I have multiple issues. Carb, ignition, maybe compression/ valve, and cooling. Although very frustrating, in the big picture, this is just something fun that I get to do on my days off. I try not to get too bent out of shape about it.
I was running the donor 71 carb and still getting slight hesitation when accelerating. I was just living with it and feathering the pedal to overcome it. If I tried to floor it to overcome the hesitation, it would invariably die out. There was a small amount of smoke, and since I run topless, just got used to the smell of exhaust. She is not my daily driver, so it was okay for what it was.
I still had the original 70 aisin carb in pieces and sent it out to be rebuilt and ported for vacuum advance. Shout out to Marks off road! Excellent customer service. I have not consulted with him in any way on my issues after receiving my carb back from him. He is super busy and I did not want to pester him with my problems. If/ when he reads this he can chime in as needed. I sent him a wrecked box of pieces and he returned to me a beautiful carburetor.
Problem Number 1- I removed the 71 carb and re-installed the 70. I am not exactly sure what vacuum lines to reconnect. The choke breaker vacuum was reconnected to the port right below at the base of the carb. I blocked off the other two brass/ copper tubes which are on the other side of the carb facing the valve cover. One is the port that Mark added for vaccum advance dizzy (which I am not equipped for yet). I do not know what the other port is for. After re-installing the 70 carb I am getting a crazy amount of smoke at idle which increases with acceleration, and still getting hesitation when pressing accelerator. Tried to tune using lean drop method. idle screw down to 500 rpm, 17 to 18 inches of vacuum. idle fuel mixture barely has any effect. all the way down will drop the idle but wont kill it. 3 turns out gets me the best vacuum at 18, but rpm still at 500. check timing, bb just above the needle. vacuum still at 18.
I thought I dealt with all my vacuum leaks. I can remove the air cleaner, block off the carb and it will die instantly, no change in engine revs. If this is a flawed method, let me know.
Problem Number 2- I am using the original distributor (vacuum retard), I have not checked the gaps/ points. Spark plugs are newish, but look fouled with black soot when I pull them. I have not checked the gap on the plugs either. Plug wires are old, maybe original. Coil is original. I am tempted to buy the vacuum advance distributor, pertonix, dented side cover ( or hit mine with a hammer), new plugs and wires. I don't want to introduce more variables to the problem. Maybe just new plugs, wires, cap and rotor?
Problem Number 3-High compression numbers. 170 to 185. Warm engine, all plugs removed. I don't know what that means. I hope it is a faulty compression gauge, its gotta be 30 years old. Plan to order a new one and re-test.
Problem Number 4- Rusty coolant. Through my searches, it seems normal. Prolly time for a drain/ fill. I was concerned about a head gasket leak (smoke) so I opened up the radiator and saw the coolant is no longer green. I saw a post that said to open the radiator while engine running to look for bubbles, but when I crack the rad cap, the pressure sends coolant into the overflow bottle and I am worried about opening it all the way with engine on. Am I just being a pussy?
I checked the oil, about a third of the way up on the hash marks, after warming up. Does not appear milky, does not smell like fuel. The smoke that comes out of the tail pipe is white/ gray and noxious even in a wide open carport with a breeze. I used to park her facing a short wall but it would leave black soot marks that drove my wife crazy. I can only work on her for short spurts of time because I start to feel some nausea and frustration/ poor judgement. Thinking of connecting some type of hose to redirect the fumes.....
At work tonight (its 530 pm in hawaii !), so I will not be home til tomorrow. Thanks in advance for any/ all help....
, you can come up with your own settings. I set the idle mixture a little richer than the "lean drop" method would suggest. I back it out until the idle stops increasing then turn it in until the rpm starts to drop. I leave it at the setting just before the rpm's drop. I find that this lets me avoid using the choke unless it's really cold. When I need to use the choke, I set the fast idle to the minimum rpm's that give me a smooth idle at the coldest temp I'm likely to encounter. I usually adjust it a few times a year. I adjust the timing by ear. I advance it a bit, start it up and drive it. If it's hard to start or if I get knocking/preignition, I back it off. I set it to the most advanced I can set it and still have it not knock or have difficulty starting. This is usually when the mark is at the edge of the timing window. Enjoy!
