ruedger461

69 olds cutlass with a 455 bored .30 its got 10.5:1 TRW pistons, ported and polished ga heads with 1.6 scorpion rockers.im having problems with it and i havent a clue o whats going on. And was hoping someone on here might live close to me and be able to help me out. i bought the car and it ran awesome it had all the low end torque and power i could ask for. Then it started having problems like gray smoke out of the tail pipe when stopped. I had a buddy that knows oldsmobiles and he said i should put a bigger cam in, so i did and after that everything went down hill. It lost half of its power and wouldnt even spin the tires!! And then i lost all oil pressure. But theres no knocking or anything. I just dont know what to do. Its been parked since last year ill be getting it around in a few days but yea i dont talk. To him anymore, i just wanna be able to get it back to how it was. I just dont have the know how to tear into this thing. Some help would be greatly appreciated.

68oldscutlass

I have never worked on a 455 personally but when a car is running top notch and is all you could ask for then throwing a bigger cam into it after its already smoking definitely was not going to fix anything. Just my 2 cents. Hope you figure it out soon. Gotta be a fun ride with that engine, that's for sure.

oldcutlass

The first thing you need to do is troubleshoot the oil pressure problem. Do you have a mechanical gauge hooked up?

Professur

Who put the cam in?

ruedger461

The kid who put the cam in used to be a friend but we no longer speak. He made himself out to know wbat he was doing but didnt.

Professur

I think your best bet is to find a real mechanic that knows old cars and have him do it. It's a smart person who admits they don't have the know how .. but an engine that's already been under the knife by an assclown isn't the place to start learning. If you post your location, I'm sure someone here can guide you to a reputable speedshop. Be warned .. grey smoke, bad friendship, and no oil pressure ... isn't going to go away cheaply.

ruedger461

Yea thats what im wanting to do but i just dont have the money right now and everytime i look at the car just sitting i get depressed lol.

Professur

I know the feeling. We're with ya. These guys can walk you through some basic diagnostics to narrow down what's going on. At least getting dirty on it some will ease the feeling of helplessness.

ruedger461

Yea thats my goal is to make myself feel better

442rocketdave

I would first check the oil pressure with a gauge, then pull and inspect the plugs, with the shade tree mech, installing the cam I would guarantee its not degreed and probably is off alot, as to the smoking at an idle you could have blown a head gasket or a valve seal bit the dust. Its going to take a little time and effort but I would get someone who knows oldsmobile 455s and take it a step at a time that way your making some progress and that will definitley make you fell better. I personally would get the old cam and inspect it and reinstall it especailly since it ran good with it and with a 461 cid you should have tons of low end power which is great for the street big cams are for racing! Good luck

ruedger461

Ok thanks for the info any help and info i can get will help. I already love this forum.

nicks1966

what city are you in?
is it no oil pressure or low oil pressure.

ruedger461

I live in three rivers and it was at 0

ruedger461

I havent started it or anything in the last year or so. Im gonna get it around hopefully next week.

smash72

Did the assclown change the lifters when he did the cam ? Had similar problem with a 79 Grand Prix 455 Went back in matched everything up after plugs ran fine.

ruedger461

I wouldnt put it past him that he kept the lifters for himself and reused the old ones!

Professur

Three rivers ... where? Not Trois Rivieres, between Mtl and Que?

ruedger461

No three rivers, mi its juzt south of kalamazoo.

Professur

Oh, wonderful .. earworm time. ... just what I need running back and forth through my head, Glen Frickin' Miller.

ruedger461

I havent a clue what your talking about lol

Paladin31

I met a gal in Kalamazoo....

Paladin31

Do you or your (ex) buddy live on South Hooker by any chance?

ruedger461

Not that i know of

ruedger461

Do you know a guy that does work on olds that lives on south hooker?

Paladin31

I see a guy with a 69 there been being worked on in the driveway for past couple months.

I would follow the advise from the members above, eliminate the easy stuff. I won't be back in town for a couple weeks, but could stop by for a bit and see what I might see.

Professur

... See, this is why we can't have nice things.

Octania

Bring it to Lansing...

droldsmorland

IMO yank the engine. Disassemble, assess the damage and go from there. With 0 oil psi you likely wiped some bearings, noise or no noise (Cam & Crank). By inspecting the internal surfaces before you continue running it you could save yourself many Franklins and much frustration. You will gain confidence, reliability and performance. Yes X10 on finding a knowledgeable engine guy, in particular an Olds engine guy. But any knowledgeable builder should be able to give you a good idea of whats good and bad.
Your "friend" likely knocked a cam bearing out while installing the 600 lift cam as he likely put it in with a sledge hammer...oy!

smash72

You might get lucky grey smoke could simply be a PCV valve & would also explain the oil pressure. Gas might be backing up into the cylinders instead of being filtered first = grey smoke. It's a easy fix & worth a try. Good luck

ruedger461

Yea thats the guy its a black 442 his name is kyle he has been working on it since we were kids. Its always apart and in pieces. Hes a nice guy he just has his problems like anyone else lol. But whats in lansing? And paladin if you would like to when i get it out and everything inspected and get it ready to fire up your help would be greatly appreciated.

BlackGold

Is South Hooker anywhere near Climax?

ruedger461

Lmao

Paladin31

Look at it this way, Colon is about halfway between South Hooker & Climax!

oldcutlass

If I hear the snap of a rubber glove I'm running.


Do you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge or are you running of an idiot light.

ruedger461

Its a mechanical i think. Its hooked up under the dash buy a clear hose.

oldcutlass

Can you borrow a different gauge and an oil priming tool? Cause if its really 0, you might as well pull it and start digging into it.

ruedger461

Im gonna buy both tools just so i have them. How to i use the oil primer?

droldsmorland

Good idea to verify the pressure is actually zero. The oil pump priming tool goes down the distributor hole and engages the oil pump. It chucks into a drill. You need a good drill to overcome the oil viscosity and spin it with enough speed to build some oil psi. Set the drill in reverse as Olds spins counter clock wise.
After priming disconnect the ignition coil and crank it for 20-30 seconds with a known good gauge plumbed into the port at the front of the engine. You should see ~30-40 psi.

smash72

Low oil pressure another symptom of a PCV problem. I'm just saying, not a whole lot to lose by looking into it except money if I'm right.

ruedger461

Im gonna check the pcv too.