spark plugs.... Over thinking!

[SirRobyn0]

I can no longer tolerate the stink of lung destroying poison from my uncatted exhaust. I'm with ya.

Ya, I was going to go over and post in your cat thread, but since your here. You already know what I'm running for exhaust. Slightly larger pipe, single exhaust, with cat converter and air pump. As I'm sure you know one of the effects of the air pump is it helps the catalytic converter do it's thing, which in turn generates heat in the cat, that also helps get the cat up to temp quicker. I think I saw that today. It was a nice day so I had the window down. When I left the shop, with the engine warmed up, without the air pump sitting in traffic I could really smell it, by the time I got to the farm it had settled down. So I think it just took longer for the cat to get up to temp and working. So if you are without an air pump, I can see how moving the cat closer to the manifold might help get it working a little faster.

 

[80BrownK10]

Lets break this statement down a bit. In MY experience it takes an hour to to explain to the wife why I NEED to work on the truck. Another 30 minutes to explain what a manifold is and 15 minutes to drive to Circle K to pick up a 12 pack. 30 minutes to find the tools I need, and 10 minutes to get some tunes blasting. Piss break #1=5 minutes. Stare at the engine for 15 minutes wondering if/why I'm really going to do this. Remove air cleaner, throttle cable and PCV hose=15 minutes. Piss break #2=5 minutes. 20 minutes to find that damn offset 9/16" wrench for the dizzy hold down bracket. Remove dizzy and plug wires. Piss break #3=5 minutes. 10 minutes to find a suitable container to drain coolant in. Remove lower radiator hose to drain coolant. 30 seconds to watch the entire coolant miss the container and drain all over the driveway while trying to keep the dog away. 5 minutes to wash driveway down with garden hose. Beer break # 3 (Two beers to deal with aggravation)=20 minutes. Remove intake bolts and top radiator hose. 10 minutes trying to find a lip for flat blade screwdriver to pry against that wont break the manifold flange. Remove manifold and watch in horror as all kind of debris falls into the intake runners and lifters. Piss break #4+ 10 minutes. Spend the next 1 FULL hour scraping and cleaning the gasket surface and heads of all gasket material while sniffing the acetone fumes. Another 20 minutes trying to get the threads clean of the thread sealant using a wire brush. Piss break #5=10 minutes.
Ok were at the halfway point!
10 minutes to endure the pain in your ribs as you lay across the fenders to apply the PERFECT bead of RTV on the rear intake flange. 7 minutes (although less painful) for the front. 1 minute to position the manifold gaskets. 3 minutes to get the courage up and steady the hands in order to place the manifold in place as graceful as a swan and in one perfect motion so as not to screw up those pretty RTV beads of silicone. 20 minutes to repeat the last three steps because you blew it! Piss break #6=5 minutes. Second time is a success! 5 minutes to slam another beer before finger tightening the intake bolts. 30 minutes to reinstall the dizzy, wires, hoses, coolant and throttle linkage. Piss break #7=5 minutes. 10 minutes to final tighten the intake bolts now that the RTV has cured. Replace air cleaner. 20 minutes to throw all the tools haphazardly into the tool box. 5 minutes to scrub hands with GOJO and garden hose. Hands and nails still disgusting. Piss break #7=5 minutes. 5 more minutes staring at engine trying to get the courage up to start it up. Nerves kick and and require another beer/Piss break #8 =10 minutes.
Crank it over until it tries to start=1 minute and 36 seconds. No start! Stare at engine in disbelief=10 minutes. Realize I didn't mark the dizzy when I pulled it. 2 more beers=20 minutes. Pull dizzy-find TDC-reinstall dizzy=42 minutes. Piss break #9=5 minutes. Stare at engine and say a prayer telling God you will change your ways if he allows it to start= 6 minutes.
Crank it over and she fires!!! Adjust timing and check for leaks=10 minutes. Tell God you were "just kidding"....have another beer=2 minutes.

So... @Bextreme04 telling him it "should only take about an hour" is not accurate or nice. People need to be told the truth and not have it sugarcoated. I'm not saying everyone has the same experience but I've had this same experience EVERY time I've done this at least three times.

