For a while now I thought oil was leaking past my sparkplugs. I didnt think much of it, since it is a junkyard motor and has probably seen more miles than there are on the earth, but yesterday I discovered it was actually gas. Here is what they look like

http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/graphics/tech/plugconditions/dryandwet.jpg

5 of my plugs look like the "dry" plugs while 3 look like the "wet" ones with gas leaking past the threads. So apparently my car is not burning fuel correctly, which make sense seeing how on the highway my car has been getting about 2mpg (yes 2) and when I entered it in a muffler rapping contest this summer I sent a death cloud of black smoke across the parking lot.

A few questions;

If the plugs are that fouled, could those cylinders not even have been firing?

What is more to blame? The 2 year old edelbrock 600 carb, or the shady HEI ignition?

Could I have caused damage to the engine from it running to rich?

Originally posted by Moloko:

A few questions;

If the plugs are that fouled, could those cylinders not even have been firing?

What is more to blame? The 2 year old edelbrock 600 carb, or the shady HEI ignition?

Could I have caused damage to the engine from it running to rich? #1Yes
#2Ignition first, then carb. Float level/choke.
#3Yes

Mike

Hey - you entered your car in a "muffler rapping" contest?

Who were the other contestants? Snoop Dog and Jay-Z?


Just kidding man - it kinda struck me as funny...

Better to be running too rich than too lean! Definitly check ignition out-put, timming and float level. Then start jetting the carb down. Light to medium tan plug color is ideal but the best you might see and is acceptable is light to medium gray.
Since things are carboned up a bit I would run a cleaner thru and then change the plugs again. With HEI you should be able to open the plug gap up to .044.

Also, don't forget to make sure the resistor/resistor wire was removed so the HEI gets a full 12V.

Where was the resistor located? The car had HEI in it when I got it.

Just a "Heads up" What kind of shape are your plug wires in ?

I like to look at the easy stuff first.

Plug wires were new about 2 years ago. Im putting new ones on in spring anyway when the car goes back together... mainly because I want blue ones.

Originally posted by Moloko:
Where was the resistor located? The car had HEI in it when I got it. Justin,

There is no "resistor" as in a solid state "resistor". But it is a "resistor wire" that goes from the fuse block to the - coil. It should be recognizable by having a braided cover over it instead of just the typical plastic sheilding. If in doubt measure the voltage on the negative side of the coil from the ignition wire with the key on or replace the wire to be sure. The resistor wire only allows about 9 volts to the coil and as Charles mentioned a HEI unit requires a full 12 volts.

Replace the ignition with all MSD. what size is the motor and how long has it been in the car. try replacing the important gaskets.

What is a "muffler rapping contest"? Dave

Stock HEI wont do that even with the resistor wire still in place, I did a few HEI upgrades when I was first learning and left the resistor wire in. Plugs were always fine. Yours may need a rebuild and possibly a coil, I would get the distributor straightened out first and then replace the resistor wire with a regular 12G wire when you can. If you want to test the full 12v theory just run a wire off the battery to the + of the distributor coil. I have a 350 here doing the same thing, and it will foul the plugs with just a few minutes running time. I cant believe those were actually firing. The 350 I have still has the stock point setup so I am just going to switch to an HEI.