Matador98
SILVER Star
Ok, long story short, this weekend, I did the following, in this order:
Replaced a leaky collector gasket, everything was fine.
Did the timing, everything fine.
Adjusted the valves (a newbie, but it seemed to go well and was easy), everything was fine.
By fixing the collector gasket, I found some other manifold leaks (one pretty big) that I cinched down and tried to decrease so I can get through smog. On the big one, it was on the rear manifold expansion seam, I just used some cheap exhaust tape to seal it up temporarily, again, until smog is over and I have time to fully remove it and replace the gaskets.
It ran great for a drive around the block, but as time went on the idle got worse, and worse, and worse......
It is now running so rich the exhaust in the garage burns your eyes and you can just smell how freaking rich it is. What did I do to cause that to happen slowly with those repairs/adjustments? Re-checked timing, and it is fine, all cylinders are firing, choke is not stuck, etc. All the basic stuff has been checked and I am stumped. The only possible answer is that my cat converter is so clogged, now that the leaks are sealed, there is a ton of back pressure on the motor. My plan tomorrow, after the exhaust cools down, is to take the exhaust apart before the cat to see what happens, a cheap check.
Any other suggestions of what it may be?
Replaced a leaky collector gasket, everything was fine.
Did the timing, everything fine.
Adjusted the valves (a newbie, but it seemed to go well and was easy), everything was fine.
By fixing the collector gasket, I found some other manifold leaks (one pretty big) that I cinched down and tried to decrease so I can get through smog. On the big one, it was on the rear manifold expansion seam, I just used some cheap exhaust tape to seal it up temporarily, again, until smog is over and I have time to fully remove it and replace the gaskets.
It ran great for a drive around the block, but as time went on the idle got worse, and worse, and worse......
It is now running so rich the exhaust in the garage burns your eyes and you can just smell how freaking rich it is. What did I do to cause that to happen slowly with those repairs/adjustments? Re-checked timing, and it is fine, all cylinders are firing, choke is not stuck, etc. All the basic stuff has been checked and I am stumped. The only possible answer is that my cat converter is so clogged, now that the leaks are sealed, there is a ton of back pressure on the motor. My plan tomorrow, after the exhaust cools down, is to take the exhaust apart before the cat to see what happens, a cheap check.
Any other suggestions of what it may be?