So... @SirRobyn0 . Assuming you have a better way of doing things you should realistically plan on it requiring 6.46 hours of your time and at least 10-12 beers depending on your alcohol tolerance.

You all welcome.

Hey are we the same person??? Haha Sounds a lot like how my jobs always go minus the beer and all the pissing!

 

[Rusty Nail]

Air pumps are good - I wish my Blazer still had one, ive got a good mind to replace it since the omnipotent P.O. took it off because horsepower to turn it?
Guess it burnt up and oh well the plug is still chillin..
Never made sense to me takin that stuff off... scents? Not even when I was a kid did I want to de-emission my stuff.

A little bit necessary to have a basic understanding of what it does though - leaves many out.

 

[Grit dog]

Looks like you may have got er fixed for good @SirRobyn0.
Nice work

 

[SirRobyn0]

Looks like you may have got er fixed for good @SirRobyn0.
Nice work

Thanks, yes I think so. I pulled the plug again today and it looks great.

I'm not really looking for advice on this next bit more over I'm reporting where I'm at, but also open to thoughts that might be different than mine. So it seems I have picked up a pinging problem, since changing the intake gaskets. WOT or close to it, second gear just right around 3K. I'm thinking it might be carbon in #7 from the oil use, though preforming a decarb did not seem to help. Also I'm running UR4 NGK plugs which are roughly R45TS plugs, and as we learned earlier in this thread the R45TS plug was superseded by the CR43TS in an effort to reduce ping on the 305, and also IDK how this could effect pinging but the air pump is off.

So the air pump is going back on because I don't like the exhaust smell. Then I'll go back to the CR43TS plugs as that is what was in the truck since before I bought it and they were fine until the fouling issue. I'm sure it would not ping with a tank full of premium, so if I have to tow the trailer before I get that curtailed I can always do that, expensive as it would be.

 

[Rusty Nail]

I think everything was fine before you disabled the smog pump no?
Didnt even have time to settle before you forced change, I think it's trying to tell you something..certainly the de-carbonization of the valve tops affects/effects ignition advance tolerance - you'll have to retune it now for certain.
Don't you agree?

*looking at you, carburetor screws*
You runnin 8 or 10°?
6?

 

[SirRobyn0]

I think everything was fine before you disabled the smog pump no?
Didnt even have time to settle before you forced change, I think it's trying to tell you something..certainly the de-carbonization of the valve tops affects/effects ignition advance tolerance - you'll have to retune it now for certain.
Don't you agree?

*looking at you, carburetor screws*
You runnin 8 or 10°?
6?

Completely agree with all off the above and figured there would be some tuning to do after doing the intake. Which is fine, I'm happy to do what is required, now that I have solved the oil control issue. runnin' 4, can you believe that.... Ya, what it calls for on the sticker.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Never owned an LG4.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Never owned an LG4.

No that's timing. I'm running 4 DBTC, that's what it calls for on the under hood sticker.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Ok, another update.

I only had about a spare 20 minutes today at the shop, so I got the air pump back on, but did not get the plugs changed. I did readjust the idle mixture screws on the carburetor.

My experience on the way home. Drove with windows down. I never smelled the exhaust, except when I'd first left the shop and the choke was still on and I would describe that as completely normal. I sat, actually in worse traffic than on Monday when I was complaining about the exhaust smell. Even when I was sitting under an underpass. So I would report for me that the air pump makes a huge difference in the exhaust smell.

Pinging seemed to be reduced. Still a touch in second gear at 3K and a little higher, but I'll bet switching back to the CR43TS fixes that.

