Again, I would follow the directions of whomever you purchased it from! Because, as it happened to myself and others, they said if you were in, it then you own it!

I do understand about the difference in pricing between here and Canada!

 

I have an awesome update!

The cutlass Runs!!! I finally got it running last night at about 2am.

I ended up taking the top horn off the carb, and looking at the floats, they were COMPLETELY off.

One float had about 1/4'' clearance with the airhorn gasket, and the other was bottomed out. I guess perhaps my carb was totally flooding.

So i went to the friendly old gentleman at the hardware store, bought some new grade 8 bolts for my carb/riser/gasket setup. Torqued it down.

BAM, the car fired up with about 5-6 seconds of cranking.

I let the car warm up, and just a question, is it normal that the car won't idle by itself without choke? It seems i had to let the car really warm up to temperature before the car ran properly.

Thanks for your help everyone! I hope this post will also been helpful to those that will have the same issue in the future.

I will post pictures and maybe a video later on.

Cheers,

Tony

 

Oh yeah, and i meant to ask, what should i be looking for in terms of Manifold Vaccum.

My engine was holding dead steady at somewhere between 19 and 20 on the gauge i installed last night after trying to tune the mixture screws. Is this a good indication of engine health, and overall awesome-ness?

Thanks!

Cheers,

Tony

 

And, some pictures.

 

Yes, whippersnapper.

That's what the choke does - it enriches the mixture until the engine is hot enough to keep enough fuel vaporized all the way into the cylinders.

In a fuel injected motor, the length the fuel-air mixture has to travel is minimal, and the minor adjustments needed are carried out by the computer.

- Eric

 

Cool! Thanks Eric

Yeah i totally made the mistake last night of killing the choke and the engine almost died on me.. Had to give her some gas and snap the choke back on again.

My only previous experience with a manual choke was the challenger seadoo i built back in college a couple years back. I would just use the choke to fire up the dual carbs then it would idle on it's own.

What do you think about the vacuum the enigine is sucking? It's around 19 to 20 inches? But it's rock steady. When i had the Q-jet on there, my vacuum was around 8 to 10 inches. I'm shocked by the huge variation..

Cheers,

Tony

 

Stock motor? 19-20" sounds great to me!

As far as the Q-Jet, if you were getting only 8", there was something wrong with it - maybe something a rebuild would cure, maybe not... We'd need a much closer look to speculate.

- Eric

 

nice work Tony !!!

 

Tony

where did you end up w your mixture screws ?

and a general question for anybody who knows should both screws be approximately the same amount of turns out ?

thanks

 

Hey Retroranger,

I called the folks at Edelbrock on their tech line, the technician said that the bench setting is 2 turns out, and he added that this is probably a little bit rich for most applications.

At first, i set my screws at around 2 and the vacuum was really not adequate, at the moment that are set between 1.5 and 1.75 turns out. But i dont think both screws are "exactly" the same..

I hooked up a vacuum gauge and went for whatever gave me the most vacuum and best quality of Idle. If i was able to post a video then i would and perhaps you guys could tell me if it sounds good or not.

But, you definitely had a point with the ported vacuum, the car seems to accelerate alot smoother, only problem is my temperature was creeping up towards 220 Degrees.. I guess perhaps because that distributor vacuum control switch was completely unhooked, and i know it serves to circulate the fluid a bit quicker when the engine is hot, or cruising. Do you ever get that problem with your ported vacuum setting?

Cheers,

Tony

 

Awesome! I'm glad to hear my engine is not a total dud.

When i took apart the q-jet 3 years ago to give it a rebuild, i noticed JB Weld on a few places, not sure if there perhaps was a leak before..

---------------

Are there any tips out there on Hot-Starting a manual choke carb? I tried retarting my engine yesterday, it was perhaps around 180 degrees, and i had to give it a pump or two of the gas before it caught?

Thanks all!

Cheers,

Tony

 

Tony

is the dis vac ctl switch the intake manifold mounted "tree" w 3 ports and a electrical connector on top ? if yes mine is not connected. if no then what is the dis vac ctl switch?

my ported vacuum line runs from the carb to the dist

my temp stayed at 180°F once warmed up in the two hours Ive driven it ...I am registering it this week so I may update that info next week

 

In my experience, the only tip I can give you is, find out what your car likes, and do that.

It was possible to have uniform guidelines for cars that all came out if the factory exactly the same. Most of these cars have had a lot of changes over the years, so whatever works, works.

- Eric

 

Exactly! Actually, last evening i connected up the dcvs, (car's not plated yet) but i drove it around the block for about 2 and a half hours!

The car was hoving just about around 185-190 degrees F.

Then i let it idle for a little bit, and the temperature started to creep up.. It's a non-A/C car, so it doesn't have a fan clutch or shroud, do you guys think i should maybe look to find a shroud somewhere? Or would that even help?

Cheers!

Tony

 

I'll let you know, I will be installing a shroud with clutch fan this weekend.

d1

 

Awesome! Thanks! Where did you pick up the parts to install? or did you already have them available with your model?

