Motor Help...

[Devilman]

Took the boat out to Colet, hang out with some friends for a bit. After running for a while I notice the engine temp running warmer than usual... (usually about 160, now about 190) Let it cool off, start out again... Doesn't take too long at all, motor has lost power, running warm, & the freakin headers are glowing, right around the flanges. It had been fine earlier, now it's running like shit!! Does anyone have a clue!?! Please help!!

[DeputyDawg]

Check your timing ASAP!

[bakerjet]

Check your timing ASAP!
are you thinking to much timing??

[DeputyDawg]

Nope, not enough timing would be my bet.
Devilman, have you recently had the distributor out of this engine or messed with the ignition system at all?

[BrendellaJet]

maybe a loose clamp?

[DeputyDawg]

Could be.

[Devilman]

Nope, not enough timing would be my bet.
Devilman, have you recently had the distributor out of this engine or messed with the ignition system at all?
Retarded timing was I thought of first, like maybe the distributor had come loose & turned or something. Never had the distributor out of it or did anything to the ignition since I bought it. I reached over the seat & tried to see if the dist. was loose & couldn't turn it, but like I say, I was just reaching back there. It was getting dark, so I admit I didn't give it my full attention at the moment. I just slowly cruised back to the ramp. It never showed to be getting terribly hot, just warmer than usual, but as we made our way back, it was running crappy.
Also, (not positive on this) it didn't seem like much water was exiting out the back of the boat while it was running either. Not sure if that could be tied to this or not. My water line feeding the engine has a coupler in it where it could be hooked to a garden hose. If I did this, shouldn't water circulate through the engine and out the dump without having to worry about water getting in places it shouldn't? (This is without the engine running though, on the trailer...) Thanks for any info!!

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Yea, that'll feed it water, just don't overdo it. Home water pressure -- about 40 PSI Std cooling system pressure -- under 20 PSI. Don't blow any gaskets. Since the headrs were unnaturally hot I'm worrying about water flow too but that doesn't explain the poor running.
Maybe skipped a tooth on CAM timing? Retarded? That would give you lousy running AND retarded ign timing AND probably burning more fuel in the headers from both A & B heating them. After looking at ign timing (if it is wrong) I'd pull the timing cover and check for slop. I'm assuming you are running a chain setup. (be a real bich if a gearset jumped a tooth :wink: )

[Devilman]

Yea, that'll feed it water, just don't overdo it. Home water pressure -- about 40 PSI Std cooling system pressure -- under 20 PSI. Don't blow any gaskets. Since the headrs were unnaturally hot I'm worrying about water flow too but that doesn't explain the poor running.
Maybe skipped a tooth on CAM timing? Retarded? That would give you lousy running AND retarded ign timing AND probably burning more fuel in the headers from both A & B heating them. After looking at ign timing (if it is wrong) I'd pull the timing cover and check for slop. I'm assuming you are running a chain setup. (be a real bich if a gearset jumped a tooth :wink: )
I've got a regulator that I use on my camper for the water. I could use that, I suppose, to keep the pressure down. The headers weren't terribly hot & I did have water dribbling around the weep holes, so that tells me I've got water, just didn't seem like enough coming outta the dump on the back. I was just gonna do that cause it's easier than taking it to the lake & running it on the ramp & I'm curious now, just wanna make sure there's no blockage anywhere...
Jeez, I hope the timing chain isn't shot.... Hoping the dist.just slipped or something. The motor doesn't have all that much time on it. It was built not long before I bought the boat. I've met the guy that built the engine & he stands behind his work, so if I can't find something obvious, I'll call him in on this deal.... Could something in the distributor itself have gone south? It's just a plain old ignition, not electronic ignition...

[Wicked Performance Boats]

Check point gap. If you don't know what it is, set it at .016 with points open the widest. Budlight

[Devilman]

I'm gonna check it out in a bit... Tell you one thing, that dist. has been a mystery to me since I first laid eyes on it. I'm used to plain old electronic ignition. Chevy or Ford. I was talkin with somebody about it the other day, the dist. in that 429 looks nothing like the dist. in the 460 that's in my 78 F250. I know the truck has elect. ignition, that's why I'm assuming the 429 is not.... But you know what they say about "assume"!! I appreciate all the tips guys! Thanks!

[Floored]

BBF likes to shear the roll pin for the dist gear and if it is part way sheared it will retard the timing, still run but retards it several deg. I use a garden hose to reverse flush my cooling lines to get debris and plant life out which restricts coolant flow through the engine. usually is clogged near the valve coming out of the pump.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

You should be OK on water pressure if you just don't spin the valve wide open. Without some kind of a gauge, use your outflow as a meter, try to duplicate normal conditions. Yes, the distrib roll pin could have let go and slipped partly. I just wonder how much a few degrees of retard there will make run bad. My 454 was set at 8* base when I was breaking her in after a rebuiuld-upgrade and ran great. I pushed her up to about 11-12* now and note only minor differences, slightly better pickup, more instant restart, 100 more rpm. No real major difference in how she ran and that's 4 degrees.
I hope your chain hasn't gone south too but it would fit both symptoms seems to me. Somehow my original one made over 300 hrs in 27 years (nylon toothed aluminum cam gear chevy cheapo). There was almost an inch of slack in it.
My new one is from cloyes/Comp Cams all billet, block-saver bearing attatched, double-roller, 9-keyway for tuning. Should be the closest thing to bulletproof I have. :jawdrop: At least that's what Halls Speed Shop told me. :D :D :D

[Devilman]

BBF likes to shear the roll pin for the dist gear and if it is part way sheared it will retard the timing, still run but retards it several deg. I use a garden hose to reverse flush my cooling lines to get debris and plant life out which restricts coolant flow through the engine. usually is clogged near the valve coming out of the pump.
Guess I ought to pull the dist. to check that gear... Shouldn't be too hard to check, thanks for the tip!

[atxwrangler]

kenny also make sure you didn't suck some of coleto's hydrilla, check your inspection hole in the pump just for kix, my 2 cents!i'm workin nights again , got the pump put in my boat. :D