My newly acquired truck! =]

[Onimun]

Sounds like my truck. Could never get it timmed correctly after I rebuilt the engine.

[Kiko]

Yeah timing is definately a bitch. We'll get it though. Just have to keep messing with it.

[95xtreme]

if it is hesitating while trying to crank you should retard the timing alittle till it cranks over like normal.

[Kiko]

I may try that. What we did was remove the distributor,put the #1 piston at TDC,then insert the distributor and point it to the #1 piston and then try to crank it. I have a couple small vacuum lines that aren't hooked up yet so i'm going to try plugging them and cranking it. I had forgotten about them until a few minutes ago then i remembered. I don't think they're a big enough deal to matter but there's no telling.

[Svtzx555]

Where ever the rotor in the distributor is pointing after you dropped it in...that plug wire that its pointing to goes to number one cylinder. I don't know what the firing order is for a 4.3, so look it up and make sure the wires are going to the right cylinder.

[Onimun]

after I rebuilt my truck, I couldn't get it set to save my life. So I resorted to just leaving the bolt loose and twisting it 1-3 degrees and testing it every time. Still couldn't get it working. Good luck.

[Kiko]

Update




It's too cold tonight and i'm already getting sick so i don't want to speed up the process. I'll be working on it tommorow after work. I've got to pick up more flat black and finish the new fenders and hood for it. Also i need to clean up the grill that i'm using. A little soap & water will make it shine again..

[PSYKO_Inc]

glad to see that she's alive. Was that running open manifolds? Sounds mean as hell for a 4.3.

[coloRADo_S10]

its alive.....Its Alive!!!ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUHAHAHA

[Kiko]

Quote: Originally Posted by PSYKO_Inc

glad to see that she's alive. Was that running open manifolds? Sounds mean as hell for a 4.3.

Yeah it was. I have the muffler but i haven't clamped it on yet. I'll probably do that today since it runs now. I just never got around to clamping it back on (No welder)


I'm stoked that it actually runs again and idles even though it's not too great at the moment. It had been about 2 months since i had been able to crank it and hear it so just hearing it turning over was pretty sweet.

[Svtzx555]

So what I said worked right? Cool to hear it running. Getting closer.

[Kiko]

Quote: Originally Posted by Svtzx555

So what I said worked right? Cool to hear it running. Getting closer.

Yep. It was pretty hard to cover the plug hole with one hand and turn the crank with a ratchet using only my left hand. I had to hold the ratchet straight with my left hand,cover the plug hole using my right hand,and use my right foot to push the ratchet

[NevurMind85]

wow thats impressive.

[PSYKO_Inc]

Make sure you get all the vacuum leaks taken care of before you spend too much time getting the timing dialed in. Vacuum leaks can cause the engine to do all sorts of weird funky shit at idle.

[Kiko]

I'm planning to get everything assembled before i set the timing. It was too cold last night to stay outside long so all i did was connect my brake lines and fill the master cylinder. I tried getting the clutch line on but it won't screw in and i didn't have time to keep messing with it. I've got to buy some hose to connect the line off the gas tank to the charcoal canister but other than that i've pretty much got all of my vacuum lines hooked up.

I'm working on it for about 30 minutes after work then tommorow since i'm off i'll be putting in a lot of work on it. I'm trying to have it back driving by Tuesday if possible. I've got to buy new shocks though for the back because i had to cut the old ones off.

[Kiko]

Brakes lines are connected,clutch line is connected,and the charcoal canister is connected. I still have to bleed the clutch,and the brakes. I wasn't able to get my shocks this week but i will get new bolts and bolt on the old shocks for now. Next week i'll unbolt them and bolt on some new ones. The core support is bolted on and the steering linkage is bolted up. I've got to finish connecting a couple wires and install the radiator tommorow. Also i have to cut the fenders so they will clear my tires wen i lay it out. Once that's done i can bolt them on and start on the hood.

Anyway here's some random pics for now












Had to fix my power steering line...it's kinda ghetto but it works

[95xtreme]

thats a high pressure line, you will want to use proper hoses and clamps or replace the entire line. Otherwise looks good

[coloRADo_S10]

Quote: Originally Posted by 95xtreme

thats a high pressure line, you will want to use proper hoses and clamps or replace the entire line. Otherwise looks good

def a good point! it might be fine for now but as soon as you can replace it.

get this thing rollin. keep up the good work.

