91blckgt's "about *&$# Time" Progress Thread

  • Sponsors (?)


This may sound ass backwards but when I pulled my distributor, I did it at 10 degrees not TDC. I read in a bronco forum of all things that if your taking it out why would you do it at 0 degrees when it's timed at 10 degrees. It seemed to make sense to me so that's what I did, when I was putting back together I realized I took it out 180 degrees in the wrong direction because I was kinda guessing when it was together. So with it apart it was easier to find TDC with my finger on the spark plug hole. I did mark on the block where it came out so I could put it back there. Once the car was running it wasn't by any means perfect, it ended up quite retarded but it did start right away. Your's looks really twisted compared to what I had but I have no idea where you took it out ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
but the way the it's sitting now I've verified, having sat and watched the piston at the top.
The piston will come to the top twice. You want to install the distributor when you feel air coming out of cylinder #1. This is the compression stroke. Very important. Once you feel the air coming out passed your finger, slide a long screw driver inside the spark plug hole very carefully, rest it against the piston top, turn crank until screw driver no longer rises. At this point the balancer should line up at 0 or close to it. This is where you install your distributor. Once you slide it in you want to turn the rotor clockwise to find the groove.
 
I only scanned quickly over your thread so if this info is in here and I missed it then I'm sorry. Since your motor was torn apart, new cam and balancer, did you manually find TDC again before installing the new balancer? Maybe you need a piston stop tool and double check that your balancer truly is reading TDC correctly?
 
I only scanned quickly over your thread so if this info is in here and I missed it then I'm sorry. Since your motor was torn apart, new cam and balancer, did you manually find TDC again before installing the new balancer? Maybe you need a piston stop tool and double check that your balancer truly is reading TDC correctly?

Good questions everyone. I'm going back through my install notes today, and plan on checking the spark and electrical. I can't rule out that I missed plugging something electrical back together.

When I installed the cam / timing chain / piston, I had the number one piston at TDC, with the keyway on the crank pointing to 12:00, and the timing notch on the cam pointing to 6:00.
 
Well, I solved one problem and introduced a new one.

SOLVED: I had two spark plug wires not fully seated on top of the distributor. It was indeed spark.

PROBLEM: After seating it, the engine turned over and produced a startlingly loud BANG! I promptly turned off the ignition, and smelled smoke.

What my theory is, is all the fuel from the attempts to start it pooled up int the piston. I smelled an acrid smoke odor around the engine, but couldn't place where it came from. I think it's from too much fuel. The question is now... did I blow out the head gasket?!?!?

WHAT I'VE TRIED:
  • I can rotate the engine by hand. It's still really hard, and there's an audible "squeak" occasionally. I thought it might be piston moving, or the oil pump. I take that as a good sign as if something was bent I don't think i'd be able to turn the engine properly.
  • I pulled all 8 spark plugs to give the gasoline fumes somewhere to go. At least 3 of the plugs smelled strongly of gas.
NEXT STEPS:
  • Try and figure out how to get the gas out of the combustion chamber, regap spark plugs while I have them out, and then put it all back together and try again.
Here's a pic of the new plug. Notice the gray around the base.

G6c2D1N5OS3mHRkNUrm3mdvt4ui7aM6r8EjUWLsNRa-HJb9t0UVimu2Dcy8pd4rMu9Fe85dRoufATqpy75F=w535-h950-no.jpg
 
Just read this article from click-clack about a fuel flooded engine.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/how-do-you-get-flooded-fuel-injected-car-started

TOM: So once the engine is flooded, here's what you SHOULD do: Try to start it one more time with the gas pedal held all the way to the floor. That sounds counterintuitive, but fully depressing the gas pedal does two things. First, it opens the throttle and lets extra air into the cylinders. Second, it sends a signal to the car's computer that the engine is flooded. The computer then greatly reduces the amount of gasoline sent in by the fuel injectors. So if the engine is not flooded too badly, you may be able to get it started that way.

Does that apply to the Mustang ECU as well?
 
Alright, latest update, after a few hours in the garage.

I took out all the plugs, blew out the chambers with 80 psi of compressed air, and put everything back together. I put a spark plug light inline to the distributor, cranked it, and I have spark. Did the same for the #1 cylinder, have spark there too.

Everything's reassembled, engine still turns over fine, but now it just cranks and nothing happens. At least there is no giant "bang!".
 
For the hell of it I found TDC again, checked the distributor, and rotated it. I'm still making my way down jricher's checklist, but I did find that the vacuum hose that connects the upper intake (the front inlet) to the charcoal canister had popped off. I'm hopefully optimistic that further advancing the timing and reconnecting the vacuum tube will do the trick.

That said, is there some directory where I can locate a Mustang mechanic? I really hate the idea of towing this car to a shop, but I'm clearly in over my head here.
 
There are some of the most helpful people I've ever seen on this forum. Let is know what state you're from and someone may be close enough to give you a hand.
 
There are some of the most helpful people I've ever seen on this forum. Let is know what state you're from and someone may be close enough to give you a hand.

Columbus, OH. I used to have Jeff from Precision Auto in Xenia help me, but that was 15 years ago, and he's closed up shop since. I reached out to Brian at DynoTuneMotorsports. Seems to have a good reputation.
 
Here's today's update. I reattached the Vacuum tube, and tried cranking it. This time I heard the occasional burble of exhaust, but didn't get it up and running. I had a good conversation with Brian, and he recommended GearHead Auto & Customz. I'll look 'em up after I run a compression test on the engine.
 
The bug ridden front of the car. I swapped the ol' ford logo for steeda. You'll notice my fog lights, and all support bars behind the front valance are removed to save weight. It then cracked the fiberglass there, which I need to fix someday.

7r_IUDNpWCL-MbWze5KLN_NL6yiFfToK7qJvuO54TMAL9RixodmqVX5F-xoRTeSlPr20DqTWWrdtT6uKMT=w1689-h950-no.jpg
Very cool, i was looking at what i can switch mines too. I have a Batman sign that fits right, but my car is not black.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
So it turns out I'm an absolutely :poo:ty judge of TDC. Got the compression test kit, and I figured I'd do one last "For the hell of it" stab of the distributor, but would turn it exactly 180 degrees from 0 TDC on the balancer instead of testing for where the piston was in the engine.

Mind you, I've done this FOUR times already.

This was the result:
https://goo.gl/photos/D5YsAeRgpyqvbJgEA


I feel so elated, yet an absolute idiot for wasting two weeks with a backward-ass distributor, which is exactly what everyone told me it would be!!!

Now to finish my pre-drive checklist. I let the car idle for about 10 minutes (it's surging between 500 and 1200 RPM, but it did that before, and I'm 90% sure that's because the SPOUT is out and I have a C&L MAF.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
This: https://goo.gl/photos/ttZybWVu5bVdKjhX7

Car died halfway to the gas station. I had finished two days of shakedown, but once again the heat got to the "M" in normal (I need a better heat gauge) and had to have it towed back to my house for another tear down. I got impatient waiting for the new TFI module to show up, and was optimistic that my issues were air in the cooling system. It was not.
 
Last edited: