85 Berl

I installed a 350 in my 85 camaro, and it runs sweet as long as it's going. When I stop, it stalls. Some details on the motor: .030 over with stock dished pistons, and Vortec heads w/ 64cc chambers. Cam is a dual pattern 270/280 duration, and around .450 lift. I'm not sure of the compression, but I think it may be on the high side. When it stalls, I have a hard time getting it going again. The starter won't turn it over (I can hear it trying), and I can see the gas in the fuel filter bubbling (boiling?). I have Edelbrock headers, and used the piece of insulation they gave me on the fuel lines. It also sounds like it's boiling in the carb bowls.

Can anybody help on this one? I know a wood carb spacer would help, but you all know how the hood clearance is on our cars.

Oh yeah... The car runs at 180 - 190* all the time. Also, is the cam duration too much for the stock torque converter, causing the stalling? Thanks for all your help.

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Jeff

'85 Berlinetta, Special Beater Edition
Mods include a 4bolt 350 with 280*, .460 lift cam, Vortec heads, Comp Cams roller tip rockers, Edelbrock TES headers, no other exhaust . Also, rusted parts on all 4 corners, and crumpled fenders, thanks to the previous owner.

Damon

Your cam is pretty healthy but should not cause stalling at idle. It would take a bit more duration than that to cause problems. Just make sure you're not trying to idle it down too low. You're gonna shoot for about 700-750 RPM IN GEAR with a cam like that. That will load the engine up against the converter a little and when you pop it into neutral it'll want to go up aroung 1000 or so. That's a typical trade off for a bigger cam but stock converter.

I think you can get rid of much of the stalling problem by playing with the idle mixture screws, idle speed screw and ignition timing.

That being said you've got 2 different problems with your hot-start situation:

1. The starter is heat soked. This is from the added heat that the headers are throwing into the starter motor vs. the old manifolds. That's why it's not turning the motor over. Another possible reason is that the timing is over-advanced. If there's a lot of advance in the timing while you're turning the engine over it will be difficult for a hot starter to get the job done. Check your ignition timing before dropping bucks on a high-torque mini-starter. You can also try shielding the stock starter from the heat (wraps and shields are available) but this rarely makes much of a difference in the real world.

2. Percolation of the fuel. Bubbles and such in the fuel filter can jsut be from the fuel sloshing around as it slowly drizzles back towards the tank OR it could be becuase it's getting too hot and boiling in the fuel line. Some things you might try include shielding the fuel line ANYWHERE it comes close to the exhaust, using the phenolic spacer between the carb and intake supplied in most requild kits (it's the 1/4" thick gasket with 4 plastic inserts around the bolt holes), and lowering underhood temps any way you can. Simply removing the weatherstripping at the back of the hood can reduce underhood temps quite a bit, fer instance.



[This message has been edited by Damon (edited November 12, 2001).]

20-psi

I had a heat soak problem with my TTA. I had to buy a new starter. The new one cleared up the problem.

Pete

85 Berl

Thanks for the reply. I don't have any weatherstripping at the cowl now. I think the starter is either a '76 (from the blazer I stole the engine from), or a '86 (The year of the engine in question). Either way it could be worn out. Do you have any recommendations for the repalcement starter? Is any one better than the others, or will a regular parts store starter do? As far as the ignition timing, I'm not sure what it is. I checked it with a light, and it was advanced all the way off the pointer at idle and no vaccum to dist. I idled it at 800 in neutral, and 450 - 500 in gear. it's fine 'til it gets hot (5 miles of driving). If I idle it any higher, the brakes have a hard time holding it back. I can get a looser converter if it's the "right thing to do". I just really don't want to pull the tranny again. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for the help.

85 Berl

I need to clear something up on the timing I mentioned. I said it was advanced off of the pointer when checked with a light. I timed it for the best idle, and if I retard it the idle suffers, and it will die in gear. I think the balancer may have slipped. It's a '76 balancer, and the rubber ring is swelled and cracked. I'll get a new one soon because I know it's not good to drive it like that.

Russ-So Cal

Buy a new starter. If you buy one of the typical reman. starters from one of the big auto parts chains, even with a "lifetime" warranty, expect to change it annually.

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

dont forget to check to make sure you have good clean battery connections to the starter. a loose or bad ground will cause the starter to be weak. mybuddies monte carlo did the same thing. we thought his timing was advanced, but it was just a loose ground.

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86 IROC
43,000 miles
305/700R4/3.23 gears
maroon, gold stickers, black interior, T-Tops.

current mods.
shift kit
headers
cat back exhaust

mods planned for this winter
cam
Adjustable fuel pressure regulator
port and polish intake and heads
lookin to run low 14s maybe squeak out a 13.9 with my stock chip

RB83L69

There are 2 styles of timing mark. If you have a balancer made for a 12:30 timing mark (welded onto the middle of the timing cover) but a 1:30 timing mark (either under 2 of the TC bolts, or welded to the edge of the TC) then it's going to show WWWAAAAAAYYYYYYY advanced. If you have the opposite mismatch it will show retarded. In any case, correct timing setting for a modified motor goes with the heads, the CR, and the cam; you can't look it up in a book. i.e., just because the motor is in a (fill in the blank)year Camaro, doesn't mean that you set it to the spec for that year Camaro. With a modified motor, set it to where it runs the best, and f*** the mark except to know where it ends up so you can put it back when you work on it.

Your compression would be around 10¼:1 if it was a flat-top motor, which is IMHO a near ideal situation for today's pump gas. That's high enough to get good thermal efficiency but low enough not to cause detonation problems. With the stock dished pistons it's most of a point lower than that, maybe 9.4:1. That's totally out of the range of trouble. The cause of your problem isn't high compression.

I'd strongly recommend a "mini-starter". I fought a slow-turning-over motor for years while I had a high-CR 400 in my Camaro; then I bought a CVR starter, and it turns the 400 about twice as fast as the stock one turned the OE 305. GM starters are notoriously weak. I also have Edelbrock headers; this starter seems entirely unaffected by heat.

Your temp seems just fine, I don't think you have any kind of cooling system problem.

The stock converter is too tight, but not to the point that it will stall. I think you might need a bit higher idle speed than Damn does, I'd shoot for 800-850 out of gear, with the correct timing, it should not have trouble stalling.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

85 Berl

Thanks for all the help, guys! I'll try new battery cables. I aleady have them on the porch. If that doesn't work, I'll get the mini starter. I may also get a 2200 stall converter, too. That's in the future, though. Never done.