NEW PROBLEM(S):

[eventhorizon66]

Moisture collects in the exhaust system and is blown out by the exhaust pressure, causing water to dribble out of the tailpipe.  No biggie there.  Are you sure that it is oil that is coming out of the tailpipe and not just water that picked up some carbon?  Does you truck smoke badly (bluish smoke) when you fire it up initially and at every takeoff?  How's your oil pressure?  The oil pressure switch for the choke could just be defective (there should be continuity when the engine is running).  Does the choke open (all the way?); and how long does it take?  If your choke isn't opening properly, you would have an engine that runs overly rich, very poorly, and fouls plugs.  Pull your plugs and tell us how they look.

Why are there so many spaces in front of the text in your last post?

[Stewart G Griffin]

i'll get to the plugs soon hopefully, but one thing no-one has mentioned is the head gasket; Could a blown gasket be causing all of this?

[HAULIN IT]

Stewart, Actually, Back on Pg. 3 SgtDel mentioned it & a compression check. This is what you need to do & go from there. We have too many things up in the air here...we were talking fuel pressure & flooding, then ignition, pulling the engine & now "building a truck with a mid-mount engine". At this point you need to go to the beginning. You need to verify the basic "health" of the engine, not the accessories (carb, distributor, egr valve, ect. ect.) The compression test will tell you if each cylinder has the necessary things happening in it to work properly (ring seal, intake valve opening & sealing, exhaust valve opening & sealing & that all of this is happening at the right time). If you check all cylinders & you have proper, consistant numbers, now you KNOW you have a sound base. If not, you will quickly know which cylinder is your problem & organize a plan from there, at this point you may pull an engine because of a carb or ignition problem...or are you going to buy a distributor that you don't need? Good Luck with it & keep us posted, Lorne

[joesgarage71]

Let's just say that, water (not vapor) is coming out of the tailpipes.

It is true that condensation will form in the exhaust system the water drops that you see coming from the tail pipe while the engine is running is the result of efficient combustion. No cause for concern most all cars and trucks will shed water.

[Stewart G Griffin]

i agree; we should go to the basics and get a baseline.

i have just been very busy at work----which is a good thing.   And i need to get organized, but we WILL get to the bottom of this.

The simplex/can-am project is totally separate from "brownie," my current truck/problem.  And the current problem will be/must be addressed and taken care of first before i delve into the mid-engined thing because i have no space for it---not just physically garage wise, but mentally, spiritually, stomachly etc.

[406 Q-ship]

I second the compressor (or leak down) test to see what the basic health of the engine.  Any valvetrain issues will crop up in a compression test.  Water at start up is condensation unless it goes on for an extended period of time.  Blueish smoke on fire up that clears up is going to be valve stem seals leaking, now if it smokes for the whole time it runs.......

[Stewart G Griffin]

....the saga continues......

OK, i finally had time to get the engine out of the chassis.  It took so long because, perplexingly, things at my job (i'm in retail) have picked up since feb. and i went back full time.  At my other job, one of my co-workers got caught selling pot to an undercover on school grounds.  This meant i had to fill in an extra shift which meant, literally 24/7 on duty for a few days and i slept alot of that time and my employer understood because they couldn't find anyone else on short notice.   i am not sure if all states have the law that if you sell within 1000ft of a school, this means more penalties.  But my state has that law.  i guess people are getting desperate.  i really don't know how he is going to get out of this one.


WE are going to get to the bottom of this problem if it is the last thing i do.

Things are a little exciting now for all of us because:
1)You know how in the movies where the hero(s) are just minding their business and some other person(me) comes along and....., well for example in "Star Trek, The Final Frontier" some other guy---Sybok sort of tricks/traps the crew of the enterprise into helping him.  i am Sybok, you are the crew of the Enterprise.  Sort of.
NOTE:  And i want to emphasize this.  i think star trek is cool, but i am not a fan of star trek, nor do i follow it;  i just could not think of a more appropriate example.

2) This is sort of going to be like a live 73-87 rehab project in real time.   You basically tell me what to do, i and do it.  That's pretty exciting and does not really happen that much on webforums.  It's sort of like someone gets trapped on a island or is in outer space and they get hurt and they have to do surgery on themselves and the doctor gives them instructions over the phone.  It's wild.

So, are you with me?  All i ask is that if a ask a question(and you'll be getting a lot of dumb ones) that if you could please go into great detail about the subject matter;  One word/sentence answers are generally not going to cut it (hint, hint Mr. Zambonie );  i'm generally looking for a paragraph in most cases.  If i knew the answer to the question, i wouldn't have asked it.  My technical knowledge is not that good.  Thanks.