[coloRADo_S10]

im jealous as hell of your progress too

[Kiko]

Quote: Originally Posted by 95xtreme

thats a high pressure line, you will want to use proper hoses and clamps or replace the entire line. Otherwise looks good

The hose i used was power steering hose. I took it off another power steering pump i had laying around. Eventually i will put a whole new line on but for now it should work. Just it'll look kinda crappy.

I'm stuck at work until about 5pm unless we get slow and i'm lucky enough to be told to take off. When i get home i'll be getting some antifreeze and installing the new radiator and putting on the fenders. It's supposed to rain tommorow but with it being under the carport i may be able to get some work done if i'm lucky.

[NevurMind85]

well keep up the good work man its commin along nicely.

[Kiko]

Teaser..









I am trying to rig up something to hold my radiator on because the fan shroud i had broke and i can't get a way to the junkyard but it's not working the way i want. It's something i've seen other people do and it kinda works but it's not holding it tight enough. Also the wire i had my 12v connected to for my relay isn't getting power for some reason. I don't know why but something ****ed up so i have to fix that. The bag setup is installed though. I need to put my hoses on the fittings and turn the compressor on but until i get that 12volt wire fixed it won't work. I think i timed the engine right but i couldn't see the timing mark hardly but it looked alright. I'll have someone who is more experienced check it once it drives. Still have to bleed the brakes and clutch but hopefully my friend Nick will come over and we can get both of them bled by 8pm tonight. That's all for now though. I'm finished with lunch so now it's back to work..

[V8Blaze]

yay! its a truck again

[Kiko]

Got the hood on and checked the timing and it looks like it's set to 0* but it runs like shit. I'm waiting on Nick then we're going to see what's up with it but just now it shredded part of my brand new belt that i ordered from summit


I'm getting there but i don't think it'll be ready tonight like i had hoped. The brakes,clutch,lights,and the engine problems are the only thing left. The rest is minor like bolting on the bed and such.

[Nickle999]

Get it done, and painted.

[Onimun]

How did it shred the belt? Bad timing shouldnt cause this...?

[Kiko]

Nick asked that too. I looked and i couldn't tell anything that would cause it. I might have to call summit and get a replacement. I know i installed it but it was installed correctly and shredded from idling. That shit shouldn't happen. Especially since it's the first day i ran it with the belt.

My compressor is now working as are my switches. I fixed the wire. It turned out to be a blown radio fuse and replacing it got power to that wire i spliced into for my 12 volt. Also i was right and i still had a bad ground connection for the compressor and valves so i had to fix that real quick.

I've got more pics and video of how it sits now but i have to walk up to the store for minutes on my phone to call my g/f so i can't put any on just yet. It's not running riht so i'm paying Nick's brother who is the head mechanic at his shop $40 Sunday to fix it for me.

Worst case scenario it's leaking around the intake manifold meaning i have to take it back off and re-do it. But hopefully it's just something else.

[FarEastDime]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kiko

Nick asked that too. I looked and i couldn't tell anything that would cause it. I might have to call summit and get a replacement. I know i installed it but it was installed correctly and shredded from idling. That shit shouldn't happen. Especially since it's the first day i ran it with the belt.

My compressor is now working as are my switches. I fixed the wire. It turned out to be a blown radio fuse and replacing it got power to that wire i spliced into for my 12 volt. Also i was right and i still had a bad ground connection for the compressor and valves so i had to fix that real quick.

I've got more pics and video of how it sits now but i have to walk up to the store for minutes on my phone to call my g/f so i can't put any on just yet. It's not running riht so i'm paying Nick's brother who is the head mechanic at his shop $40 Sunday to fix it for me.

Worst case scenario it's leaking around the intake manifold meaning i have to take it back off and re-do it. But hopefully it's just something else.

god damm dude. its lookin awesome. cant wait to see it rollin.

[coloRADo_S10]

your progress is fantastic. keep it up!