 

Tony

mines an AC car w (a new) fan clutch and shroud....and according to a phone call I just got registered and insured so i will be taking it out tonite for a ride

personally i was amazed a car came w out the shroud ??? till I saw several refernces to it on here !!! IMHO a shroud will help

whats your radiator status ? old new unknown ?

 

Radiator status is mildly unknown, it's definitely not the original (the original was in the trunk, looked like someone had kicked a hole right in the middle of it or something..) It's mangled beyond use..

It seems this new one was a aftermarket special, i'll see if i can find some part numbers on it tonight.

When i got the car, first thing i did was drained all the fluids and replaced. But judging by the previous owner, maybe i should take a closer look at the rad he put in there too.

I know fucisk sells a fan shroud for around a hundred dollars, is there a cheaper place to find one? Junkyards out here are terrible for scavanging old parts and such.

Cheers,

Tony

 

Hey All,

So perhaps it's back to the drawing board for me. I'm not exactly sure what happened between last evening and today, but the car won't start again!

I think i'm missing something on the basics.. The car ran like a champion last night, drove it around the block (car not plated yet) for about 3 hours. And it really ran/performed well.

I went to turn the key this morning, pumped the gas twice, closed the choke, and the engine just wouldn't catch.

1) I have pulled the #1 spark plug, and set it on a ground and cranked, it appears to have a spark. Although i'm not 100% sure how strong of a spark i have..

2) I put the key in the "run" position, i checked the voltage i'm getting at the BAT plug on the distributor (HEI), it appears to be 12.48 volts, which is identical to my battery voltage.

3) After trying and trying and cranking over and over again, i figured "my engine must be flooded" So i pulled all the plugs out for a cleaning, they were nice and brown, but not even wet.. which brings me to think, after all that cranking (15 minutes on and off worth) wouldn't the plugs be soaking wet in gas?

Any help, diagnosis, or things i could check would be awesome!

Thanks everyone! you guys are a great help!

Cheers,

Tony

 

Dry plugs = No gas.

Pour a couple of ounces of gas down the primaries, put the air cleaner back on (with the nut tight - you don't want any backfires), and give her a crank.

Once you know she fires that way, you can figure out why there's no gas.

- Eric

 

Hey All,

So i'm finally back to working on my car (was on vacation a little). And did some More Diagnostics.

Eric, i tried what you said, i dumped a couple ounces of fuel into my primaries, and the car still wouldn't light...

I checked the fuel pump, it's gushing fuel when i crank the engine. So i took off the top air horn of the E-brock and the fuel bowls were completely full to the right level. The floats were not stuck either.

I'm starting to think it might be something with the ignition system. When i hook up a timing light (same timing light i use on other cars) It doesn't seem to have enough current running through the plugs to light up my light. A couple weeks ago, i pulled out a plug #1, grounded it to the intake, and the spark was really really weak.

Any ideas on how to diagnose from here? I just find it weird that with the brand new, coil, wires, plugs, rotor, cap on my HEI. It doesn't want to give me a nice big fat blue spark..

Thanks in advance for all the help everybody!

Cheers,

Tony

 

Now that i'm thinking about it, i'm pretty sure that my Distrubutor is wired up bass-ackwards..

It has two wires running to the +BAT terminal. Not 100% sure of the colour of those two wires, but i'm going to guess one from the starter, and one is the resistor wire for the original points?

I've been reading on here in others forums that you should have one 12Ga wire running from the ignition?

Could this be part of the reason why my car gets a shitty spark?

Cheers,

Tony

 

This is what happens when you install "nice brand-new" electrical parts. I've had two brand-new condensers bad out of the box, where the engine wouldn't run at all, but ran find with the "worn out, old" one.

Though you should re-confirm that all of your connections are good, if you have a weak spark, I'd consider the coil or the module. If you've got the old ones lying around, try changing the coil first (easiest), then the module if that doesn't do it (checking wiring and connections along the way). Also, note carefully the routing of the wires that go to the module inside the distributor - it's pretty easy to pinch one under the module, causing a short to ground.

Good luck!

- Eric

 

Hey Eric,

Thanks! i'll check that all out this evening, I did keep all my old parts.

The parts i changed for new were.
-Coil
-Cap
-Rotor
-Plugs
-Wires

The ignition control module is one part that i left alone and didnt change, do they go bad often? I think i might be able to get a replacement at my local auto parts store for around 20 dollars...

Cheers,

Tony

 

I wouldn't expect it to have gone bad, though it is possible.

I'd check everything else before laying down more cash.

- Eric

 

If you have a resistor wire going to the HEI distrubutor, then you will get a weal spark when running, you will still get 12v at the distributor during the start mode! The resistor wire needs to be replaced!

What is your voltage to the coil when you turn the key to start??

 

Hey,

The voltage when the key is in the RUN position is 12V. I'm not sure what the voltage is while cranking, i'll have to get a helper so i can check that out tonight since i've been mostly working on my own.

I also found a page out of the 78' CSM that says what resistances to check for the coil and such.

