Help a NOOB - A continuing saga

[AussieinNC]

There should be a thick gasket between the carb and manifold...it appears to be missing from your install...

Make sure its there when you put new carb on...

If divorced choke cover still hits the levers, just tap the tin cover of the choke down a little so it clears...the cover only covers a small coil spring..just tap it down gently until it clears...

Doubt it would have caused the flooding, if anything, i would have been causing a lean condition stumble...

[ncpetersc]

Okay, I actually messed with it, and got it to not touch. Still flooding.

Going to brave the carb replacement. New carb came with new gasket but it looks similar in thickness to the existing one.

WISH ME LUCK!

[ncpetersc]

Oh and an admission of guilt.

I had siphoned one 5 gallon can out of the old tank before replacement.

I then purchased another can and put new fuel in it to put in the new tank.

A few hours ago I put about 2.5 gallons in the new tank just to fire it up (with existing carb) and check for leaks.

When I put the can back in the garage I realized I used the siphoned gas from the old tank! Not the new gas I bough specifically for this purpose!

These are the things I do... STUPID!

I only hope that the siphoned gas was "off the top" and didn't contain any crud.

GRRR.

[AussieinNC]

The pickup sock filter on the sender unit will keep any big crud out...

I wouldnt worry too much...

The thick gasket for the quadrajets acts a heat insulator, slowing down fuel percolation from heat etc.

Its about 1/4" thick...and usually black to dark grey...

Good luck young man...

[ncpetersc]

Well I installed the new carb and it runs. Took some video and don't see the fuel like before. Things seem good. I will have to find one of those gaskets and install soon, I just used the one that was on there.

Hopefully I'll get the oil changed tomorrow, and I can road test.

Excited about that!

Thanks again for all the help!

[Steeveedee]

The gas in the oil hopefully only dissolved a lot of the carbuncles in the crankcase. Whatever you do, don't drive it like that, if it hasn't been mentioned before. Diluted oil can allow some extremely quick wear on the bearings, if put under a load. Look carefully at your oil to see if it looks metallic when you drain it. Take pics and see if you can show that it does not have metal in the oil.

[ncpetersc]

Anxiously waited out a rain shower yesterday evening, and got the oil change done. Didn't see anything too concerning with what came out.

With that done, it was time for a ride! Waited (anxiously again) for my son to finish his supper, as he wasn't going to let me go without him!

I am pretty happy... it's running the best it has since I got the truck.

I still have a lot of things to fix and improve, and I will now be in the mode of trying to figure out what to do next.

Ride notes:
Transmission seemed to function flawlessly. Shift points seemed perfect to me, and it kicked down as it should. This was somewhat surprising to me, because the worst leak on the truck is from that transmission. I plan on looking into it sometimes soon.

Kicked down fine, but the response fuel wise left a lot to be desired. I don't know how to determine the whole secondaries open or not thing, but it really didn't respond and accelerate as I would like.

Noises. Clunks and rattles on small bumps. I am certain I'll have tired suspension parts to address, but am leaning towards putting those off until powertrain type of issues are mostly ironed out.

Other noises. I'll try to observe more specifically in future rides, but the truck whines pretty loudly while cruising, say say 30-45 mph. My uneducated guesses would be tranny or rear end? But it's a whine, you can "feel" if you know what I mean. The whine is accompanied by a vibration I think I can feel in my feet.

Brakes. They work fine, but I really would like to go with a booster upgrade at some point. You have to press pretty dang hard, just to keep her still at a stop light!

Next Steps:
Now that I appear to have a properly operating carb, I'll probably play with tuning, rechecking timing, and maybe try idle adjustments using my vacuum gauge. I'm sure I'll have questions about that when I try...

THANK YOU!:
I know with my luck this 'good' feeling won't last and something else will fall apart. But I want to thank you all again for all the help with this! You guys have helped me get this truck running better than it has in years. THANKS A BUNCH!!

[stevenfromtexas]

Originally Posted by ncpetersc

With that done, it was time for a ride! Waited (anxiously again) for my son to finish his supper, as he wasn't going to let me go without him!

how old is your "little"?

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by stevenfromtexas

how old is your "little"?

14, not so little anymore I guess, time flies!

[Steeveedee]

Pop the caps off the front hubs and look at the wheel bearings. If they look dry, they could be a culprit for a whine.

If you have to stand on the brake pedal at a light, your idle is set too high.

[stevenfromtexas]

Originally Posted by ncpetersc

14, not so little anymore I guess, time flies!

perfect!!!

my daughter is 9. she loves riding now that everything is licensed. she was scared to death of getting pulled over when we cruise around the block hahaha
i told her, if they do pull us over, get out and run as fast as possible. hahaha

just kidding.... to the cop brothers on the forum, that was a joke

[Artofdeath]

Awesome brother! You went from a noob to a back yard mechanic in the blink of an eye! idk why but this made my day!

[AussieinNC]

Great to see the progress...

