wasn't engaging the flywheel it would sound like the starter was just spinning and then every now and then it would catch and turn the motor over gotta pull that out tomorrow and look. Will let you guys know.

Selling the wifes car tomorrow so I gotta get on the ball.