[bzack]

So I recently converted my car from automatic to manual and now I can't even enjoy it. I replaced starter and battery so it can't be those. My problem is sometimes the car won't start at all, sometimes it does and runs fine, sometimes it starts and runs horrible. I'll describ the horrible run situation. It wouldn't be able to run unless I hold down the gas pedal and even then hardly any rpm, if I let out clutch in a gear to try and get it moving it will stall almost instantly as it doesn't have enough power to move the vehicle. Its a 1 year old 290hp GM crate engine, I checked oil levels and its fine. Maybe its coil or carb?? Also I can't check my oil pressure because the sending unit was so big it won't fit anywhere now that my zbar blocked off its only former location. There is also some smoke coming from the exhaust, very faint I can't even tell the colour but I'm reaching out for support as today I got stranded and had to wait 2 hours before someone pushed me back to my house. Made it 6 houses down the street before it craped out. :sad:

 

[jeffc]

Check the wires on the solenoid. I bet they are loose. Did it run good before you converted it? Did you change anything with regard to the timing or carb?

 

[bzack]

Thats why im having such a difficulty figureing it out, I didn't change anything to do with ignition except starter. But yea tommorow I'll check the wires, I checked the large one that goes to the battery + and the thicker of the small two (one that starts it?), I don't even know what the other little one does.

 

[jeffc]

The other little one is the one I'd check. It's the one that was loose on mine.

 

[bzack]

Does it go to the distributor? Would it cause bad spark and thus my intermitent engine problems? I'll check it regardless I'm just curious to what exactly it does and if its most likely the source of my problem. Thanks for the help.

 

[bc69ss]

Are you getting plenty of fuel?

 

[BLK64SS]

Are you using a point ignition or ??

 

[Guest]

A SB pressurize's the sending unit off a port back by the dizzy.

A BB, I'm going to come off a port down by the pan rail forward b/c it's darn tight down by the one at the Z-bar location

The other little wire is probably the one that has the fusable link in it that goes down to the starter.

Hope you get her figured out.

pdq67

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[bzack]

I took apart fuel line above filter and got soaked with fuel so if its a fuel issue its in the carb. I'm using some old HEI distributor my friend installed for me. I'm still not sure about those little wires on the starter, maybe I'll try and do some research, tommorow I'll make sure they are tight.

Acording to a digram I found one of the small wires comes from the starting switch (when key is turned) as I knew, and the other goes to your coil. So if the wire to the coil is loose or bad... that means intermitant power to coil which would mean low voltage sparks or no sparks which means engine runs badly. I might just have found out my anwser. I will see tommorow. Thanks.

Maybe I should change topic to: Idiots Issue since I also spelt unsolveable wrong.

 

[ZZ69chevelle]

When you went from auto to manual, did you block the vacuum line that used to run to the modulator on the trans up to the intake?

 

[novaderrik]

i'd vote for the vacuum leak from an open port where they shift modulator used to go..

 

[Schurkey]

1. What did you do to get a neutral safety switch/clutch switch? Nothing? That's maybe your no-crank problem.

2. Did the engine tip rearward when you removed the transmission? Crack the distributor cap? That's maybe your poor-running problem.

 

[forcd ind]

with the hei, you should have 12+ to the coil, not thru a res. wire-
on the sol., the term closest to the engine should be purple(start)
the other wire (also small) was orig. a 12+ bypass, which gave unresistered
12+ to the coil in the start mod, which you dont need
maybe the dist moved during trans swap, or the cap cracked if the engine tilted, as mentioned, or open vac. line (if the starter wires were swaped, it wouldnt start)

 

[658Chevy]

Stop everything and take a step back.

You just converted from auto to manual and naturally assume the change is due to that. You've chased the problem from that angle with frustration.

More than likely, it's just a coincidence. The new engine problem probably has nothing to do with the conversion.

I've chased many problems that seemed like they had a direct relationship to a previous change, then eventually found that it was a coincidence. Just because something happens right after something else doesn't necessarily mean there's a cause-and-effect.

You seem to have pretty much exhausted everything from your present angle of thought. Even you'll probably retrace a lot steps you've already taken, approach the problem from a broader perspective. Pretend like you never made the conversion. It may open your eyes to a possibility you didn't consider before because it had no relationship to the conversion.

Good luck.

 

[bzack]

I was trying a bunch of stuff today and thought, it kinda runs like it did when I was setting timing. So I unpluged the vacume line to the distributor and nothing happened. I checked with timing light and the timing only went down 2 degrees with the vaccum line disonnected. This is the manifold vaccum that when I check with my finger is always sucking. Is my vaccum canister on my distrubutor shot? I was thinking about going to a fancy electronic one with dip switches instead of vaccum canister, but that was planned for later, maybe I should do that now. I'll let you guys respond before I go buy anything more. Thanks for the help.

*Update* I checked for other vaccum leaks and found nothing, also the distributor is HEI but still old and taken from some dead car. Though it worked fine all last summer.

 

[Tom Mobley]

has it ever run right since the HEI was installed? DId you by-pass the resistor wire to the old coil and run a full 12 volts to the HEI?

check the cracked dist cap angle. What is the timing?

it almost sounds like like a little something stuck in the needle and seat causing the carb to run over.

 

[bzack]

It ran fine all last year. Yes its a 12v from the ignition. I didn't see any cracks in the cap. I did notice that when I press the throttle on the carb with my hand while watching the timing with the light, it goes down after idle then back up, which it seems to not like, once I even did max throttle instantly from idle and it burped and I got mini fire show. I have the original 2 barrel carb I could try if you think its the carb, but the current 4 barrel carb is edelbrock and only 2 years old. I set the timing to 10 with vaccum disconnected but I recall original that when I pluged in the vaccum it went up a lot, but now its only going to 12 with vaccum.

 

[Schurkey]

I did notice that when I press the throttle on the carb with my hand while watching the timing with the light, it goes down after idle then back up

Totally normal. The vacuum advance is relaxing (retards timing) as you open the throttle, then the added RPM and increasing vacuum jack the timing back up again.

I even did max throttle instantly from idle and it burped and I got mini fire show.

Classic symptom of not enough accelerator pump or other condition causing the mixture to go lean.

I recall original that when I pluged in the vaccum it went up a lot, but now its only going to 12 with vaccum.

Sounds like the vacuum advance can is leaking. Cheap and easy replacement. I'd suggest an adjustable can, although I've heard--but not verified--that they don't last too long.

 

[bzack]

Well my idea of trying my 2 barrel carb won't work since I don't have the right fuel fitting. So short of replacing distributor or carb or both at a huge cost, I don't know.

 

[Mike Feudo]

Make sure the advance tower isn't frozen (very common problem) or almost frozen. Make sure the timing advances as you raise the engine RPM I bet it doesn't. The cure is to take the dist. apart or if your lucky a little solvent sprayed under the rotor will free it up.