[Kiko]

Thanks! I can't wait to drive it either

As promised here some pics and even a video. I hope to have it fixed Sunday but if it turns out the intake is leaking and i have to pull it and re-do the gaskets then i plan to try and find another s10 for cheap and drive it while i finish fixing this one. Hopefully i won't have to do that though.




I need to tuck away some wires but my relay is bolted on and hooked up




My radiator installed. It's kinda ghetto but actually looks pretty cool. I may buy a fan shroud later but i doubt it.




Fenders trimmed for clearance. If i get a welder i weld in a filler plate and make it look nicer but for now it works and let's the truck lower without rubbing.

[Kiko]

[Droppedime08]

Actually you may want to buy a shroud..it helps with cooling

[95xtreme]

He is right if you are using the original mechanical fan your shroud aids in cooling by sucking air through the radiator. Now while cruising you will be fine, but its when you site and idle for a period of time the problem may arise. Now just watch it for the time being especially when summer rolls back around and decide from there. Also you will probably want to put some small pieces of rubber inbetween your mount and radiator so the metals do not rub against each other.

looks good though keep getting her together.

[Kiko]

Quote: Originally Posted by 95xtreme

He is right if you are using the original mechanical fan your shroud aids in cooling by sucking air through the radiator. Now while cruising you will be fine, but its when you site and idle for a period of time the problem may arise. Now just watch it for the time being especially when summer rolls back around and decide from there. Also you will probably want to put some small pieces of rubber inbetween your mount and radiator so the metals do not rub against each other.

looks good though keep getting her together.

I was thinking about the rubber pieces but i didn't have anything at the time and i couldn't get back to the store because it was raining. I'll get some later and add it. I'm running the mechanical fan for now but i have a cavalier electric fan that i plan to run once i start driving it again. Right now it's pretty cool here everyday so it should be alright. When summer comes around i will definately have to put the electric fan on or get a shroud.

I'm leaning towards the electric fan though because of the fact it will give me a little better gas mileage and free up a couple horsepower in the process.

[Kiko]

Got my paycheck and was going to buy new plugs but had the opportunity to see my g/f (Which having no vehicle means i don't get a lot of opportunities) so i didn't buy them yet. I did however pull one of my spark plugs (#1) and it's all black and shitty looking. I'm buying 6 new spark plugs tommorow after work then trying to crank it and see if that fixes it. It did flood out when we first cranked it after putting the new battery in so it probably ****ed up the plugs.

If that doesn't work or doesn't completely solve it i am still getting Nick's brother over Sunday to fix it.

[coloRADo_S10]

gf's get in the way! but that doesn't mean thats all they do. lol just get this thing done!

[Kiko]

Nah she doesn't get in the way. If i have an opportunity to see her i will so stop working on my truck. I still get work done though because i don't see her every night. More progress tommorow after work.

[coloRADo_S10]

So did you get some new spark plugs? is it runnin?

[Kiko]

I only replaced the front 2 on each side. I couldn't get to the back ones because of the control arms (Layed out) plus i couldn't get the plug wires off them for some reason. It seems to run better for a second but then it starts choking once it has ran for like 10 seconds. But 0-10 seconds it's good

I'm going to try the remaming to plugs tommorow and see if it helps. My gasket on the intake didn't have the back part restricted but the new one did. I don't know if that could be doing it or not but according to the paper mine should have been restricted in the first place?

I don't know but i sure hope i don't have to pull the intake again and replace the gasket. That shit sucks...

[badandy247]

You deserve some serious props for this project, you've never given up on it through all the crap and haters in the beginning. +1 rep from me.

On the timing issue I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but you have to disconnect the computer advance to set the timing properly. It's a single brown wire (maybe with a black tracer but I can't really remember) on the passenger side of the truck under the dash by the floorboard.

I've spent some time in Alabama and I know that good rust free parts are almost impossible to find. You're doing a hell of a job with what you've got, keep it up man.

[Kiko]

Thank you!
We disconnected the wire and tried setting it and no change really. I'm getting it looked at Sunday and if it doesn't get fixed then i am thinking about buying an '83 that my girlfrend found in the classifieds for $600 and driving it while i finish this.

And i know what you mean about the rust free parts. Mobile being one of the most rainy cities sucks. On the plus side though first generations are everywhere.

