Not done yet

I'll be picking up the 325 tonight, just in time for some really hot weather to come in. Since I'll be able to drive and work on it at the same time I'll be able to dig into somethings the 02 needs. I saw the comments from other posts and thank you for the advice. I'll be pulling the transmission off to check the main rear seal and the clutch. The transmission also needs the selector shaft seal replaced and some linkage issues fixed. I'll also replace the guibo at that time.

I took the 02 in last week to get an inspection. In Missouri you need a safety inspection every time you renew the license plates. Well, it failed. I have to replace brake pads on the front left, probably both. The brake lines were custom jobs and I forgot the brackets for them. I have to redo that and hopefully get it bled right too. The back brake lines need fixing also which mean I need to run longer metal lines so they can go through the control arm. Also the center linkage needs replacing and they recommended the tierods also get replaced. Since I'll need that done I might as well replace the idler arm bushing at the same time since I already have them and it will be apart. The good thing is there is no hurry. But this will give me experience for the next time I get it an 02. I think I need a countdown clock.

I'll be inventorying my parts too so I know what I have. Right now I plan on selling the 02 and all parts for around $3000.

Gas filter

So I think I finally got it. I removed my trunk filter that I put on when I first got the car running so that anything in the tank wouldn't go into the electric fuel pump. After removing the pump I left it there. I replaced the one in the engine compartment and after getting a mouth full of gas from a hose that I tucked next to the carb and came loose flinging gas into my mouth. Anyway the filter had bits of stuff in it and was nasty. After getting the new one on there and it taking forever for it to start, I finally got it going and took it out for a quick spin. It rev'd to 4000 with no problem. Clutch still slipped of course, but it feels more powerful now.

Which reminds me, on Thursday evening I finally took it on the highway at 65 mph for a 10 minute trip. The driveshaft held and it ran okay. It should do better now.

Another thing I did the on Thursday was to replace the brake booster hose that goes from the valve thing to the manifold. The one was dirty and too short. When I got it off I also noticed a small hole. With the new one on there the brakes are much more responsive.

what to do?

So, I'm still tweaking it. After getting the #2 plug cleaned up and adjusting the valves it wouldn't want to go over 3000 without missing, or maybe it was knocking. I ran some seafoam into the vacuum line and it seemed to help a tad, I think the carbon built up in there causing it to burn the fuel at the wrong time. On Friday I adjusted it so that the idle mixture screw is way in and readjusted the timing by ear. It is still off, but it runs. But the clutch is getting worse I think and don't have the time or money to do anything about it right now. Of course I do have a spare clutch and pressure plate, problem is I need the car to get to work and my wife needs the Trailblazer. The summer is already busy enough. Not only does the clutch plate need replaced, but so does the shifter linkage, the seal for the shifter and possibly the main rear seal.

Sometimes I wish I had a new car that didn't have problems and I didn't have to worry about this. AC would be nice too. But, I don't and it will be at least 3 years before we buy another one. So the 02 will have to make it and I'll have to find the time to tear it apart again.

Tuning Update

Over last weekend I tore into the car a bit. I was tired of the rough running, wobbly engine and the sucky 19 mpg that I had been getting. First step was to see if I could get the car to start easier and take care of the surging problem when I know the timing is right. So off comes the top of the carb (Weber 32/36 DGAV) and I get down to the float, apparently this thing can cause all sorts of issues if it isn't set right. Well, mine was set around 30mm, should be 41mm. So I got that set correctly. Just had to bend the floats down a bit. I put the top piece back in place and then went for the choke. I'm pretty sure it had never worked properly. I started by lining up the marks on the choke and the carb and then tweaking it to where it actually closed the flaps at the right spot. Then I adjusted the screw to stop the linkage at the right spot for high idle, it was backed out to where it wasn't even touching before.

The next day after letting the engine cool over night I pulled the plugs and the valve cover. #2 plug was fouled, that explained the rough running miss firing engine. But why? I put the car in fifth gear and starting rolling it to adjust each of the valves to .006. When I got to #2 intake, there was no gap, when I loosened the nut it actually came up some. I think it was too tight, not letting it close all the way. With all of them set, I cleaned up the plugs, put them back in and went for the timing.

First I put the carb to the proper setting than got the timing set to the "dot" on the flywheel. My car is one of those that doesn't have the marks on the pulley. Then I set the carb to where it was running smooth and sounded good. Took it out for a drive and was very pleased by how much smoother it was. Lacked power though.

On Monday I tweaked the timing a little to bring the power up and haven't touch anything sense. It has been great. My biggest issue with it now is getting the high idle to set when it is cold.