The whine being able to be felt...sounds like trans mount has collapsed due to oil leaking ...dont be surprised when you jack it up to remove it if it comes out in two pieces...new trans mounts are available from just about any auto parts store...

Also check the carrier bearing for the driveshaft...lube up the sliding spline...

Then check the oil level in the rear axle...

If ya get stuck, we are all just a holla away...

Look after those little ones...I still call my children little ones..and they are 42 and 44....

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Pop the caps off the front hubs and look at the wheel bearings. If they look dry, they could be a culprit for a whine.

If you have to stand on the brake pedal at a light, your idle is set too high.

Okay, this I think I can do, I've had some training from my Dad packing bearings on boat trailers and such.

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by stevenfromtexas

perfect!!!

my daughter is 9. she loves riding now that everything is licensed. she was scared to death of getting pulled over when we cruise around the block hahaha
i told her, if they do pull us over, get out and run as fast as possible. hahaha

just kidding.... to the cop brothers on the forum, that was a joke

Depending on your neighborhood I'm sure you could get away with an around the block test drive. And here running might provided a good laugh to break the ice.

They grow up too fast, enjoy every day of it!

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by Artofdeath

Awesome brother! You went from a noob to a back yard mechanic in the blink of an eye! idk why but this made my day!

Not quite any kind of "mechanic" yet, couldn't have done any of this without the support here. Love this site, what a resource! But glad it made your day!!

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by AussieinNC

Great to see the progress...
The whine being able to be felt...sounds like trans mount has collapsed due to oil leaking ...dont be surprised when you jack it up to remove it if it comes out in two pieces...new trans mounts are available from just about any auto parts store...

I fear transmission rebuild or replace may be a requirement down the road, just because it is certainly leaking. That's why I was so surprised at how perfect the shift points seemed, to me anyway. But I'll inspect the brackets in case one needs replacing just to get me by until I save up for getting it fixed right. I am still holding out hope that the leak is something fixable without removing it I guess. But the first order of business is to clean it up just so I can tell where it's leaking. The thing is a serious mess. I'll get some pics at some point. I was thinking of spraying some degreaser on it and heading to a car wash with a spray nozzle.

Originally Posted by AussieinNC

Also check the carrier bearing for the driveshaft...lube up the sliding spline...

I can manually slide it forward and back to lube it without any sort of disassembly?

Originally Posted by AussieinNC

Then check the oil level in the rear axle...

Never done this either, but I'll look it up. Sounds like something I could tackle once I figure it out.

Originally Posted by AussieinNC

If ya get stuck, we are all just a holla away...

Look after those little ones...I still call my children little ones..and they are 42 and 44....

Thanks again! And glad you are, because I will holla again with questions for sure!

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by ncpetersc

I fear transmission rebuild or replace may be a requirement down the road, just because it is certainly leaking. That's why I was so surprised at how perfect the shift points seemed, to me anyway. But I'll inspect the brackets in case one needs replacing just to get me by until I save up for getting it fixed right. I am still holding out hope that the leak is something fixable without removing it I guess. But the first order of business is to clean it up just so I can tell where it's leaking. The thing is a serious mess. I'll get some pics at some point. I was thinking of spraying some degreaser on it and heading to a car wash with a spray nozzle. Some car washes get all soggy and hard to light if you degrease the parts at their shop. Just so you know. It's an OSHA pollution thing.


I can manually slide it forward and back to lube it without any sort of disassembly? Nope. There is a fitting on the slip that you can put grease into.

Never done this either, but I'll look it up. Sounds like something I could tackle once I figure it out. Post a pic of your diff, and we'll point out where the fill plug is. This is super-easy to do.


Thanks again! And glad you are, because I will holla again with questions for sure!

see my comments in red

[ncpetersc]

TO DO:

LUBRICATION - I still have not located the grease fitting for the bearing, but went on the hunt for the differential fill plug first. Did some more reading yesterday, and it sounds like it is on the front of the pumpkin, I had looked for it in the rear/cover area. This shouldn't be a problem to do once I find it.

I have a question about what is "normal" in this area. It may have been decades since anyone bothered to check it, but I used my largest chisel as a scraper to remove some guck from the axel. What I am moving is like industrial bubble gum, so clearly a grease/oil component to it. I wish I took pictures, but it was probably 4-5mm thick and extended a good 12-18" out on the axel tubes. Is this typical, or leaking badly? Also, should it be low (likely), I'm reading 80W90 is probably the right stuff?

What will be the right stuff for the grease fitting for the "slip joint"? Some sort of chassis lube or?

TUNING - After getting the new carb on and the changing the oil, I didn't want to touch anything for a few days, just so I could drive the truck a few times. But I did eventually want to try to "tune" it properly for fuel efficiency or just correctness.

I tried to start looking at this yesterday and didn't get very far. I wanted to start by recording where things were set currently. I checked how many turns the idle mixture screws were set to, and found them to be about 3.5 turns out. I have read quite a few times that 1.5 turns is a typical starting point for these. How excessive is 3.5? That's how it came from the carb house.

