Finally got my car running after 2 years, putting another engine in. Had a pacesetter header installed on the new engine. When my car idles, warming up w/choke, etc. My header pipes will glow red hot. Never the smae one, it's always random which one will glow today. I've searched on several forums several times, and came out with timing issues, or a rich condition. My timing and points are 100% perfect, and I KNOW I CAN't have a rich condition, because I've been forced to use a carb. from an '81 because a fuel inlet screw thread was stripped on my '79 carb. I know the FB carb was rather lean (So I've been told several times) So I'm rather confused why this is happening. The engine I installed idles like it's got a streetport. So I'm thinking either, can it be WAY too lean? or is the pacesetter header's metal SO thin that it just gets hot rapidly? It's fine when it's moving (made sure to check) but when it idles, it gets red hot ... Any advice??

Thanks in advance,
Giuseppe

 

in my experience it's been a timing issue as the dizzy is a tooth off either advanced or retarded, can't remember which.

 

Is there any chance you have lost spark on the leading? That will do it too.

And, it is running lean that will also cause this, not running rich.

Make sure you still have spark, and that the right ignitor/coil is firing the right plugs. Also, check the fuel level in the float bowls to see if one is low.

Good luck...



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++ for running lean.

 

Read the plugs. It will tell you rather than guessing which condition you have.

If it glows red hot w/choke on, and you are lean, then you are really really lean w/o choke.

To be honest, my suspicion is that you are rich with the choke, as you should be.

When you take the choke off, does it cool down? IE not red?

 

Yep; rich = colder at the exhaust port, lean = hotter at the port. Seems counter-intuitive, but it's true.

The original 79 and 80 specs were intentionally rich, in main part to 'feed' the thermal reactor & heat up the TR's inner shell, but that only worked because air was also injected into the exhaust stream just as it entered the thermal reactor - basically, it was an afterburner.

Since you've switched to a leaner carb already (and I'm assuming you've disabled/blocked off/removed the air pump, ACV, and associated passages when you swapped to headers), if that carb is also marginally lean in idle setup or you have a bit of a vac leak somewhere, you could be dramatically lean at idle.

 

lean lean lean, and can result in engine damage

what is the car idling at? if you have a hell of a time bringing the idle down then suspect a vaccum leak

 

I agree with the rest. A lean condition will cause this. A rich condition will do this to a catalytic converter.

Duke

 

lean creates higher heat as more oxygen is in the mix, ever oxy-acetalyne weld (spelled wrong I am sure) before you turn up the oxygen up its a lazy red licking flame but once the oxygen is turned up gets blue and appears there is more energy as it leaves the tip ... bascially kinda like that. The exhaust mani is getting red as if you were welding it. This is not a problem to take lightly

 

i would also say pacesetter uses thin metal, so while you most likely are running lean, im sure it wouldnt show itself this much with a thicker header

 

Good idea to check the plugs as suggested...

 

You stated: "ideling as if the motor has a streetport" If the motor isn't ported and is ideling like it is, I'd check for vaccum leaks, which in turn could cure the glowing header.