The next thing I need to work on is the transmission. It still leaks, hopefully a seal for the shifter will fix that. Also the clutch is slipping, luckily I have a new one, just need the time to tear it apart. Also the right front brake is squeaking. Probably need better pads up there.

Even more tweaking

Yesterday I messed with the timing and the idle mixture to try to smooth out the engine. After trying one way after lunch and it running worse on the way back to work,  I decided to go even farther clockwise on the distributor when I was almost to work. I also put the idle mixture screw farther in. The result is a smoother running engine, nice power, and higher revving (got it over 5000 RPM this morning). Plus no bucking when not on the gas. It still likes to back fire out the carb before it is warmed up. Before adjusting the idle speed screw this morning on the way to work, it was idling around 400 RPM, now I have it around 900 RPM. The next thing to see with these settings is what will the MPG be.

A few things that I know need to be fixed are an oil leak near the oil filter (but not the oil filter gasket), a coolant leak, probably from the intake manifold to water pump hose and a leaky transmission, hopefully from the selector shaft seal.

New wheels and more tweaking

I had to rotate the tires on the 02 today and while I was at it I decided to try on the wheels my older brother gave me. Well, they fit and I think the ride is actually better with them. They definitely look better than the stock ones.

I've also done some more tweaking on the engine. I backed out the idle mixture screw some because it was still running a tad rough. I tried about 1/4 turn at first which improved it, but I did another 1/2 the next day just to see and it was a ton better. Surprisingly the idle speed lowered to about 400 RPM. I didn't think that was possible in an 02. There was some jerking though when lifting off the gas so I tweaked the timing a little clockwise (I can't remember if that is advance or retard). This smoothed out the engine more and then I brought the idle speed up to about 700. Can't wait to see how it goes tomorrow.

20 mpg

I've finally got the 02 up to 20 miles per gallon. I think that having to idle less because of the cold is helping, but also I believe it is just running better. I'll be putting in a new cap and rotor today to try to smooth it out some more and that will hopefully improve the mileage even more.

Dirty plug

So my 02 has been running a little rough for the past few weeks. At low RPMs the engine would wobble and shake the whole car. Last night I took out the spark plugs to inspect them and regap them to a small gap. I did have them at about .035 and regapped them to .028. Also most of the plugs looked fine, but #2 had a bunch of carbon build up that I had to clean off. These were new plugs, less than 500 miles. It seems odd that it would do that.

Anyway, after taking care of that and adjusting the timing at lunch today it is running so much better and much less engine wobble.

I'm thinking about connecting the breather hose to the carb. The fumes that it lets off are dizzying at times. Plus when I am stopped sometimes it looks like the 02 has a major issue with smoke coming out of the hood vents. The good thing is that it really isn't loosing much oil anymore with the longer hose.

5000 miles

Since getting my 02 together a couple of years ago and finally getting it back on the road this last year after the 5 speed upgrade my 2002 has hit 5000 miles. It was actually a pretty good drive into work this morning. Hit 4000 RPM in second and third with little effort, then I realized I was doing 50 in a 40. But I had to show off, there was a 1 series sitting at the intersection that I had to show up. :)

On Monday the clunking noise came back and after messing with the car for hours (couldn't get the lug nuts off the left rear) I finally found that the diff bolts were just loose enough to get it out of alignment just a bit to cause the inner CV joint to bind. Once that was taken care of the clunking was gone. I also adjusted the e-brake so it was more effective and adjusted the rear brake pad adjusters so that the brakes weren't dragging, right rear was a little.

On Tuesday I noticed that it was jerking a little when off the gas cruising. Normally this is a timing issue. So I started timing it and got it to were it sounded good. Then decided to lean it a little more and noticed that a vacuum cap was missing on the carb. Replaced it and it immediately sounded and ran better.

On Saturday I was able to adjust the valves which quieted the engine noise down. It also allowed it to start much easier. The rear seat belts are installed and the new clutch master cylinder is on the way. Luckily the current one isn't leaking a ton, its just enough to make it soft and drip fluid.

Until I find the keys for my other doors I can't put them on, no idea what happened to them. As for the shift linkage, I'll replace it when the clutch master comes in and I can do all that at the same time.

67

After running the timing with it spot on the "ball" I found that I had to change it. Start-ups were harder and the low end had stalling issues. Power was good above 2000 RPM, but with the other issues I had to change it. So I tweaked the timing a little counter clockwise (advancing it). This improved the start ups and low end issues plus didn't take away on the power. So since everything seems to be going good with it right now I decided to try another speed run. I managed to run it almost to 70 while following some other cars, but the good thing is that it could have done more. The biggest thing is that there was no vibration from the driveshaft that I could tell, although the steering wheel had a little, but I think this is because I need an alignment.

