So as I mentioned 9(!) month ago, I missing some power when I boost. I've changed the coil and the plugs with some fancy high end plugs. What I haven't done is replace the points. My next purchase will be a tune-up kit with new points, rotor, condenser and distributor cap. I could go with the pertronix electronic points, but I think I'll keep it old school and see how it goes.
Parked out front.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Where's the Power??
So, the Corvair is running great. I took it on a long run to Sandy Valley without a hitch. I have no gas leaks. So where's the power when the turbo kicks in? That is the big question. The one thing that people seem to agree on is that I am experiencing "Flame Out".
Flame Out seems to be a condition that doesn't allow the spark plugs to put out a strong enough spark ignite the fuel. When the turbo is not engaged, the spark is strong enough to do the job, but when I start boosting, the compression of the engine goes up high enough to be too much for the spark to ignite the fuel. The result is that the car misfires and the fuel gets pushed out with the exhaust during the next cycle. In other words, the car wont go!
When I'm just boosting a little, that is when the pressure is not built up too much, I get that familiar kick of the boost, but as the pressure builds, the car loses power and I stop accelerating.
So what's the cause? It could be a couple of things. The Coil is old and man not be putting out enough juice when I'm boosting. It could be the wires to the coil are old and it is not getting the correct voltage to work correctly. The carburettor could be out of tune causing a mixture that is too rich or too lean, fouling or damaging the plugs. It could be old worn points in the distributor not allowing good flow of electricity. It could be bad wires from the distributor to the plugs causing a voltage drop. So I have some work cut out for me.
Where to start? Well, I know that the coil is really old and I planned to replace it anyway. The plugs are also due for a changing, especially since the car had some issues with the pressure retard earlier causing the fuel mix to be off. With that, I thought I would spend a little extra cash and experiment with some high end NGK plugs. Here's the description of these plugs from NGK.com.
So, the Corvair is running great. I took it on a long run to Sandy Valley without a hitch. I have no gas leaks. So where's the power when the turbo kicks in? That is the big question. The one thing that people seem to agree on is that I am experiencing "Flame Out".
Flame Out seems to be a condition that doesn't allow the spark plugs to put out a strong enough spark ignite the fuel. When the turbo is not engaged, the spark is strong enough to do the job, but when I start boosting, the compression of the engine goes up high enough to be too much for the spark to ignite the fuel. The result is that the car misfires and the fuel gets pushed out with the exhaust during the next cycle. In other words, the car wont go!
When I'm just boosting a little, that is when the pressure is not built up too much, I get that familiar kick of the boost, but as the pressure builds, the car loses power and I stop accelerating.
So what's the cause? It could be a couple of things. The Coil is old and man not be putting out enough juice when I'm boosting. It could be the wires to the coil are old and it is not getting the correct voltage to work correctly. The carburettor could be out of tune causing a mixture that is too rich or too lean, fouling or damaging the plugs. It could be old worn points in the distributor not allowing good flow of electricity. It could be bad wires from the distributor to the plugs causing a voltage drop. So I have some work cut out for me.
Where to start? Well, I know that the coil is really old and I planned to replace it anyway. The plugs are also due for a changing, especially since the car had some issues with the pressure retard earlier causing the fuel mix to be off. With that, I thought I would spend a little extra cash and experiment with some high end NGK plugs. Here's the description of these plugs from NGK.com.
NGK iridium plugs represent the ultimate evolution of spark plug technology and performance. The iridium center electrode is both stronger and harder than platinum. This allows NGK engineers to design an ultra-fine (0.6mm)center electrode reducing the voltage requirement for spark. This allows for a brighter, stronger spark from your existing ignition system. The ground electrode has a tapered cut at the firing end which reduces quenching for better flame core growth and increased ignitability. The combination of fine wire center electrode and tapered cut ground will increase performance, improve acceleration, and fuel efficiency.Here's a pic from the same site. As you can see, the center electrode is very small compared to a traditional spark plug. That with the much harder material will hopefully give me the spark I need to ignite the fuel while boosting. We shall see. The plugs are on order and hopefully I will receive them next week. That and a new coil from Clark's Corvair should hopefully do the trick.
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Big Drive.
Well, I fixed the leak by removing the return line to the gas tank. I replaced the turbo fuel filter with a simple straight through filter. I then blocked off the return line and reran the fuel line to the carb so that the pressure regulator is much easier to adjust.
After testing for leaks, I did some short drives around town and everything seemed to go well. I decided a long drive was in order after all the work on the car. A friend of mine was having a barbecue in Sandy Valley which is about 50 miles away so I decided the Corvair was the way to go.
The drive went without a hitch. The mountain pass was a little sketchy because of the curves and the hills, but the car ran great. I'll be driving it more and more. I think I may be ready for paint as well.
Springs.
So the skinny on springs. Clark's does seem to have stock springs. I think I'll stay on a holding pattern again at least for now. Its really about the cost since I would have to buy the shocks, pay to have them installed and pay again to have them aligned. I just spent all that money doing that the first time so I don't feel like doing it again soon.
We'll see.
Well, I fixed the leak by removing the return line to the gas tank. I replaced the turbo fuel filter with a simple straight through filter. I then blocked off the return line and reran the fuel line to the carb so that the pressure regulator is much easier to adjust.
After testing for leaks, I did some short drives around town and everything seemed to go well. I decided a long drive was in order after all the work on the car. A friend of mine was having a barbecue in Sandy Valley which is about 50 miles away so I decided the Corvair was the way to go.
The drive went without a hitch. The mountain pass was a little sketchy because of the curves and the hills, but the car ran great. I'll be driving it more and more. I think I may be ready for paint as well.
