- example.gif (0/1) Help, Problem with 88 360 Dodge

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by nick podobensky, Jul 6, 2003.

  1. Details 1988 Dodge Truck, moter had been rebuilt 2 owners ago, Mild
    cam, Rochester Quadrajet (Modified) Dual Pickup Ignition


    My friend had bought a Dodge truck a couple of years back and has
    had problems with it since she bought it. She had taken it many places
    for tune ups oil changes ect but some problems have always remained:
    poor Idle, wouldn't pass emmissions, and high gas usage. I decided to
    look at it myself lately. First addressed the the carberator because she
    had just got it tuned up. It smelt of gas after turning off used alot of
    fuel, rough starting cold & Hot, ok Acceleration. I got a rebuilding
    kit, Took it apart and realized it was custom built, It was supposed to
    have an electronic pump but was replaced with a mechanical one, and the
    airhorn assembly was not the one for that style of body the front vac
    break assm. cannot open the secondary butterfly fully. I replaced the
    needle, float ect put it back together and it still idles rough although
    it is eaisier starting and the gas smell has gone. I am going to get
    another carb, we are not interested in preformance so much as economy so
    I was thinking of getting a used (complete) Quadrajet from a junkyard or
    does someone recomend an aftermarket? I priced the quad at a junkyard
    for 45.00 an aftermaket holley is 385.00


    Since the Idle was still rough I checked Spark plugs they were very
    worn and carbonized, one wire fell apart and they all looked pretty old
    so I replaced all of them with the plugs, since these two components
    were so bad I checked the distributor cap and roter both pitted very
    badly so I changed them as well ( I dont know what kind of "tune up" was
    done but I am going to ask) after this I notice a defanate change in the
    overall operation but the idle is still rough like it is missing (as
    before). I got a timing light and checked it. It is no where near the
    timing scale the If you can amagine the timing mark being at 2:00 the
    crank indicator (at idle) is at 4:00 turning thr distributor I can get
    it to about 3:00 and it hardly wants to run( this is advancing it) when
    I rev it up the mark moves (advances) but sill not even close. The
    correct timing is 12 Deg

    I think it had mechanical and vacume advance

    I have checked for vac leaks and found none I did however applied
    manual vac to the vacume advance and it did not move and I couldnt get a
    vacume on it Is it bad?

    So can anyone tell me
    1: how or why the timing mark is so wacked out could someone installed
    somthing incorrectly?
    2 How can It be put it in time? should I rotate the motor till #1 is
    TDC and make my oun mark
    3 Can The Carb Still be way off and can it effect the timing

    Any help will be greatly appritiated


     
    nick podobensky, Jul 6, 2003
    #1
  2. Sounds like the cam was not properly timed when it was installed and is
    off 1 or more teeth. Since a supposedly "mild" cam was put in the idiots
    probably discovered that the original carb couldn't handle it thus they
    hacked up the carb, then hacked around with the timing to get the thing
    to work.
    It probably can't, although you can take it apart and make sure the cam
    is on the right tooth. But it may be impossible to keep idling then. The
    only way to find out is to experiment. If the cam is too radical there's no
    way it will pass emissions, though.

    Ted
     
    Ted Mittelstaedt, Jul 6, 2003
    #2
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