Started it up, and verified still at 12* advance (vac disconnected), RPM was 850. Vac: 18"

The manual says 8* and 600 for 350/auto.

Anyway, I started with a small change, and adjusted idle to 750rpm. I actually had to adjust my idle stop solenoid in for this. But I also don't think this solenoid is functioning. Shouldn't it be extended at idle? Or did this actually only extend if AC was running? I'm not sure I have ever seen it extended. Anyway... 750 rpm, still 12deg so the higher rpm did not add mechanical advance or anything.

Now, I've read about tuning for "max vacuum", so that is what I was going to try.

First I went 1/2 turn in on idle screws, figuring 3.5 was a lot so leaner was the right way to go, then readjusted to 750 rpm.

Then I try another 1/2 turn in. I hear something. When people talk about "pinging" I confess to not knowing what that is. But what I heard might be a slight "ping", would this make sense? Pinging due to leaner mixture?

Anyway, I figured I didn't know what I was doing again, backed 1/2 turns back out, left it at 750rpm, vacuum might have increased to 19".

What do you guys think?

[Artofdeath]

Sounds like a leak around your rear end gasket cover. Scrape it all off, remove the cover and replace the gasket. I took a roll lock to my gasket surfaces both cover and housing and used a new gasket and sealer then I filled with non slip 80-90w rear end lube. While you have the cover off you can look at the gears to see what ratio you have. Many threads here on how to identify.

Not to sure about ping when adjusting idle screws. Hard to hear ping at idle imho, unless timing is way out. What you should listen for is the engine starting to stumble. Turn screws in until it starts to stumble then back out a half a turn.

[ncpetersc]

Originally Posted by Artofdeath

Sounds like a leak around your rear end gasket cover. Scrape it all off, remove the cover and replace the gasket. I took a roll lock to my gasket surfaces both cover and housing and used a new gasket and sealer then I filled with non slip 80-90w rear end lube. While you have the cover off you can look at the gears to see what ratio you have. Many threads here on how to identify.

Not to sure about ping when adjusting idle screws. Hard to hear ping at idle imho, unless timing is way out. What you should listen for is the engine starting to stumble. Turn screws in until it starts to stumble then back out a half a turn.

Okay thank you. Might try again tonight.

[Artofdeath]

I just want to clarify. Words have different meanings for people so here goes.

Ping as described is early detonation or ignition knock. This is usually heard when the engine is under load, going up hill with the throttle depressed. The engine under load with to much advance timing can cause the fuel air mixture will explode before the piston reaches the top of its stroke. The knock you hear is the explosion pushing the piston down while it's still traveling up. this shocks the piston and push rod back down and into the crank. The heat cause by detonation will cause hot spots in the cylinder and could cause the either the chamber wall, piston top, head or valve to melt. Severe cases can cause engine failure.

When adjusting idle mixture I usually listen for smooth idle. Set your timing then check your idle mixture, then set your idle speed.

I could be wrong in the order of those things but that is how I usually do it.

Look forward to hearing from others...

[dmjlambert]

Mine had lots of mud and crud accumulated on the differential. I spent an hour or so scraping and wire brushing and spraying. Here is where the filler plug is on mine, visible from the front passenger side of the differential. There is no drain plug. I removed the cover bolts except just loosened the top one, pried the cover loose, and let the oil drain. The oil has a special stink to it, unlike motor oil. Then cleaned up the cover and gave it a shot of spray paint. I stuck the bolts through a piece of cardboard and cleaned them up and gave the bolt heads a shot of paint too. I let the paint dry a day or two. Fresh gasket and gasket sealer from O'Reilly Auto Parts. I read online some advice about cleaning up the mating surfaces where the gasket goes, put a thin layer of sealant on both sides of the gasket, and fasten the bolts, then letting it sit until dry before adding the oil. So I just added the oil the next day. The differential oil is available in a bottle with a squirt top. I filled it until it drained back out the filler hole, and that was enough. Put the plug back in. I'm probably the only one who took 3 or 4 days to do that oil change. I remember seeing remarks from other forum members that they've never changed the differential oil. My old oil looked pretty good for decades-old oil, and I'll bet it was from 1969.

[dmjlambert]

I forgot to mention, I removed the filler plug before starting on removing the cover. I was thinking if I can't get that filler plug out, I don't want to drain it, because then I wouldn't want to drive the truck to my mechanic to get help with the filler plug. And now that I think about it, I seem to remember putting POR15 paint on it, not spray paint. That is why it is glossy. The $23 POR15 starter kit from Amazon has gloss black paint.

[dmjlambert]

The detonation (or ping or knock) on my truck sounded very much like a rattle from under the hood. I could hear it while accelerating on a test drive. So I retarded by timing by a couple of degrees and took it for a test drive again. I repeated retarding the timing until the pinging was gone. I ended up at 7 BTDC and my vacuum advance gives 23 degrees of advance. I had a separate thread here on the forum about those numbers and using the timing light.