So the first thing is, and by the way the engine is on a test stand, the first things is/are i want to put full gauges on this engine:
What is this?  What does it do?


What is this?  What does it do?


i'm guessing something to do with oil.

What is this?  What does it do?


This was one the driver's side.

It would seem that we have both water and oil monitored, but alas there is yet another sensor located just above the oil filter;  What is this?  What does it do?

[choptop]

A- I believe this is a knock sensor that montitors detanation and retards or advances the timing accordingly. I think it is used on the Electronic Spark Control (ESC) systems
B= Oil pressure sending unit used to send ground reference to oil pressure gaugein dash. This unit is designed to go with a particular gauge. If it is changed out with a sending unit that had a different operating range, then the gauge will be inaccurate.
C= Water temperature sending unit used to send ground reference to water temperature gauge in dash. As with the oil pressure sending unit, if it is replaced with a sending unit that has a different operating range, the gauge will be inaccurate.
D= Appears to be an oil pressure switch. It is only for the oil pressure. I am not sure what this one is used for, it could have several uses, but I believe it may be the one that controls the power to the electric choke. I believe it is a normally open switch (no continuity between contacts) and when oil pressure builds, it send power to the choke coil to heat it up, causing the choke to open. I am not going to swear to that tho.

[123 pugsy]

A)  is a knock sensor. When the engine starts pinging from preignition, the computer picks it up via this sensor and retards the timing saving you extensive engine damage.

B)   is the oil pressure sender for the guage or light.

C) is the sensor for the TEMP light/guage

D) I forgot this...something to do with oil for sure....

[eventhorizon66]

The fourth pic is an oil pressure switch and is used for the choke as choptop said earlier.  Although that is an odd location for it.  Mine is located on a tee at the same location as oil pressure sender in the second pic.

[Stewart G Griffin]

OK, cool;

A) that's what i kind of figured.  i can leave this unplugged as i no longer use the ESC distributor.

b) i only have a light.  Let's say i want to add a gauge and keep the light, which, actually, is what i actually want to do.  Do you have some pointers as far as "T" fittings go?

c) i only have a light.  Let's say i want to add a gauge and keep the light, which, actually, is what i actually want to do.  Do you have some pointers as far as "t" fittings go?  Also, just out of curiousity i know there are other places to get temp readings from.  Why did the factory pick the head?

d) Yeah, i think you all are right because the wire for the choke, i think branches off from these wires that go into sensor d.

[choptop]

You can tee the oil pressure gauge, I prefer to do this at the one by the oil filter because its easier to get to, just use some good steel fittings, not the cast, black iron ones. As far as the temp, if you are removing the vacuum thermistor in the intake, I would put it there. Ther really isnt a good way to tee it in the head without having an odd looking contraption hanging out the side of the bolck that could break off due to vibration. I usually plug the oil passage at the back of the block when I have to change the sender or have the engine out because its such a pain to get to and I have had issues with them leaking.(bad sender) I dont know if this is a mistake or not, but I have never had any issues. I just hate oil leaks and this eleviates one of the hardest ones to fix.

[Stewart G Griffin]

nEXT question:

Let's say i want to mount a 2 1/16" gauge----yes the engine is on a test stand and i am making up a console for the instruments and switches.

What actual size has to be drilled to fit the 2 1/16" gauge?

b) 2 5/16" gauge?

Also everyone relax----i am going to do the compression etc.   i just want to get everything set up right because you should run the engine first before checking compression right?

[choptop]

I can tell you from experience that making the hole for the gauge is a pain. You can take the gauge with you to the store and try to get a holesaw that is close. I think I use a 2-1/8 holesaw, but you have make sure it doesnt wallow or the hole will be too big. I built alot of panels with gauges, and I have one hole saw that I have used for years, so I grab it without looking at the size. You can use a 2 inch hole saw and let it walk a little, then rasp the hole out bigger if needed.
 The test stand idea is cool. I have everything to make one, just havent had the time to get my welder fixed, or build it once I did.

[Stewart G Griffin]

i think i'm going to bring the bezel(gauges were originally purchased as a set from sumitt, but now i'm going to mount them individually in a blank panel) to the store and try to find a holesaw that will match it.


i guess what i'm trying to ask is, when a manufacturer says, for example, 2 1/16" do they mean the cylinder of the gauge itself, the flange, or the gauge face?

i got my ruler out, and things aren't making sense to me.