chedda_j

While driving my car, if i pin it from the line and do a 1/4 mile time, right when i get past the lights the exhaust light comes on and the car loses all power. Which totally sucks *****. I have the rats nest removed. Mechanical secondaries, no cats and basically straight through exhaust.

1. Why do i keep losing power.
2. Can i run a line directly from the vaccum secondaries to the carb and work them that way instead of the mech, i think its ******* **** up.

Kentetsu

Small chance that the mech secondaries are causing you any issues like that. Check your timing? How about fuel filter?

chedda_j

The fuel filter is like bran new, but i know how these things clog up in like two weeks. Also i have a gas tank leak on the neck somewhere because whenever i turn a corner really really hard, ex.donuts, il leave a pee trail. its enough of a hole that if i park on a hill then it will drain a bit of gas.

I dont totally understand on how to set the timing. I know how to on other vehichles but not this one. I know i need to mark the crank. Its something like 26 % past TDC correct?

One more thing, there isnt water in my oil from my rad but i think because the thing hasnt had an oil change for like a year (parked and started back up) that there is a small amount of condensation floating around. Only reason i say this is because i find white slime on the top of the oil filler tube once in a while.

Rotary Weasel

the white slime is a good indication of the water jackets going south
your small fuel leak could affect your fuel psi at WOT
and running your 7 so hard would dictate you having fresh fluids in your car!
change that oil
unless you are just running it into the ground

chedda_j

No ofcourse i dont want to run it into the ground but i just so low on the cash flow for another week. Then il just do it at the shop when i have time. Sorry i dont want to ruin this car but money is tight. What are water jackets? how can they be going on an easily driven 75 xxx mile car.

chedda_j

Btw, the leak is on the neck of the gas tank itself.

Rotor13B

Drive? WTF is that?

chedda_j

Its called "luxury option" for ppl who dont know how to use a clutch. Definately missing 5 speed from my honda. Soon...soon..

steve84GS TII

The water jacket grooves can, and will corrode whether the car is driven or not.Its because of the iron and aluminum housings being bolted together.It creates a small bit of electrolysis which eats away at the aluminum.Iron block/aluminum head pistons engines get the same way.Not changing the coolant often enough will exacerbate the issue.Revving the engine hard when cold can cause housing warpage,and the same leak condition.75K miles and 20 years is plenty of time for all that stuff to have potentially happened.
Anyhow....coolant in the oil is a very bad sign.No point lying to you about it,just keep an eye on the coolant level and keep the oil changed and clean if your going to continue regular driving.It can go for a long time like that,but it will eventually require a rebuild and new housings to remedy.
I wouldnt worry so much about the exhaust heat light since you dont have any cats or other emission control gear.Just pull the bulb for the light if it bothers you.

The lack of power in the upper gears sounds like fuel starvation.Its good you replaced the fuel filter,but there are 2 other filters on the car as well.On the carb,where the fuel lines feed into the carb,there are small filters under the banjo bolts.Clean and replace them.Also,inside the tank there is a filter on the pickup tube leading to the pump.When you repair the tank,pull the pickup tube assembely and clean that filter as well as flush out the tank.And Id do it soon,a fuel leak is nothing to dismiss,its down right dangerous,especially with the rotaries hot exhaust inches away.

After all that,if it still looses power up top,start looking at the fuel pump.They are barely adequate when working right,let alone after 20 years and when the car is modded.Get a new one,or upgrade to something like a Carter 7lb pump and a Holley low pressure regulator.They are both affordable and a good foundation for a high performance carb'ed fuel system.

Ill leave the secondary questions to someone else,since its been a long time since I had a carb on my car.I do know that mechanical secondaries can really suck up the gas,which could also be exacerbating the problem.

chedda_j

Thanks. Im going to put on a new carb, get a five speed, fix the tank, and do everything else you mentioned. I did replace the two on the carb also. I find that my car also runs a little better when i put oil in the tank. 2 stroke ofcourse. I wanna get rid of that F'n fan in the front too. So an electric one is on the way. I know this is kinda low budget but il do everything in my power to make this car better. Until im getting more than 10 bucks an hour this will be very low key.

chedda_j

Also after looking at the cost of a V8 conversion and having a 327 from a 68 camaro, plus a transmission from the same, i might just do a swap later on when i get some more money. **** if i had 5000 i would have that car on jacks tomorow.

Kentetsu

I wouldn't worry too much about a little bit of "lung mustard" under your oil cap, especially if the car is not being driven regularly. Have you removed the rat's nest? If so, then run a vacuum line to the nipple on the oil filler tube and you should be alright.

novaboy009

10 bucks an hour!?!? I've built an 11 second daily driver/drag car on grocery store money. I still had enough money left over for the rex. Cut some grass or something....

chedda_j

Funny you mention that, i happened to cut the local bars grass two days ago for 40 bucks. Hey everything helps. Thanks for the top with the vac line, i just had it hanging. Oh **** i think i just figured out where the oil was leaking onto the side of my engine...*no filter on the end*

Rogue_Wulff

If you are so low on funds that you can't afford an oil change, how the hell can you afford to put your foot down?
On a more serious note, since the car is a lower mileage car, and considering it's age, I would suspect that the fuel lines have buildup in them from the car having sat so much.
Check the total fuel flow volume at the carb. Unhook the fuel line, place a large bottle to catch the fuel, and turn on the key. You should get about 1L/minute.
You said no cats were on the car, yet the exhaust overheat light comes on. If you still have the original muffler and rear pipe, they could have become clogged with rust from the inside of said parts.

As for the question about the vacuum secondaries. Short answer, NO. The secondaries open when the flow thru the primaries reaches a high enough velocity to create the vacuum needed to open the secondaries. There won't be enough vacuum elsewhere to open them, till much later than at the point it currently reads from.

chedda_j

LOL i got the oil changed today. I was just waiting for my paycheck to clear

Il check the fuel thinger, can i put any fuel additive in the gas tank to help disolve some of that build up?

I have a cherry bomb muffler, just a quick fix until my exhaust comes in at the shop i work at. But it ends prety much right after that sensor so im guessing that has something to do with it (lol)

I have a question, does the car still prety hard if you dont have mech secondaries? YOu dont really need secondaries untill after 3 thousand rpms do you? I know that the car just bogs if i nail it off the line, but i do have an auto...that only shifts at 40, 80, 110. ****** piece of ****. Plus the oil in the trany is greyish...think its time for a flush. Im prety sure that ATF is red

The problem im really having is that the exhaust light comes on when i have it to the floor for more than oh lets say half a minute, like if was passing a car and braught the car up to 160km. Right after i hit about 160 from 100 it will go red, and il get a wicked hot exhaust smell and a small loss of power. BUT!!! the car does not over heat, it will stay at 1/4 the whole time. ive had the car overheat once before, due to a broken rad hose, so i know the gauge is working. Plus if i run a little richer i will get alot more pop but the gas i go through is rediculas. 25 bucks a day if i tune it higher, if i keep it kinda lean, then it will only cost me about 20 bucks a day. Its worth it, whenever i wanna do some spirited driving il just stop and turn the fuel mixture screw in about half a notch. but i did notice the light comes on more often when i leave the screw out a bit...hmmm