Tomorrow I'll be tearing into the car to do some much needed maintenance tasks. Rear seat belts will be one of the first things on the list. I need to adjust the rear brakes and e-brake. The shift linkage will get some new pieces also. If time permits I'll adjust the hood and maybe replace the doors. Oh and a valve adjustment.

Sweet spot

I got the timing light out last night to finely tune the 02. Got it to where the "ball" was steady in the opening and took it around the block. It felt good. This morning it was a little hesitant until it warmed up. But once warm the throttle response was great. I think I also found the valve tick issue. Sounds like it is coming from cylinder 3 intake side. So sometime this week I'll have to get in there and take care of that to quite the engine a little.

Loose CV bolts and retiming again....

This last week my 02 starting making a terrible clanking noise from the rear end. It started on my way back to work after lunch so I had no clean garage to check it out. I first stopped at Lowes and couldn't see anything. Then about half mile away stopped at a Chevy dealer. This time I noticed the bolt on the left outer CV joint was coming out. I did my best to put it in by hand, but could only go so far. I went to ask if I could borrow an allen wrench, but was denied for 2 reasons. The techs don't loan out their tools and they only had standard sizes. So using the trunk boards as a barrier between me and the wet ground I got under there the best I could to try to get it a little farther in. I knew we had some allen wrenches at work so the next thing I did was drive it slowly to work hoping nothing would break. After work I was able to get the bolt all the way in and found at least 2 others that were loose also.

With those in I figured I'd better get home. The clanking was still there though. I couldn't believe it. My next thought was, oh crap, my diff is going. I made it home and was able to check it out that night. Making sure to tighten all the bolts and double check the diff bolts and the driveshaft. Everything seemed okay. I took it around the block and the clanking was gone. So far, it has not returned. My guess is that the exhaust had come loose because of the tranny bracket and it was causing it to hit on something in the rear end, probably the inner CV joint. I did find on Friday that the rear exhaust hanger had also come off lowering the exhaust there also, so this was most likely the cause.

On Thursday I had a little time before work to see what I could do about the timing. I hadn't reset it since the new spark plugs. It felt a little off, like I had to get it to much gas pedal to really get it going. So I tweaked it until it sounded like it was better. It was. Now it revs much easier and faster with less pedal travel. I actually pushed it over 4000 RPM in 1st, 2nd and 3rd with ease.

There is still a little engine noise I'd like to take care of, so I'll be working on the valves again to make sure there isn't too much play in them. It could also be the timing chain making the noise. I also need to replace the guibo with a good one and some shifter linkage and find the low RPM squeaking.

02 is running Great

Since completing the spark plug replacement and oil change and a couple of other needed repairs the 02 has been running great. Also for some reason the front right turn signal is working like it should now. Just out of the blue it started working normally. The last time it did was almost 3 years ago. Also found out that my LED taillights weren't working good. One was dead and the other only had one LED working. I replaced both with regular 1157 bulbs and was amazed by the brightness. When I first started on this project I cleaned and repainted the taillights with chrome paint to increase the reflectivity. It definitely helped. Now I just need to make sure the bulbs stay seated correctly, going over bumps causes the left one to go out.

The 02 is definitely up on power, but gas mileage will suffer since I have to let it warm up before driving in these temps. Good thing it stays in the garage at night. Oh, it also starts much easier now too.

Running great

Last week I had some issues with the 02. The oil was foaming and it started running really rough by Thursday, even though the day before it had been running great. Well, it is now back to running great. The foaming was caused by not driving it enough. My trip to work only takes about 15 minutes normally depending on traffic lights. Apparently when it is dang cold (tomorrow it will be 0) the 02 needs to run a little longer for the oil to heat up properly to burn on condensation. Plus I was running 20W50 which is to heavy for these temps we are having. So I changed the oil to 10W40 Valvoline High Mileage sythentic blend. Also last week I had tweaked the spark plugs to .040 because of my setup I thought it could handle it. Well, it started running really rough and I thought that it had to be the plugs. So those got changed too. And I found out I had the wrong ones in before anyway. I had the BPR6ES not the BP6ES from NGK. I set these to .035. Also I found that probably when starting the car Thursday morning I must have blown a vacuum cap from one of the nipples on the intake manifold causing the rough running. After replacing it and rerouting the fuel line from the firewall to the fuel pump I took it out for a spin (after letting it warm up).

Wow! It hasn't felt that alive since I first got it running almost 3 years ago. Actually it feels even better than then. Now I can't wait for the snow to be gone so I can really see how it goes. I but I could hit 65 easy now.

