LUVTruck.com

Well I haven't done the installation yet because I have to wait for delivery of the cap from RockAuto. I want to say a couple things.

For one, this conversion seems to me it's coming at an opportune time. My LUV isn't running so good. I've got a couple problems. One, the gas consumption sucks, and gas prices keep climbing! I gotta do something. Two, when I put a timing light on the mark, it jumps all over and doesn't hold steady at any speed. On the troubleshooting chart in my Series 8 manual, there are plenty of reasons pointing to the dizzy. So it's probable the miss will be fixed with the new dizzy. I sure hope so.

On my 125-mile trip yesterday, I started out with over half a tank, and it was running on the empty line this morning, so I had to go back to the pump. I sometimes smell gas around, but I haven't seen any leaking. Is it possible there's an intermittent leak occurring only certain times? Like does the pressure build up in the fuel supply line and shut off when the carb float bowl gets full, and maybe it's squirting out some crack in the line??? Anyway, I know I sound like an idiot here, but any helpful comments would be appreciated.

When I was returning from the trip yesterday, I noticed a lurching, or a miss. It could be the clutch, I suppose, but I think it's the distributor. I ordered the dizzy just for the improvement, not for a repair, but it looks like it's going to do both. The truck seems fine at a high RPM, but on acceleration it's missing, and sometimes pretty bad. If I try to accelerate without shifting, it's worse.

Somebody knows what this is, right?

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

I was having the same problems with mine for a while it turned out to be the timing on my truck. The timing was at 10 btc and was causing sputtering under a load. Fuel milage was so bad I could pretty much see the needle move. I reset the timing to the stock recomendations which is 6 btc. Fuel milage went up to 28 and the sputtering stopped and the power increased. I remeber you posted that you had your timing advanced to I think 12btc? Wouldn't hurt to try it out.

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1975 V8 Luv
1980 Bagged Luv

Mine had alot of those sputtering symptoms as well, later chalked up to the crappy performance of points, condenser & the lousy stock rated coil.

As I have posted before, I have since installed and MSD 5200, Blaster coil, splitfire plugs(better wires) and a Pertronix Igniter. Advanced my timing just enoug to run "smooth", have yet to actualy time it using a light.

I don't get a miss at any rpm range, and is at it's best in second and 3rd gear around 4-5000 rpm.

I'm betting most of those issues you are having are gone after the new dizzy install and a little tuning. As far as fuel comsumption I'd have to agree with Dan, there is a price to pay for advancing timing. Hell, maybe they get better gas mileage at stock specs, because it doesn't take much gas to make an engine run like doo-doo

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FIAA: Color Guard

Sounds like there might two problems? Most of the driveability issues you've mentioned probably are tied to distributor/timing. But the gas odor sounds like a carb leak. Are you running the Hitachi? Together these could cause some pretty crappy running. If the carb is leaking somewhere, say in the secondary circuit, you'd smell fuel after some high speed driving or when you've engaged the secondary (up hills, etc.)

I know ctmandu has several stock carbs, and there are DGAV/DGV5's for sale locally here for $125-150, so a weber is cheaper than a stock reman carb. (http://eugene.craigslist.org/pts/325606408.html and http://eugene.craigslist.org/pts/311644399.html) The dizzy should help with most of the items you mentioned, but as stated, tuning it and timing it properly will help too. Sounds stupid, but check your high tension leads (plug wires) for a good connection. Sometimes pulling them to check the plugs causes them to come apart, especially the 'universal' style.

The carb on my '78 is OK, runs a little rich, but otherwise is better than the '79 I'm driving with a stuck choke. I have a reman unit out in the garage off of an '85 Trooper 1.9, hoping to bolt that on tomorrow and slide the electronic distributor in from the '78 too. Should run pretty good with those two changes. I'll try to get photos of the dizzy going in...

Oh! The Accel Coil you spoke of should work just fine with the electronic dizzy, but Tazman/79-Luv'r could probably shed more light on that. The high voltage is generated in the primary coil circuit, not the secondary, which is what you hook up to the distributor plug. I don't see how this would impact the distributor install, but anyone who knows better please chime in....

