The miss really felt like an ignition problem. It would run, then sputter-sputter-FIRE-sputter-sputter, etc. with no consistency. I'd replaced every single ignition component, and the distributor appeared unused when I bought it, although I did discover the wire pulled free from a terminal inside that I had to re-crimp.
Reaching a point of desperation, I thought it might be worthwhile to try a new or known-good distributor. Fortunately, Ovid_and_Flem bought one for his Challenge car, but wasn't in any urgent need for it with his engine issues, so I borrowed it from him yesterday. The damn Vette ran fine as soon as I installed it!
With my distributor on the bench and more access to work, I tore it apart looking for any problems. I realized the terminal I'd re-crimped was attached to the hall-effect sensor, so I pulled that out too. When I put it back in, I realized there's nothing to hold it in exact position, and it can move about 3/16" in a rotating arc. So I compared my distributor to the new one, figured out how the sensor needs to be oriented relative to the trigger, tightened it down, and swapped distributors once again. And it ran fine...
So I wasted ~5-months, and $200-$350(depending how you add it up) chasing a mis-located hall-effect sensor.
Pete Gossett said:
So I wasted ~5-months, and $200-$350(depending how you add it up) chasing a mis-located hall-effect sensor.
Wasted...spent...potato...potahto. The cool part is that you FIXED it! Awesome!
How good does that feel?!
ClemSparks said:
Pete Gossett said:
So I wasted ~5-months, and $200-$350(depending how you add it up) chasing a mis-located hall-effect sensor.
Wasted...spent...potato...potahto. The cool part is that you FIXED it! Awesome!
How good does that feel?!
Not as good as it would have felt 5-months ago. :-p
As with all things mechanical sometimes solutions to a problem are quite simple and plumb escapes us
NOHOME
UltimaDork
10/2/17 7:21 a.m.
Not as good as it would have felt 5-months ago. :-p
I am not sure how good your trouble-shooting skills were at the start of this little chase, but I bet they are an order of magnitude better for the next time.
I think everybody eventually learns the hard way on some stupid ignition problem, I know I have a couple times. This is also an example of "used parts are proven parts".
I got the windshield replaced yesterday, it took calls to 8 different places, but for $214 installed I'm not complaining. Other than the fact that from the driver's seat I couldn't see the crack anyway.
I'm glad you got it running good. Have to say it was some learning curve. Sometimes the simple things are the solution. But then again they call me Jimmy 2 times.
I'll take one of the T-Shirts where do I send a Donation.
there is a big T-Shirt Printer only a Half block down, How about a Cowboy riding a Shark .
Pete Gossett said:
So I wasted ~5-months, and $200-$350(depending how you add it up) chasing a mis-located hall-effect sensor.
Don't feel bad, I spent a month trying to thread a bolt into a hole that wasn't threaded.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
I spent at least a month chasing what ended up being a bad ground... under a bolt I had disturbed.
There was also that time I walked funny a while from kicking over a dirtbike all day, new sparkplug and it fired right up.
I spent a year and a grand to figure out i missed a ground.
Just glad you are on the far side of it now.
I spent a couple months chasing what I thought was a fuel issue on and old acvw I had thrown a turbo on. Couple in everybody I talked to telling me that a turbo and a carb will never get along properly, and I was SURE it was fuel. Just for kicks I even replaced the points, condenser, cap, rotor, wires, and plugs. Then I was REALLY SURE it was fuel. It was only after I bought and installed a wideband and AFR gauge and could see the fuel acting properly that I thought I might as well throw a distributor at it too...and it never skipped another beat. Turned out to be a $40 fix. I feel your frustration.
On a related note, I recently bought an 84 corvette. Pretty cheap, had been sitting, "ran fine when parked"... you understand. Here's to hoping I don't have quite the level of trouble that you've had.
In reply to barefootskater :
I bought one like that Too, and drove it home for a grand, Great place to start.
In reply to GTXVette :
I wish I had gotten mine that cheap. Then I'd have some money left to play with it. Or to fix it up a bit. Or just to make it run properly. That is if crossfire injection CAN be made to run properly...
Anyway. To the OP. Keep at it. These small successes give me hope that my own poor life choices might not turn out badly in the end.
YES, Yes They Can. tell him Petey
by the way I cut mine into pieces( No Vette Kart's For Me) and put in a Big Block Chevy, About where your Shifter is....
Dude we will help any way we Can,
and help you keep it Normal,
If you Insist
I drove it with the targa top off tonight for the first time. I hadn't really had any desire to, but since it had to come off for them to remove the windshield yesterday, and I hadn't got around to putting it back on, I figured what the hell. It was only a jaunt around town, but it makes the car feel even more Miata-like. I doubt I'll be in a hurry to pull it off again anytime soon though.
In reply to Wxdude10 :
Cool, I wondered if something like that existed. Although I don't expect to be driving with it off again anytime soon.
The difficult we fix right away, the impossible takes a little longer.
Just think about how much easier the rest will be. Also you did learn a few things about carb and ignition tuning so that might come in handy to fine tune things.
Sometimes it can be handy to swap out a assembly, if possible.
I always find to longer it took to actually fix something, the more satisfaction there is. I just hate to give up, so I sometimes put more time and money into something than I should, but if/when I finally make it work, that is a good day. Do this stuff long enough and we have all been there.
In reply to TED_fiestaHP :
In my case it was more paradoxical - I'd loved to have dumped this car like a hot potato once I realized it wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't want to sell it at a loss either, and I knew that once I got it running I wasn't going to be in any hurry to sell it! 3rd-world problems...
I hadn't visited this thread since just prior to the final new carb. Absolutely delighted to hear it's running well at last. A massive, make that MASSIVE well done. Really happy for you. I know I would have thrown in the towel (I have in the past for less) You must have a great feeling of satisfaction now.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson :
Thanks Adrian! The thing is I know I'm nowhere near done - read on...
So this happened:
Any guesses on my numbers???
My pulls were cut short though because the crank seal started leaking again. I guess I'll have to bring a couple spares to the Challenge. I know tit was seated fully, and the balancer is new & smooth - no grooves or nicks. I have an egr valve, so it's not crankcase pressure. Not sure what else it could be.