.040

I've regapped my spark plugs to .040 up from .032 to see if it helps with idle smoothness and acceleration. Also hoping it gives it a better high end. I'll find out tomorrow. I'm also looking to connect the valve breather to the carb as it is making a mess on the engine with the filter. Another thing I need to do is get into the valves and recheck gaps. The valve tick is getting annoying at times.

New rear sway bar end links and more tuning

I recently bought some new sway bar end links for the rear of my car since the old ones looked really bad. I never imagined how much it could improve the handling of the car.

These came from Ireland Engineering. Urethane and thicker bolt.

I had some trouble getting the old ones off. The right side one came off after some work. The left one did too but required a little more work.

This is what is left of it. I had to cut it because the metal sleeve that goes over the bolt had rusted to the bolt. I ended up cutting through the washer below the upper bracket to get it to come out.

 

Installation of the new ones was simple and I would have taken the car right out afterward but I decided I needed to move the vacuum advance line and tore the vacuum plug I had. Once I got some new ones and got everything in place I took it out for a run. Handling is much tighter, no more slop in the rear. It feels like the back end stays in place better now as it should.

As for the vacuum lines. Before I had the vacuum advance going to the manifold, apparently it should go to the base of the carb. I do believe it made a difference too. This morning idle was around 400RPM. Too low for my liking. Power was better but I need more so I advanced the distributor a little. It made starting a little easier and there is more power now. Along with that I adjusted the idle screw to bring it to about 800RPM.

New guibo and other shifter parts are on the way now and once those are on I'll finally try to get it up to 65mph.

Running good

So yesterday we got new tires put on the van. The old ones were quite worn and made the van shake and turning was hard. With the new ones on there, it feels like a new van, everything is so smooth. I actually liked driving it yesterday to work at 9:00pm to fix a server problem. I also now feel safer driving it long distances.

As for the 02, it is running great too. The engine is right on with the timing, I'm tweaking the carb still to help with the starting problem and it is getting closer. With the transmission and drive line all straight now there is no vibration, nothing coming loose and I'm almost forgetting that I should still take it easy until I can replace the guibo. I do have a slight coolant leak that I need to find and take care of. And an exhaust manifold stud that leaks some oil, I have the replacement one, just have to do it.

Parts ordered and snow driving

I've got parts ordered to fix the sloppy shifter and replace the slightly torn guibo. Also replacing the rear sway bar end links since the ones on there are toast. Actually they look like squished black marshmallows. I finally replaced the battery the other day after it got into the single digit temps and the 02 wouldn't start. Now I just need to figure out the hard starting problem since the timing is pretty much perfect, I think it is a fuel issue.

In my 75 I didn't seem to ever have a problem driving in the snow, probably because I learned to drive in the snow in it. That was 14 years ago. Now I'm relearning everything about how the car handles and what it can and can't do. It is getting better, but when the streets are complete ice there is nothing you can do. Although a limited slip might help and I do believe from my experience with my 75 I'm pretty sure it had a 3.91 limited slip, why didn't I pull that from the car?! I didn't know at the time I got rid of it unfortunately.

Drive line is better

I have everything straight now, I still think the drive shaft is a tad short and I need a new guibo and to figure out where the fluid leak is coming from. The only other place I can think of for the leak is the selector shaft opening.

Another thing that had been happening was the speedo was jumping all over and noisy. So I pulled the instrument cluster out and sprayed some lube and graphite into the cable and the speedo hole. Reinstalled the cluster and reconnected the speedo, making sure it was seated properly. This morning I got to test it and it works great, no noise and nice and steady. But now the tach doesn't work. I must have pulled the cable for it.

Oh, I did check the nuts and bolts at the guibo and 2 were loose. I tightened them back down. I think any time after you work on something like that, you should definitely check it a number of times in the next week or 2 to be sure everything is tight. Even the diff bolts needed some tightening.

60

Last night I was able to get the 02 up to 60 mph. Barely. I was going into a head wind so I had that against me and I'd realized the day before that the 02 seemed under-powered. It was only for a short run, maybe a mile. When I had to slow down for my turn it suddenly had the clanking sound again. But it went away and didn't come back the rest of the way home. Best of all there was no drive line vibration that I could tell.

So, today I decided to try tuning it a little better. At lunch I got the timing light out and got it so I could see the ball in the opening and put the idle mixture screw in a little more.  I still need to verify that I have the correct vacuum port hooked up. I was told it was right before, but I have to double check on it.

On the way back to work the clanking came back, so I know another bolt has come loose. So I'll be fixing that one tonight. Oh, the other night I got under the car and found that 2 of the diff mounting bolts were loose. Took care of those ones and double checked all the others.