Ok here is what I have done so far to my small block chevy to try and fix this problem. First I was fouling plugs and way too much exhaust in the exhaust, strong smell, burning eyes. I called up Crane and got a cam with matching lifters (Adv. Duration: 290º Gross Lift: .454'' RPM Range: 2000-5000 Cam & Lifter Kit ), and springs, new MSD ignition, New Mallory Ignition, New Intake (Weiand) I did however forget to take out the divider plate which I am going to do later today, it is X-CELerator, 1500-6000 rpm part number 925-7546 from Jegs, I also have a new Edelbrock 750 carb, we have not set the timing with a timing light only by ear, I drove it down the road yesterday and it ran awesome, but still smoke with a definite fuel smell? I don't know what else to do? Should I take it somewhere and have them tune it in for me? What else could it be? :mad:

Does the carb have the stock jets? I would time the car with a light, then set the idle mixture. If it's still fat, then try jetting down. Edelbrock has a pretty good step by step for determining correct jet size. You might take a look at it.

Chad

We took that carb off and used a stock QuadraJet and same problem?

What is your fuel pressure coming out of the pump?

I did talk to Summit's tech guys today and they seem to think the same thing that the carb needs to be jetted down and timing set, they bascially said that I have eliminated everything else that could cause it.

[ 05-30-2003, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: Johnso ]

I tend to agree. Do you know if the Quadrajet's metering rods are also the wrong size? They would have to be if the carb swap resulted in the same problem.

At least there aren't that many components to sort through. Keep us posted on how it turns out.

Good luck,
Chad

PS. Time it first, then tune. graemlins/beers.gif

Got the timing set (with a light this time) not much of a change yet, seems a little better, but the plugs are fouled again (3rd set) going for the 4th set Thursday, then we are going to see if we need to jet the carb down.

I had the same problem and it turned out to be a bad vacuum leak at the intake. Have you checked for leaks?

where would it be at the intake? the intake I have now is the second one and the same problem with both. one was a Eld. Performer the new one is a Weiand, that seems to be a much better intake.

I'm no cam expert so your specs don't tell me much unless I refer to a table. But if you have a very much valve overlap, a lumpy cam will blurp raw fuel into the exhaust. My performer RPM does. I've made a lot of improvement with timing and carburation, but still stinks when I fire it up in the garage.

-dnult

Check the PSI at the pump, too. If it's more than what the carb can take you will need a regulator. I don't know which model# Edelbrock you have but the regular street models usually like about 6.5 PSI. How about float level? I'm leaning toward the pump pressure, personally.

I did have the same problem as you on my Firebird and it turned out the guy that owned the car before me had installed .120 primary jets...the jets out of the box are .101!!!

dnult has a good point, too. You cam has a fair amount of duration (I'm assuming your engine is a 350). Depending on the lobe seperation angle, it could have a large amount of overlap.

Give us your cam specs and check the pump pressure.

Had a similar problem way back when, it was a fuel pump. I had bought a brand new Edelbrock street pump, which is supposed to be 6 PSI at the outlet. I measured it, it was actually 13 PSI. Swapped it, problem solved.

To check for a vacuum leak, you can spray carb cleaner around the base of the carb, etc. If the car stumbles, you've found your leak. Might not work for you at this point though, if you are running poorly already the motor might not even respond.

One other quickie, be cautious of timing with a light if you are not sure that your timing pointer is on the money. I tried this with my current motor/cheapie pointer, and could not get the car to run well with the ignition set to where it was supposed to be. Mine is off about ten degrees, but I got the timing really close by getting the car up pto temperature, turning it off, and listening to how the car would crank over. If the motor turns over easily and takes several spins before it lights off, you need more advance. If the motor labors while cranking and only cranks once or twice before it lights off, you are really close (assuming nothing crazy is setup in the distributor).

I finally did a compression check (Needed the pressure checker), so how about a show of hands who believe that this motor has way too low compression at less that 8:1 more like just 8? A couple people have told me already that this is my main problem that my compression is just way too low?

What were the compression readings in PSI. Did you have the throttle fully open and spin the motor over more than once.

Two carburetors and same problem? Sounds like restrictive air cleaner or fuel supply.

I had a similar problem and mine persisted even after i jetted down like 8 sizes and the plugs were still burning on the edge of fouling but no smoke. Then i chnged my advance springs in my distributor to bring in all the advance by 2700 instead of the stock msd setting which is somthing like 3800 i think and then i had to go back to only 2 jet sizes smaller than stock and plugs ran a medium tan. Sounds odd but that is what fixed mine. I think that you also need to get a timing light and check the total timing becasue setting by initial can be inaccurate unless it is stock.

I had the problem even before the MSD kit was installed, that was the reason we installed it. The timing was set and compression checked by a local speed shop, the compression was really low like 8 to 1 a little less in other cylinders, they believe the smoke is just from weak rings, so the motor is coming out and getting the rebuild it should have had.

You can't determin static compression with a compression test.... There is no way to equate psi to a ratio of space (cyl volume) between TDC and BDC.

When did the problem start? Carb and manifold change? Did it exist before any parts were swapped? You said it runs awesome, that's not indicative of low compression or mechanical issues that would necessarly require a complete rebuild.

Well in the garage it seemed to sound and run great, I finally got it out on the road and do some drivine (avoiding police in the country) and it was really doggy, smoked when mashed or reved, the motor had set for at least 3 years covered in a garage, and was really talked up by the person I bought it from, it was supposed to only had 21k on a rebuild but I have had smoke and fumes from the beginning.

I will have to look at the guage later tonight and see what the pressure said, the guy at the speed shop showed me where it was and where it should have been so I will look again and get back.

I had a similar problem when I first bought my '68. The car fouled plugs left and right, didn't idle well, and was an absolute dog until about 3500rpm. I tried timing, re-jetting, recurving, etc. with no luck. Finally, I gave up and decided to tear it down to build it into a 383. I found out that my .040 over 350 actually had 350 pistons on a 327 crank. Compression was, like yours, around 7.5-8 to l. I replaced the crank with a good steel 3.48 stroke one, some 62cc heads, and my little 10 to 1 357 now runs like a scalded dog.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Awsome, thanks so much, that is what a beginner like me needs to hear, and after a long discussion with my Step Dad and Brother inlaw yesterday they said almost the same thing you just told me. I hadn't been able to get the two of them together until yesterday. My dad used to build race engines for MastersBuilt (MastersBuilt Chassis), ever heard of them? They are out of my hometown.

try installing a spark plug into each exhaust pipe and then you can throw flames out the backend and look totaly :cool: cool!!! graemlins/clonk.gif :D

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: graemlins/angry.gif graemlins/angry.gif graemlins/angry.gif

Originally posted by BBC1:
try installing a spark plug into each exhaust pipe and then you can throw flames out the backend and look totaly :cool: cool!!! graemlins/clonk.gif :D LOL i had an Uncle,who did that,years ago on lake pipes,{i think he had an old Merc}they ran the mixture rich on purpose,and at night you could see Kool flames coming out the exhaust! Awesome!!
graemlins/beers.gif

The pressure on the Compression Guage read around 90 lbs on the cylinders.

Dude, measure your fuel pressure.....

6lbs. Fuel Pressure