[Onimun]

Your timing issues sound very familiar. Flooded out engine, terrible running etc... My truck would steady itself out if I got the engine above 3,000 RPm and would stop missing. Good luck.

[PSYKO_Inc]

For those intake gaskets, was the restriction the pair of water jackets at the very rear of the engine? If so, your intake manifold blocks them off anyway. I think the marine version of the 4.3 uses those water jackets but the trucks don't.

As for how the truck is running, it almost sounds like a vacuum leak; starts up and and idles higher than it should for a couple seconds, then stumbles and dies, right?

[Kiko]

Quote: Originally Posted by PSYKO_Inc

For those intake gaskets, was the restriction the pair of water jackets at the very rear of the engine? If so, your intake manifold blocks them off anyway. I think the marine version of the 4.3 uses those water jackets but the trucks don't.

As for how the truck is running, it almost sounds like a vacuum leak; starts up and and idles higher than it should for a couple seconds, then stumbles and dies, right?

It starts up and seems to idle kinda normal then after 10 seconds or so it starts to stumble but stays running. And my intake i think had those ports open. I just noticed on the orignal gasket that the ports were open where on the new gasket they were blocked off.

[PSYKO_Inc]

You should be able to tell from the top side, you can kinda see in this pic from when I had my intake off:

Between the two rearmost bolt holes, near the distributor hole is where that water jacket would be. Notice how the intake is pretty much flat there, and the material is maybe 1/4" thick. It'll be raised if there's a water jacket going thru. My truck is a newer model but I don't think the intake manifold would have changed much.

Also, the original gaskets for mine had the ports open as well:

[Onimun]

On my old 88 4.3 the ports were blocked off. My Manual specifically stated not to open them.

And PSYCKO, what kind of motor oil you been using? My 200K+ Truck looked cleaner then that...lol

[Kiko]

So could it be the blocked ports on the intake? I can hear something that sounds like whistling when i'm inside the cab but it may be exhaust. I've never heard a vacuum leak so i'm not sure what it would sound like if you could even hear one. I'm kinda wondering if water is leaking into the engine somehow.

[PSYKO_Inc]

Quote: Originally Posted by Onimun

On my old 88 4.3 the ports were blocked off. My Manual specifically stated not to open them.

And PSYCKO, what kind of motor oil you been using? My 200K+ Truck looked cleaner then that...lol

I used the Castrol semi-synthetic for a long time, but switched to Mobil a while back. It really didn't look too bad in there, little bit of glazing and the intake ports had some carbon buildup but seemed healthy overall. The truck has about 135K on it and sat for two years while I was stationed overseas.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kiko

So could it be the blocked ports on the intake? I can hear something that sounds like whistling when i'm inside the cab but it may be exhaust. I've never heard a vacuum leak so i'm not sure what it would sound like if you could even hear one. I'm kinda wondering if water is leaking into the engine somehow.

That whistling sound could very well be a vacuum leak. Sometimes you can hear them and sometimes you can't. I doubt that water is getting into your engine. You'd either get a lot of white smoke out of the tailpipe if it was getting into your intake ports, or it'd all be going into the oil pan if it was getting into the lifter valley. Check your oil to make sure. If coolant is getting in there the oil will turn into a milky looking sludge.

[badandy247]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kiko

So could it be the blocked ports on the intake? I can hear something that sounds like whistling when i'm inside the cab but it may be exhaust. I've never heard a vacuum leak so i'm not sure what it would sound like if you could even hear one. I'm kinda wondering if water is leaking into the engine somehow.

Throttle body gaskets can really whistle when they're broken/bad/missing. Take a 3 or so foot section of vacuum line and hold one end to your ear and the other to the engine while it's running, it should help you pinpoint the whistle. If it only whistles when revved you might have to have someone throttle it a little while you listen for the sound.

[Kiko]

One of my throttle body bolts broke off so i only have 2 in the back holding it on until i pull the throttle body,drill the hole out,tap it,and get another bolt. It doesn't seem to be a problem right now though.

I was getting a check engine light and i checked my vacuum hoses and some were splitting at the end where they went on so i cut them down and put them back on and the check engine light went away. It seems a tad better but it's hard to tell with the muffler off because it sounds bad even when the engine runs right. If the intake is leaking shouldn't i be getting a check engine light still?