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison

I think I have to just wait this one out until I get the new cap for the e-dizzy and by then I'll have my new water pump installed, and the EGR pipe removed. Maybe I'll have the air injector ports plugged too. When I checked the timing today, I found it back down on 0° BTDC, which would be a good reason for the poor running, but I thought I had it tightened. The stock dizzy must be failing very fast, as it doesn't wanna run like I do. I reset the timing even though it's moving all over, and then tightened it up until I thought it was going to break. I'll try to stay around home until I get my dizzy cap. I don't appreciate RockAuto's put-off and lack of communication after they get my payment, and then making me wait so long. They're supposed to let me know when they're sending it, but they don't always follow thru. Now I wish I'd tried looking a little harder for it...hey maybe I will go get it if I can find it, then swap it when it arrives and return it!!!

Talk to ya later!!!

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLWelcome.aspx

Napa should have them in stock:

MPE EP724SB $6.99 (listed as stock '85 PUP)
BA 1746866 $9.99 (listed as a cross for Bosch 03188)
ECH EP724 $12.49 (listed as a cross for Bosch 03188)

Call your closest Napa and find out, take the dizzy in with you when you go to be sure it fits As nice as the weather has been, if you made the wires up ahead of time you could probably install the dizzy in the Napa parking lot...

0.1 miles NAPA AUTO PARTS
Genuine Parts Company (253) 631-3200
27623 Covington Way SE Covington WA, 98042

5.4 miles NAPA AUTO PARTS
Black Diamond Auto Supply (360) 886-1200
30848 3rd Ave Black Diamond WA, 98010

5.7 miles NAPA AUTO PARTS
Genuine Parts Company (253) 852-7903
1415 S Central Kent WA, 98032

6.2 miles NAPA AUTO PARTS
Gosney Motor Parts (253) 833-4455
220 Auburn Wy North Auburn WA, 98002

8 miles NAPA AUTO PARTS
Genuine Parts Company (425) 656-8980
8441 S 180th St Kent WA, 98032

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison

now thats help...

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My old but now gone Luv...

Dang it! I can't wait. Since Nukeday done rolled out the red carpet, why should I? I'm on my way, and we'll throw it on and then consider the delivery of the cap an extra.

I don't go to NAPA very much. I didn't know there were so many around!!! They're sorta pushin' it, huh?

I'll let y'all know what happens.

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

Fullaluv-- From your description it sounds like you might have centrifugal advance problems. Underneath the breakerplate. The advance mechanism may be sticking, sluggish, or have a broken or missing spring causing it not to return every time to the same place. Quick check is to remove the cap and try to turn the rotor counterclockwise against the spring tension ( about 12 degrees ). When you release it should return back to it's original position. Of course if you replace it with the electronic dizzy the problem would be solved. It you just replace the points with electronic pickup the advance problem would still be there.
Didn't know if you checked all this out or not.----trying to help.

ok from the gemini site ... this is what they say for the internaly regulated dizzy... this should help anyone wanting to install one
this is for the ballast resistor typ coil or low voltage coil

and this is for the full 12V coil voltage... no resistor

if you want more info
http://www.ozgemini.com/forums/tech/vie ... php?t=5115

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My old but now gone Luv...

I don't know if there's more wrong with the spring, but when I looked at the cap and distributor yesterday, there was a noticeable rampage going on inside the cap, and some brass bits all over inside the dizzy. The rotor seems to have been jumping around and gouging out parts near the contacts inside the cap. Forget about it. The new e-dizzy is in, it runs perfect. Photos are on my other thread, "FullaLuv's Birth of an Engine".

I can't say enough about it. It's great. I ran over 80 mph on a level stretch of freeway, and it was smooth as silk. I obviously took care of a lot of problems that would have been plaguing me by now. So not only did I convert to electronic because I wanted to, but it brought in a new dizzy just in time. I owe thanks to Nukeday for posting the link to the dizzy, to Catman for his advice and inspiration, to Tazman for his advice and inspiration, and RPOZ11 who gave me a reason to order the dizzy. I was looking at maybe having the dizzy rebuilt before I changed to electronic, when I decided it would be easier to get the unit ready to go. RPOZ11 told me the conversion with Pertronix would require a correctly working dizzy, and that's when I decided it might be saving money just to go get a remanufactured one from Fruit Ridge Automotive.

Anyway, it's a great big step in the right direction to performance and restoration of my LUV. Thank you all.

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.