Do you guys suggest some sort of in-line spark plug tester? Or is grounding the plug on the engine good enough to check for spark?

Thanks!

-Tony

 

Okay, small update,

i managed to find a picture i took of the distributor, it's a little blurry,

one of the wires connecting to BAT is yellow (i guess it goes to the starter?)

the other one is a sort of brownish colour, (picture attached below)

What do you guys think?

 

It appears you are using stock wires on HEI...you cannot do this or you will get a weak spark.

 

This is correct, you need 8mm spark plug wires for an HEI, One of the two wires in the picture should go to the starter, the other to the firewall connector and then to the ignition switch. The one from the firewall connector if it has not been changed will be a resistor wire! The resistor wire will not feel like a typical wire, it will be hard and stiff!

 

Alright cool, thanks guys.

When i ordered all my ignition parts i actually thought ahead, i purchased a set of 8mm wires for a '75 Cutlass Supreme off rockauto instead of the stock-type wires. (already made that mistake once when i bought the car)

One of the wires definitely was hard and stiff as compared to the other wires i have.

I'll try re-wiring my distributor tonight if weather permits. You guys suggest 12Ga wire to the IGN terminal in the cabin? (there's a free terminal called IGN on my fusebox that's 12V in run and start positions)

Also, the wires that are currently connected, do i just tape them up out of the way??

Thanks all!

-Tony

 

You can leave the yellow(??) wire there if you like, it should run to the starter, cut and cap the other!

 

Looks like I got bolloxed up when he said:
Tony, did you mean that the key was switched to Run, or that the engine was actually running? It makes a difference. It's only a valid measurement if the engine is running.

Also, it looks like my last piece of advice and your clarifying post crossed - you now say that you suspect the resistance wire is still connected. Why do you think that?
Importantly, when you said,
I ASSumed that you meant that you HAD a good spark before the changes.
Re-reading now, I can see that you didn't actually say that.

Did you have a good spark before the changes?

If you DO have the resistance wire running to the HEI, then the place to go for power is the heavy pink wire from the ignition switch - you can find it under the dash. Solder it, and don't use a fuse.

If you plug in to the IGN terminal on the fuse block, and the connector gets knocked off the plug, you could find yourself in an interesting driving situation.

- Eric

 

Hey Eric,

Sorry for the confusion, when I got the car it was in non-running condition.. So I don't really have a basis for comparison. First time the car ran was 4 weeks ago as I posted earlier in the thread.

The old ignition hardware on the car looked to be in bad shape so I went and changed it all about 4 months ago. The key was only switched into the run position. Car was not running. Reason why I suspect the wire is because the HEI was installed by the previous owner and I never undid the tape until yesterday when I saw the two wires beneath the BAT terminal.

So is this a possible cause for crappy running? I guess I should have just undone all what the previous guy did an started from scratch..

Thanks for the help!

Cheers,

Tony

 

Awesome, thanks eric, i sure hope this remedies my "oh-so-hard-to-start" problems. Heh.

Also, i found out that when i bent my Edelbrock linkage to clear the EGR on my performer manifold. I also bent the little screw that actuates the throttle a bit more when the choke is engaged.. I'm thinking that may have been my problem in the first place as to why my car wouldn't start...

But i guess it's a good idea to fix the HEI Bat problem now that i'm here anyway right?

cheers,

Tony

 

Dear All,

Thanks for all the help once again! I was able to get my cutlass running. I wasn't able to pinpoint the cause, but i checked the following.

-Timing ( i pulled out plug #1 and verified the dist was in the right place) it was not, so i adjusted it by about 15 degrees.

- Choke linkage (when i bent the throttle bracket to clear my EGR) it bent the little screw that contacts the throttle linkage, so.. I guess i was getting No Fast Idle. I bent it back and now it's good.

- Cleaned all the plugs and inspected the wires

- Ran a wire directly from the ignition to the +BAT.

BOOM! the car coughed for about 10 seconds of cranking and roared to life!

What with it being around 41 degrees F here last night here in Montreal, it sure felt good to hear that puppy roar!

Thanks again All,

Cheers,

Tony

 

HELP!!!!!!!

SO here i am back at square one..... Cutlass is making the same darn noise it was almost a year ago.

- Carb has gas and squirting two streams down the intake, Check
- HEI has 12V at + BAT terminal while cranking, Check
- Spark plug Sparking, Check
- Starter turns flywheel/crank (i can see the fan turning, so i assume check)
- Pulled the cap off the distributor to make sure the rotor was spinning when i crank (so i assume the timing chain didnt jump or break...)

ONLY PROBLEM is, it sounds like my engine has no resistance when i crank, it is making the SAME sound as if i pulled all the plugs out and cranked the motor.

Is it possible all my valves are sticking open and the engine is getting no compression???

Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

 

I suspect the timing chain is loose and "jumped time" Start over and verify #1 TDC and rotor position.

 

X2

 

Does that mean that "IF" the engine starts, the piston will whack against the valve if the timing chain jumped????