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Damn truck... I swear lately I just can't win.

I was driving my truck last night and the damn thing started to miss and sputter and backfire and then lost power. So I limped it back home and parked it. Today I fired it up and it still sounded like crap...so I decided to take the weber 38/38 off and put my old weber 32/36 back on to see if it was a carb problem. The other day when I jumped on it, it kinda stuttered and ever since then it's had a flat spot in it's acceleration from a dead stop, plus a slight miss when I was cruising, so I thought maybe my carb was screwed up.

No such luck.

Now I have no idea WTF the problem is...

It still runs like crap, has no power, misses terribly, and sounds like hell. There is no knock or clatter coming from the bottom end, so I'm assuming I either popped my head gasket, or I got a bad valve. Either way, I gotta clear out my garage, and pull it in so I can remove the valve cover and yank the head.

It sure pisses me off though...that freakin' Impulse 1.9 G200z was just tore down, cleaned up, and every stinkin' gasket was replaced just about 8 months ago. And I've been real carefull not to let the damn thing overheat very much.

Hopefully nothing is wrong with the bottom end and the head is OK so I can just make it a quick fix and get the damn thing back on the road right away.

If for some odd reason the engine is FUBARed...I guess it's time for a 2.3/2.6 hybrid. No sense replacing it with the same one...size is everything and bigger is better...lol

Ignition?

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

Hmmm...it's got an electronic distributor/ignition module with an Accel high output coil and I just changed out the plugs, cap, rotor, and wires less than 1 month ago...so I'm thinking that probably isn't what went wrong.

But rest assured I will be checking everything carefully before I take the head off. (And I won't be too depressed if I find out it's something simple or easy to fix either...that's for darn sure!)

Do a compression test first to confirm internal problems as it would sure save you a lot of time and ammunition

It would sure piss you off to tear it down and find nothing wrong. Also check around your intake for leaks.

Make sure everything in the dist. is still bolted down tight (been there done that one).

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

A can of ether or carb cleaner is handy around these times...[/list]

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-Old ride-82 Luv diesel 5spd with some upgrades
-Past rides-82 Sierra, 78 Coupe De'Ville, 91 2dr Blazer, 86 RX7, 86 Porsche 944T (rear-ended and totaled)
-Curr. rides- 1970 Ford LTD 4dr, 390 4Bbl, 2nd owner! With a few Extras 00' Civic beater...

Yeah and just for giggles and sh*ts I'm gonna check the fuel pump and the rear fuel filter. I ran the gas tank darn near dry a couple of times lately...

Mine had similar behavior, once it statred getting cold around here recently. Mostly in the mornings. Spent enough time scratching my head and cussing at the carb, til I decided to add a few degrees advance to the distributer... was almost as if the vac advance wasn't doing it's job.

Runs great again, little faster idle is all.

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FIAA: Color Guard

sounds like what i'm dealing with right now on my damned old 78! it dont want to run worth shit, but i've changed plugs, wires, cap, rotor, checked pts, changed gas tank, fuel lines, rebuilt carb, new battery and the son of a bi@(h still wont run!

has oil psi and passes compression test. valves are adjusted. block and pistons are ok. head checks out fine! jinxed mo fo!!!!

Ya'll think this might cause a small performance problem?

This is between #3 and #4 piston:



This is between #1 and #2 piston



The #3 and #4 had almost zero compression, and #1 and #2 were leaking down bad.


Hmmm...I think maybe I found the problem.

did you get it all fixed up yet

Yep...it runs fine now. I gave it an oil change, a tune up, rebuilt my carb, and adjusted the valves while it was in the garage. Now it goes vrooom again.

The title of this thread reminds me of a news story a couple of weeks ago.

Some guy got all aggravated when he could not get a couple lug nuts off of his flat tire, on the side of the road , somewhere.
So he grabbed his shot gun and shot the wheel. He was reported as recovering in the hospital from being peppered with shot and shrapnell.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

you know i think my truck popped a headgasket. its been popping ans spittin for a long time now, and this fresh engine doesnt run like it used to. and i didnt even think about the headgasket till i read this thread. its got damn near all the same symtoms.

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

Yeah...they are pretty notorious for popping the gasket between 3 and 4, and sometimes 1 and 2 too - because the darn gasket is so thin between there.

yeah i think im gonna pull the head next week and see what happend. i might clean up one of my g180 heads and see what i can do with it.

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

That just might give ya a bit more bang for your buck.

I was gonna do that to mine untill I banged up my hand. Now I think I'm just gonna start gatherin' parts to build me a mean 2.3/2.6 hybrid and try to drop it in by this spring.

I just found out about another '78 shortbed stocker with an automatic with a tore up engine that's for sale cheap. I think I'll grab it and drop my engine I'm runnin' now in it and then give it to my daughter to drive around once I get my new engine built.

I just gotta see if a built 2.3/2.6 hybrid will produce over 200 hp. A plain-jane stock 2.6 with smog, A/C, and everything else intact is supposed to have 125 hp. So by adding a bigger cam, a header, and my weber 38/38 with a custom intake - plus de-smogging it, milling the head a little, and running it without A/C or a cat - I think just might make it.

And of course my wife is thrilled to death about all of that. She just loves it when I dump more money into my old truck..lol

well i just sat and listened to this truck for like 15 minutes, and its got to be the headgasket.

it still sounds healthy at an idle and if i bearly crack the throttle, but if i get into it it pops and spits outta the exhaust and sometimes pops out of the carb.

so monday im gonna order the headgasket and all the shit needed to do the job and ill tear into it.

i was also lookin at my good g180 head. i think im gonna put it on when i do this.

i know this has been asked a hundred times, but what the difference between the g180 and g200 head. im gonna assume that the g180 head has smaller ports and valves.

a little feedback would help. thanks

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."

The difference in the design and shape of a G180 head causes a g200 to have more compression than running it with a stock head. (And yes it does have smaller valves.) The G200 head on a G180 engine lowers it's compression and turns it into a gutless wonder.

I've only seen one '79 shortbed Luv with a built Impulse 1.9 G200z engine that had a G180 head on it - and it was an automatic that could actually break the tires loose on dry pavement...lol

It sure sounded mean for a 4-banger though.

alright then. im gonna get that g180 head cleaned up and thats what im gonna put back on.

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"but its that gut feeling of you're drawn to what feels right for yourself and what you're passionate about..."