one of my friends sons just purchased a 1/3 done project car, its an old 1969 road runner with a 440 Chrysler (MOPAR) engine thats not running correctly and has obviously seen better days, the car is not in terrible shape , it needs paint and an interior upgrade but the engine runs like its got about 100 hp max, I suggested he do all the basic maintenance items, and give the car a tune up and verify all the sub systems work, but after doing a compression check,and adjusting the valves, setting the timing etc, if hes not getting good compression its most likely a mechanical issue, if he finds its mechanical and not electrical, vacuum,ignition or fuel related then he might want to pull the engine and disassemble and inspect it and do any required parts replacement, and I even offered to help and supervise, provided he have a genuine desire to spend some time on the project and realize that it would more than likely need new rings, bearings lifters and cam and timing set, and might require new pistons and the block being machined, but in any case he could easily have a 400 plus hp engine that would make the car truly fun to drive again for much less that the cost of a new crate engine and learn a great deal during the process
and id only charge him what ever it cost for lunch on the days it took to complete the project, so in effect he would get basically free labor, help and supervision for the cost of parts he would buy himself after we pulled it down, inspected and discovered what needed to be replaced.
now both his dad and I thought that was more than a fair offer and his dad had me build up a similar mopar 383 about 20 years ago , that he still drives today,so hes knows I know my way around the mopar wedge engines, yet for some reason the kid seems intimidated about pulling and refreshing the engine like its some kind of brain surgery? the kid seems overwhelmed at the idea of engine removal and disassemble?
ID also look at the motor mount bolts and bell housing bolts as those can also cause noise at low rpms that goes away as rpms increase
when I was his age I could not wait to pull apart, and rebuild my first 421 Pontiac engine and first 427 big block Chevy and 500 Cadillac engines
I looked at that as a great opportunity to learn new stuff and my old geezer mentor mechanic when I was 18 was some old 50 year old guy who worked as a heavy line mechanic at Pontiac, so I knew he would keep me from getting in over my head, i welcomed the opportunity to learn, so the kids reluctance even with his dad and my help seems curious, especially since it was the kids idea to buy and rebuild the car in the first place??
GUYS I NEVER SAID I,M A GREAT MECHANIC, BUT I HAVE LEARNED THAT IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO BREAK THINGS DOWN INTO THE SIMPLEST PART AND DO A BIT OF RESEARCH, FINDING ANSWERS IS FAR LES INTIMIDATING OR DIFFICULT
like the old saying how do you eat an elephant......one little bite at a time!
all the answers are readily available, theres known testing procedures and listed test results you can expect, and procedures listed in the shop manual for isolating and testing components, you don,t need to be a genius, you just need to be logical and persistent and not afraid to learn new things while getting your hands dirty at times
IF you have a more modern performance car that won,t start, you start with the basics also,
have you pulled trouble codes yet?
youll need a VOM meter and a list of trouble codes, and a shop manual sure will help!
are you getting fuel pressure?
have you checked the fuses for the injectors?
have you checked for loose electrical connections, vacuum lines or defective sensors?
have you used a noid light to test the injectors?
what does the ohms resistance accross the unplugged injector read?
how much?
are you getting spark at the plugs?
what color and is it strong?
whats your oil pressure while cranking the car?
can you pull the plugs and post CLEAR PICTURES with each cylinder numbered?
whats the battery voltage?
have you checked for vacume leaks?
are you sure the distributor or coil is not wet or the connections loose?
are you 100% sure theres clean fuel reaching the engine?
have you replaced the fuel and air filters?
was there any sound like a belt slipping or the engine running like the timing changed before this happened?
have you done a compression check?
have you taken off and carefully cleaned BOTH battery cable connections
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and id only charge him what ever it cost for lunch on the days it took to complete the project, so in effect he would get basically free labor, help and supervision for the cost of parts he would buy himself after we pulled it down, inspected and discovered what needed to be replaced.
now both his dad and I thought that was more than a fair offer and his dad had me build up a similar mopar 383 about 20 years ago , that he still drives today,so hes knows I know my way around the mopar wedge engines, yet for some reason the kid seems intimidated about pulling and refreshing the engine like its some kind of brain surgery? the kid seems overwhelmed at the idea of engine removal and disassemble?
ID also look at the motor mount bolts and bell housing bolts as those can also cause noise at low rpms that goes away as rpms increase
when I was his age I could not wait to pull apart, and rebuild my first 421 Pontiac engine and first 427 big block Chevy and 500 Cadillac engines
I looked at that as a great opportunity to learn new stuff and my old geezer mentor mechanic when I was 18 was some old 50 year old guy who worked as a heavy line mechanic at Pontiac, so I knew he would keep me from getting in over my head, i welcomed the opportunity to learn, so the kids reluctance even with his dad and my help seems curious, especially since it was the kids idea to buy and rebuild the car in the first place??
GUYS I NEVER SAID I,M A GREAT MECHANIC, BUT I HAVE LEARNED THAT IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO BREAK THINGS DOWN INTO THE SIMPLEST PART AND DO A BIT OF RESEARCH, FINDING ANSWERS IS FAR LES INTIMIDATING OR DIFFICULT
like the old saying how do you eat an elephant......one little bite at a time!
all the answers are readily available, theres known testing procedures and listed test results you can expect, and procedures listed in the shop manual for isolating and testing components, you don,t need to be a genius, you just need to be logical and persistent and not afraid to learn new things while getting your hands dirty at times
IF you have a more modern performance car that won,t start, you start with the basics also,
have you pulled trouble codes yet?
youll need a VOM meter and a list of trouble codes, and a shop manual sure will help!
are you getting fuel pressure?
have you checked the fuses for the injectors?
have you checked for loose electrical connections, vacuum lines or defective sensors?
have you used a noid light to test the injectors?
what does the ohms resistance accross the unplugged injector read?
how much?
are you getting spark at the plugs?
what color and is it strong?
whats your oil pressure while cranking the car?
can you pull the plugs and post CLEAR PICTURES with each cylinder numbered?
whats the battery voltage?
have you checked for vacume leaks?
are you sure the distributor or coil is not wet or the connections loose?
are you 100% sure theres clean fuel reaching the engine?
have you replaced the fuel and air filters?
was there any sound like a belt slipping or the engine running like the timing changed before this happened?
have you done a compression check?
have you taken off and carefully cleaned BOTH battery cable connections
RELATED THREADS
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4318
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5896&p=18052#p18052
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10012&p=38779#p38779
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=6669&p=21369&hilit=source+noise#p21369
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