Overall after having driven the truck for 3 three days and about 140 miles my only questions are, why did I think the intake gasket was "unlikely" to be the problem when Mike first mentioned it and more over why didn't replace it years ago. I'm telling you this truck has never idled this smooth in as long as I have owned it, it went from acceptable on it's good days, to soooo smooth, it's almost hard to tell it's running at times. But consistently way better than ever before. Like a Chev V8 should, in it's best form. Also cured two long standing issues, one was hard restart when the engine was warmed up. Like if I shut it off and was gone more than 15 minutes, I'd have to step on the gas to get it to start and then it would give me a low idle for a few minutes after that restart, now all that is gone. Use to have a very mild issue with dieseling if I whipped in a parking spot and shut it off quickly, it wasn't bad and was not a problem if I pulled into a spot like a normal person so I wasn't really concerned about it, but that too is gone.

So yes, worth every moment.

I'll report again on what the current plugs look like and what effect going back to the cooler plugs has.

Thank you all who helped me sort this out. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy where it comes to my own vehicles. I think part of it is assumptions that I wouldn't make on a customers rigs, and not taking the time needed to look it over like I should because I don't feel I have really the time.

 

[SquareRoot]

I love being able to adjust the timing on my phone by tapping a few up/down buttons. Choke? Lol, same deal, from the comfort of the driver's seat with the Vintage Air blowing cold air across my face. Ohh wait....wrong thread.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I love being able to adjust the timing on my phone by tapping a few up/down buttons. Choke? Lol, same deal, from the comfort of the driver's seat with the Vintage Air blowing cold air across my face. Ohh wait....wrong thread.

Yes, you can!

As I've said before I have no interest in updating the power train, one day going to a 350, but not interested in modernizing. However, I am curious what you think about the vintage air system. I have a factory air system in my truck and it works fine. But I have customer at the shop that is interested in installing a vintage air system in his non-A/C equipped truck.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Yes, you can!

As I've said before I have no interest in updating the power train, one day going to a 350, but not interested in modernizing. However, I am curious what you think about the vintage air system. I have a factory air system in my truck and it works fine. But I have customer at the shop that is interested in installing a vintage air system in his non-A/C equipped truck.

idi say the vintage air is probably the way to go since I think its going to bypass some of the finicky vacuum stuff the OE has. fortunatley almost every part on squares are reproduced but generally speaking id rather have a less-parts or less-to-fail system from a company with a warranty, is in business, then trying to find something harrison designed 40 years ago lol.


Dont they have "involved" kits and then simple kits like one that would be smack under the dash and just do that instead of factory vents

 

[SquareRoot]

If you had two identical vehicles except one had the factory AC (assuming it's working properly) and the other had the Vintage Air and you were sitting in the cab with the AC on with your eyes closed you couldn't tell the difference in performance.

However, when it comes to maintenance, repairs, installation there's no comparison.
For example:
a) VA has very few components and they are modular. It's plug and play. You get to lose the miles of OEM wiring, plastic connectors, dried out vacuum lines, hard to operate steel cables, finicky light bulbs, etc.
b) You get a modern, well designed Sanden compressor that's more efficient and reliable than the factory.
c) You lose the big obnoxious blower box on the firewall. It all goes away and gets a plate over it. Much cleaner. The VA is self contained and goes under the dash.
d) The availability and cost of R12 is cost prohibitive. 134a is dirt cheap and available everywhere.
e) The control panel is LED backlight and variable. The blower motor has infinite speed settings because it uses modern PWM rather than resisters in the airstream.

Vintage air is the equivalent of EFI for your climate control system. My only advice on doing a conversion is to buy the application specific "Surefit" system from the beginning. They make an Evaporator kit, A Condenser Kit and a general kit with all the ancillary pieces. Just by the full kit (which includes everything) and be done with it.

Drink beer and enjoy. This will take more than an hour to install.....I promise.

 

[SquareRoot]

idi say the vintage air is probably the way to go since I think its going to bypass some of the finicky vacuum stuff the OE has. fortunatley almost every part on squares are reproduced but generally speaking id rather have a less-parts or less-to-fail system from a company with a warranty, is in business, then trying to find something harrison designed 40 years ago lol.


Dont they have "involved" kits and then simple kits like one that would be smack under the dash and just do that instead of factory vents

All true except they use the factory vents. I'd love to find a replacement for the cheesy, delicate factory vents. I hate those things!