Engine removal

[jhuebner]

I have a new tank, was fine before the engine rebuild, I did change the fuel pump I will check the fuel line from pump to carb maybe its kinked.....with the Eldebrock fuel pump the lines routed in a different manner

[jhuebner]

Sparkplug wires are routed correct, rotated motor up to TDC checked 1 piston was up, rotor is at the 1 post on dizzy cap, went for a test drive all seemed good till the car lost power.....towed home, this morning went over the car again will not start just turns over slowly till it stops tried jump starting same thing turns over slowly still have what is needed fuel, spark, compression, im afraid I have some type of cam failure any thoughts would be helpful, my patience have gone

[simplyconnected]

All solid state components need full battery voltage or they simply won't work. Points are different. You said the engine cranks slowly which usually indicates one of two things; the starter motor is worn out and shorting most of the power to ground or your engine was starved for oil and now requires much more torque to turn it.

At this point I need much more info. Do your battery cables feel hot after you crank the engine? Does anything smell bad?

You can check these conditions. Any time I build an engine I pay close attention to oil pressure for weeks. I don't go by the 'idiot light' but instead, I use a cheap mechanical gauge that screws into the oil filter adapter. How was your oil pressure at idle and at running speeds?

As long as you maintained good oil pressure I would not suspect the cam. Again, if your engine ran for some time with proper oil pressure and coolant it should be ok.

Pull your spark plugs and put a long bar with a socket on your crank bolt and turn it by hand. If it feels frozen, that would explain why the starter is running slow. If it turns ok, pull your starter motor and inspect the brushes and commutator segments.

Let me know what you find. - Dave

[jhuebner]

The negative cable gets warm when trying to start, coolant level is good, engine did not get hot, on the oil pressure gauge it does not go much past L, checked oil looks clean, im able to turn the motor at the crank, Ive only turned the motor with the 1 plug out motor rotated as should with compression as pistons move up, I can pull all the plugs tomorrow and rotate engine, starter is 5 months old.

[simplyconnected]

High current causes wires to heat. That current is going to ground somewhere. Hopefully, you want the current to go through the starter field coils and through the armature before it gets to ground.

Shorted field windings or a shorted armature will cause high current and a huge voltage drop at the battery. Drop your starter motor and have it tested.- Dave

[jhuebner]

Installed a new starter today, got the car started but the engine was running very badly shaking and sounding like a sewing machine, was not able to do much else as it was getting dark, have all day Saturday to mess with it

[simplyconnected]

Go through all the basics. Use your Shop Manual to help.
Did you install an oil pressure gauge on the engine? What did it show? (My biggest fear is to run low on oil pressure or coolant, especially on a newly built engine. So, I monitor oil pressure and temperature very frequently until my confidence is up.)

If you don't have proper oil pressure, don't run the engine until you find the oil plug that was left out.

Starter motors are rated at about 20% duty cycle. That means, if you crank your engine for ten seconds, let it rest for the next fifty seconds.

If your engine has fuel, air and spark, it should start and produce oil pressure. You can help the starter by turning your ignition timing back to TDC until you find the problem. - Dave

[jhuebner]

Installed a new starter, set the engine at TDC and got it started, lots of chatter coming from the valve covers have not had time to check the clearance between the pushrods and rockers, did pull all the plugs and checked compression readings were mostly 70-80 and #3 was at 110 could the low readings be from loose rockers not allowing the valves to fully open/close as they should, there was no backfire just the chatter also put a vacuum gauge on the carb and was reading just over 10. **** aircooled engine was so much easier what a battle im having.

[jopizz]

I would pull the valve covers and check the torque on the rocker arm bolts. It should be 45-50 ft. lbs. I would run the engine with the valve covers off to see if all the rockers are getting oil. Your compression readings are definitely low on a rebuilt engine as is your vacuum. You should have vacuum readings in the 17-22 range with the stock setup.

John

[jhuebner]

I had the valve covers off there is definitely oil going to the rockers, will run the engine with covers off and see if all of the rockers are getting oil will also check the torque, sure hope it is just loose rockers

[jopizz]

When you torque the bolts make sure you remove all the oil from the where the bolts go into the heads. If not you will have trouble getting the correct torque and you could snap a bolt.

John

[simplyconnected]

I went through all your posts as i was looking to find all the parts you changed. At one point you gave the engine to a shop then it came back and you installed it.

I'm going to give you the same advice I gave highwaythunder. This is a new build.
Do you have a new cam? Were your heads machined? Was your block machined? Many 'major overhauls' include machining mating surfaces just to make sure all the castings are straight.

When castings are machined, that affects the lifter pre-load. It usually sends the pushrods deeper into the lifters IF you are using non-adjustable rocker arms and pushrods. Are your pushrods straight? Loosen the rocker shafts and pull each pushrod out so you can roll them on a flat surface.

While you have the rocker shafts out, put an air hose on each cylinder to check for valve or ring leaks. I gutted an old spark plug and welded an air hose fitting to the base. It easily screws into every spark plug hole. Kick up your air pressure.

If you hear air escaping through the carb, you have an intake valve that is not seated (probably bent). If you hear air hissing out your exhaust, an exhaust valve is not seated (and also may be bent). Ring noise comes out the valve covers.

I know this is after the fact but, I run my engines on a stand before installing them. I put them through a few heat cycles and usually run out five gallons of gas. That way, if oil leaks, noise comes up, or any fault shows, it's easy to work on the engine because it is still out of the car. This period of time also allows me to closely monitor oil pressure by reading a gauge.

I have a few concerns. We have asked for pictures. You showed none. I asked for oil pressure readings. You never reported any. Troubleshooting from here is extremely difficult if we continue a guessing game. I need solid and complete information to continue. With the little information I know at this point, I suggest you pull both heads. Is it necessary? Maybe, if valves are bent. I don't have much faith in your engine builder. - Dave

[jhuebner]

Hey guys been away for awhile, update on my engine, I got some money back from the shop that HELPED ME on the rebuild....I pulled the engine took it down to bare block, changed the piston rings, honed cylinders,main bearings, cam bearings along with new cam, lifters, springs, valves, alu intake, demon carb and more......cranked car up today ran it 30mins at 2/2500 rpm to do the cam break in all seems well no unusual sounds or leaks.

[toddgilroy]

I pulled the engine out of my 60 convertible this evening. I should really say I helped a neighbor friend pull my engine. Very lucky to have a friend in "the business".

The guy in the pictures is Joel Haver, owner of Haver's Auto Repair here in Omaha. Joel and two of his brothers own and run the business their father started in 1957. He stopped by at 6:30 and we had it mounted on the engine stand by 7:30, finished his beer by 7:45 and he had the rest of the 18 pack I bought him home by about 7:47.

In between documenting the activities with some photos, I did help a little, and of course I had all the equipment here and the engine was ready to pull.

And I know who I am calling when it comes time to put it back in!

[simplyconnected]

Good job! Now comes the fun part... bagging all your parts and cleaning them.

The rocker shafts look mighty dry.
Pay very close attention to all that is done (and not done) to your engine. Document it on paper and with those great pictures you're taking.
Remove the rocker shafts, then pushrods, then intake manifold. Don't be afraid to use your cherry picker to remove the intake manifold because it is very heavy. - Dave