engine and drivetrain Plugs and timing

[jetboy]

Side draft solexes, stock range on the jets on a stock engine: clean fuel line, new filter, new plug wires - petronix:

idles fine, sounds wonderful through the rpms while sitting still - dogs out when under load - misfires under hard acceleration.

I recently drove it about 100 miles to see if it would even itself out. - it didnt really- but at the end of that, I checked my plugs-

#1 = gunky black build up

#2 = black, but no build up

#3 = clean and perfect - no white or black build up - almost looked unused

#4 = gunky black build up, but less than #1

Is this just timing? that my number 3 is hitting perfectly every time but the rest are not? They were all gaped at ~.34

I thought it might be fuel delivery, so I cleaned up the fuel line and all- didnt seem to help- maybe my pump is going? its also a stock mechanical-

[johnhup]

Do you have any blowby? How are your piston rings? I had the same problem when my rings were gone. Oil was getting in the chamber and all over the plugs.

[Paul7002]

(nt)

[jetboy]

I'll adjust the gap - i thougth being a bit larger might actually help - and i am getting some blowby, but it seemed like it should not be enough to make such a difference.

I do need new rings thats for sure- know anyone in the bay area that will do that job cheap? I have no garage space- just street parking -or id give it a try myself.

[FL02]

I was having a similar issue before I parked it now waiting for a distrbutor to finish an electronic ignition upgrade. At first I thought it was the points and condensor, and it wasn't getting enought spark, and now I think that originally the whole system got wet/moist and was shorting out. I reciently read in my Hanes repair manual under the Ignition sytem fault diagnosis section that: "One of the commonest reasons for bad starting (misfire) is wet o damp spark plug leads and distributor. Remove the distributor cap and if condensation is visible internally, dry the cap with a rag and also wipe over the leads & Replace the cap. They also said that it could be that the battery isn't grounded right or faulty. I hope my new pertronix system will work good, but it rains so much here in FL that I need to get it back in the garage and think about sealing it good under the hood. There are a couple holes in the firewall where rain can leak in & I don't want the new igniton systm to get wet too.

[jetboy]

ill take a look at that- id say at first that I am in california, and we have been having 80 degree weather with no rain - so I suspect everything is dry--- on the other had it did got real wet during the winter- could have corroded some stuff.

I have the petronix, but dont know much about it. if it was regular old points id just do the normal thing- but the petronix was in when i got it- and i havnt messed with it.

i am afraid it probably is the rings. I just wondered if bad timing might show itself as firing fine on one cylinder, but dropping others. timing has become a delicate touch since I went to side drafts- and its much easier to fix than rings!

[Chris_B]

Gunky black buildup is more likely bad valve seals than bad oil control rings. You would have to have really bad rings to let enough oil by to see "gunky" build up (I presume you mean wet and sticky looking, when you say "gunky."

I had the same problem in one cylinder, and I thought it was the oil ring in that cylinder, because the head on my motor had been rebuilt less than 10K miles earlier (according to receipts from the PO). However, when I pulled the motor and removed the head, I found a badly leaking valve seal. You would have to have a broken and partially missing oil control ring to account for gunk.

How is your compression? There is some correlation between the condition of the compression rings and the condition of the oil rings...l