Timing is at 8* btdc
Fuel pressure at stock

Mods are as follows...

Dart heads, high compression pistons, Comp cam .488/.495 212/218 112 lsa, edelbrock headers, edelbrock tpi intake, high flow cats, borla exhaust

The car runs like a 3 cyl, it's much slower than stock. 1990 350. Any ideas?

 

The timing is way off or the cam was put in wrong.

 

What compression ratio are you running?

What gas are you running?

Do you have a modded chip to account for your changes?

Have you used a FP on the car while driving to see if the FP is staying constant?

 

Compression ratio is about 9.3 to 1.

93 octane

Fuel pressure was tested for priming the pump only.

No modded chip yet, but would this still run this bad with a stock chip and mild mods?

I know the gears and timing chain were installed correctly, cam installation....something to look into. The machine shop installed the cam.

Any other ideas?

Descriptively, how would the cam be installed wrong anyway?

 

I wouldn't call heads, cam, and compression mild mods. Its possible the stock tune is causing it to run bad, but like a 3 cyl, i doubt it.

 

Aside from the increased lift, its a pretty mild cam you got. What are the specs on the heads? Who did the cam? Was it degreed properly? If its off by a degree or two, that will kill any possible power. If you are correct on compression then thats pretty decent as well. Any other intake mods? The SD system is sensitive, but that cam is tame enough for it to function an a slightly normal level. A chip would give you more power and efficiency though.

I am leaning toward the cam not being degree'd properly. Get the car hooked up to a scanner.

 

Is this a MAF or SD car? I know that MAF is more accepting than SD...but you shouldn't have THAT much of a problem...

I would say that you definitely need to hook up a scanner. You may have a bad sensor or a mechanical problem. If you aren't getting any codes though, probably a mech problem.

If you were more specific about how it is running...that would help.

Did you do the cam break-in properly? Or is it roller cam?

I am not a mind-reader.

 

Ok, I'm going to have to take back my statement that I know for sure the timing gear was installed correctly, I didn't watch my friend completely at that point of the install. Also, I didn't know about the keyways matching up with the dot. This is the timing gear that I have: http://store.summitracing.com/partde...art=CCA%2D3136

The machine shop installed the cam but someone who helped me work on the car installed the timing gear and chain. I know for sure the dot lined up, but I can't say anything certain about which keyway was used, cause at the time I didn't know anything about timing gears and I didn't watch him at that point.

Is that called degreeing the cam? The cam is hydraulic roller.

The car throws no codes. Sensors worked before the rebuild or are new. No evidence to suggest bad sensors.

The heads flow 210 cfm at .5" and the exhaust was port matched to edelbrock headers. 2600 stall. This isn't going to be the fastest thing around but it should be a decent 13 second red turd rocket. (maybe that'll be the outcome, but we're not here to argue this issue).

Is there anyway quick and easy way to know if I'm off with the cam degrees without pulling the harmonic balancer?

 

is it possible you got a knock ......that is retarding the timeing alot ?



just my $0.02

 

Since everything was off, don't forget the basics. Check the firing order, verify that at TDC your rotor is pointing to #1 cylinder, etc. Two crossed wires can give you the same symptoms, including backfiring through the intake, and other good stuff.

 

You need to put it on a scanner and check for Knock retard also. My new motor was getting 15 degrees knock retard and more sometimes. The knock retard made it run very sluggish and did not set any codes !!

 

Degreeing the cam means checking it with a degree wheel and a dial indicator. You make sure the cam is properly installed. I'm still inclined to believe the cam is in wrong, meaning advanced or retarded.

Did the shop align bore the mains?

 

That timing set looks like a 3-way...three different crank keyways, three different "dot" marks on the gears. (circle, square, triangle)

It's a common mistake to align the wrong marks; eg. the triangle on the crank with the square on the cam gear.

After you've ruled out everything else, it's time to pull the timing cover and check the gear mark alignment.

 

I ended up taking it to a shop. They hooked up the vacuum gauge and only got an 8" reading. They believe it's along the lines of the timing gear/cam now too.

My concern at this point is valve train damage...Any thoughts?

The pistons are forged, the valves are stainless steel, rocker arms are pro magnums, and the lifters are comp cam hydraulic roller lifter replacements, pushrods are the comp cam $35 ones.

 

Between 100-1000 miles on this, little embarassed to state this fact...Initially thought it was lack of chip tuning

 

My thoughts are...engine building isn't for everybody.

 

Live and learn, especially the first time around when you're still a teenager. Where/when were you your first time around? And not everyone has a father/uncle/older person in the family to help them learn their first time around.

Car runs faster than stock. That about covers everything. Timing gear was three teeth off. No chip tuning yet. Car spins through second gear.

 

I was at the table reading a how-to book on engine building, way before I picked up a wrench.

So...if you goofed on the timing set, what else do ya suppose is lurking inside there...?

 

Probably oil, and maybe even untorqued rod bolts

 

Well..... if you tackled this by yourself and got this far along with it..... you're a pretty smart guy in my book.

Congrats!!! You done good!!!!!!

Glad you got the one little problem (that someone else messed up) fixed and it's running great now.

Good job!!!!! Good Job!!!!!!