Springs.
So the skinny on springs. Clark's does seem to have stock springs. I think I'll stay on a holding pattern again at least for now. Its really about the cost since I would have to buy the shocks, pay to have them installed and pay again to have them aligned. I just spent all that money doing that the first time so I don't feel like doing it again soon.
We'll see.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Gas Leak!
Well, after talking with the mechanic, and after all the modifications to the fuel system, we're going to try to remove the fuel return line from the system. I'll just block it off for now and change the fuel filter. If there are no adverse effects, the line is coming out!
The Springs!
Clark's has springs! They say they don't on their web page, but they do. Now the decision to go heavy duty or stock. I may just go with stock. I'm not sure. I like the car a little lower, but the last time I got new springs that were only supposed to lower the car a little, it dropped to the pavement. We shall see.
That means a new alignment and everything else. Sheesh!
Well, after talking with the mechanic, and after all the modifications to the fuel system, we're going to try to remove the fuel return line from the system. I'll just block it off for now and change the fuel filter. If there are no adverse effects, the line is coming out!
The Springs!
Clark's has springs! They say they don't on their web page, but they do. Now the decision to go heavy duty or stock. I may just go with stock. I'm not sure. I like the car a little lower, but the last time I got new springs that were only supposed to lower the car a little, it dropped to the pavement. We shall see.
That means a new alignment and everything else. Sheesh!
Monday, April 02, 2007
Gas Leaks and springs.
Well, I've been driving the Corvair pretty much as a daily driver for the past 2 weeks. Two reasons for that. First, the weather here has been perfect, second, the Jeep is at the shop. Unfortunately, all this driving has shown a few weak points in the car.
The Gas Leak!
I started smelling gas yesterday and the problem has just gotten worse. The leak is where the fuel return line connects back into the tank. If this were a normal setup, the return line would be connected at the tank and all would be well. Mine however is connected at the gas tank fill tube in the driver side wheel well and it has sprung a leak. Its not a huge deal, but I need to fix it before I do anymore driving with it. I may try to disconnect it all together with the change of fuel pumps and the fuel regulator on the gas line. If the pump can handle the back pressure I think it would be the best solution. I would just need to change the fuel filter and disconnect that return line.
The Springs!
So I've been going back and forth on the springs for the car. A while back I purchased some heavy duty springs that were cut shorter than stock. My intention was to lower the car a little bit. Once the springs were installed, the car was much lower than I expected and I wasn't crazy about it. I've kept them on to see if they would grow on me, but they haven't. As a matter of fact, I dislike them more than ever. The tires rub in the wheel well when I turn and It's just not what I like. I'm looking for a more stock look and not a low rider. So now I'm on the hunt for new springs that fit the Corvair Spec. We'll see how that goes.
Well, I've been driving the Corvair pretty much as a daily driver for the past 2 weeks. Two reasons for that. First, the weather here has been perfect, second, the Jeep is at the shop. Unfortunately, all this driving has shown a few weak points in the car.
The Gas Leak!
I started smelling gas yesterday and the problem has just gotten worse. The leak is where the fuel return line connects back into the tank. If this were a normal setup, the return line would be connected at the tank and all would be well. Mine however is connected at the gas tank fill tube in the driver side wheel well and it has sprung a leak. Its not a huge deal, but I need to fix it before I do anymore driving with it. I may try to disconnect it all together with the change of fuel pumps and the fuel regulator on the gas line. If the pump can handle the back pressure I think it would be the best solution. I would just need to change the fuel filter and disconnect that return line.
The Springs!
So I've been going back and forth on the springs for the car. A while back I purchased some heavy duty springs that were cut shorter than stock. My intention was to lower the car a little bit. Once the springs were installed, the car was much lower than I expected and I wasn't crazy about it. I've kept them on to see if they would grow on me, but they haven't. As a matter of fact, I dislike them more than ever. The tires rub in the wheel well when I turn and It's just not what I like. I'm looking for a more stock look and not a low rider. So now I'm on the hunt for new springs that fit the Corvair Spec. We'll see how that goes.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Results Are In!
The Corvair is running great! I took it to work today and the car is running great. No wierd hesitation, no knocking, no funny noises from the engine compartment, and I can see how fast I'm going. I'm looking forward to doing many drives in the near future.
The next big thing will be paint. As I mentioned before, I'm not going crazy on the paint job yet. I'll get a moderate job on it and see how it goes. I may want to have some more body work done before I go crazy with a paint job.
The Corvair is running great! I took it to work today and the car is running great. No wierd hesitation, no knocking, no funny noises from the engine compartment, and I can see how fast I'm going. I'm looking forward to doing many drives in the near future.
The next big thing will be paint. As I mentioned before, I'm not going crazy on the paint job yet. I'll get a moderate job on it and see how it goes. I may want to have some more body work done before I go crazy with a paint job.
Monday, March 12, 2007
New Harmonic Balancer in!
Well, the new harmonic balancer is in the car. I have not had a chance to give the Corvair a real test drive, but I will. I also had a new Viton seal put in by the crankshaft and had the speedometer finally installed.
With the new pressure retard unit, I had to have the carb adjusted. The car was just running too rich. Hopefully the bugs are mostly out. I should know more tomorrow when I take it out for a real drive!
Mike
Well, the new harmonic balancer is in the car. I have not had a chance to give the Corvair a real test drive, but I will. I also had a new Viton seal put in by the crankshaft and had the speedometer finally installed.
With the new pressure retard unit, I had to have the carb adjusted. The car was just running too rich. Hopefully the bugs are mostly out. I should know more tomorrow when I take it out for a real drive!
Mike
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