Learned another rule the hard way...

[BB69]

I am trying to get my Camaro put together after a couple of years of being apart, and I learned another lesson the hard way. The good news is the only thing ruined or wasted are some cheap gaskets and my time. I got the engine to the point of firing it yesterday with two of buddies helping. We went to fire it, and nothing happened. We spent the next couple hours checking and rechecking the timing. We tried everything timing related and couldn't get even a decent backfire. My buddies finally gave up, and I tried for another hour or so. Tonight, I went out and decided to use my compression guage to make sure I knew when #1 was on the compression stroke. The guage read exactly.....NOTHING. I tried this a couple times on multiple cylinders because I didn't believe the guage. Well, to end this story, I finally tore apart the timing cover and realized I had installed the timing set wrong. It's a Cloyes set with multiple keyways on the crank gear, and I had used the wrong one. A quick check of one of my engine books, and I confirmed the correct way to put it. I put the cam gear and chain on, adjusted the #1 valves, and checked the compression. 180 PSI. What a relief.

The moral of the story, double check this stuff when the engine is on the stand. If I had simply degreed the cam, I would have found this problem and saved a lot of time. Time I need as I'm trying to get the car together for an upcoming track day this Friday. There are some late nights in my near future. Just thought I would share so I could save someone else the hassle and embarassment of telling his buddies why they wasted an afternoon.

Ken

[CAMAROBOY69]

Sorry to hear that Ken,
Believe me though I feel your pain. This weekend was a very very very very long weekend for my Camaro. I dont want to post about it in here but damn it was a long weekend. Last night while I was in the garage I almost gave up and decided not to go to the track on friday. I seriously walked out of the garage and gave up. I am still going to try and make it but I was was 95% to the point of giving up. I am taking the next 2 days off and leaving the garage door closed. I dont even want to look at my car. Thursday I have the day off of work and I will see how it goes but as of right now I have had enough.
Glad to hear you resolved your problem.

[Steve Chryssos]

That's a good lesson. Be glad it didn't fire. Very bad things would have happened. Glad you caught it.

[Jagarang]

My story is perhaps even more embarrasing.

In high school when I bought Eternity, it needed a new motor. I enjoyed the teardown/rebuild and had all the fluids quadruple checked, plugs, cap, hoses, belts and everything ready, and got ZIP ZIP ZIPPO when I turned to motor over. I just simply couldn't figure out what was wrong. My friends father came and looked over things, listened to my story and immediatly asked me if I'd adjusted the valves yet.
Adjusted them? I put them on and secured them with nuts. Do they need to be adjusted? I said.

Off came the valve covers and we adjusted each of the rockers and she fired right up. I took him less than 5 minutes to diagnose what was probably the last thing I would have ever thought of on my first engine build.

[Kenova]

Ah yes. Stupid gear head stories . Wait 'till your my age, then you'll have so many experiences that you will have trouble remembering them all.
Ken

[BB69]

It's definitly a humbling experience. When I saw the circle and dot lined up, and I had the #1 cylinder at TDC, I thought I was good. Like you guys have said, it's something I won't forget and nothing got hurt.

Adam,
Don't give up. As the car sits now, the front clip is still off and the timing cover isn't back on. I'm in Chicago tonight, and I think I am going to have to take Thursday off like you to get it ready. Sounds like we will be doing the same kind of thrashing. If you give up, we won't be able to share stories on Friday.

Ken

[CAMAROBOY69]

Dont worry. I never give up. It was just a rough weekend but its over.
This will be me on friday for sure.
Hopefully this will be me with passengers.
I still need to get a helmet. I am going to let passengers use my old helmet. Its not snell approved but they are critical about that.
How cool is that going to be!! 2 69 camaros on the track at the same time!!!

[Madspeed]

That's a good lesson. Be glad it didn't fire. Very bad things would have happened. Glad you caught it.

Umm are you sure if it fired bad things would have happened? Lets rethink this a moment. If your under the assumtion it would have bent valves. It would have built enough oil pressure to pump the lifters (if hyd) and bend them when cranking annyways =). you would need a pretty stout camshaft to do that annyways.


If you other fellas need help or advice with your starting problems PM me with a brief description and you contact info. I bet you doolars to doughnuts I can help you =) and I would be glad to do it.


GL Ken F

[formula]

My favorite doofus grease monkey story?

The time I spend a whole day trying to figure out a no-start, then realized I'd wired the distributor 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8...that was absolutely my stupidest automotive moment ever.

[Steve Firebird]

My favorite doofus grease monkey story?

The time I spend a whole day trying to figure out a no-start, then realized I'd wired the distributor 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8...that was absolutely my stupidest automotive moment ever.

Hey I did the same thing the first time I put my 455 together my buddy that was standing next to me when I figured out what I had done still picks on me about it 10 years later! The last thing was puting the engine together with out the oil pump drive shaft. I caught it when i was dropping in the push rods. What is this thing it aint no push rod ohhh crap looks like the oil pan is coming back off! I have more but I must stop now feeling sick...

[6'9"Witha69]

I learned a few the hard way. One was just like your story, distributor was off 180*. It meant loss of hair and eyebrows due to the backfire through the carb.
A few other "trial by fire" experiences from my more formidable years:
1. My buudy wired his Pontiac like a chevy (same firing order, just counter clockwise).
2. When adjusting timing, NEVER just grab the top of the distributor to turn (shocking).
3. FORD engines have a bolt on eccentric for the fuel pump (why isn't there any gas getting to the carb?).
4. It's harder to weld than cut!
5. Make sure the pushrods are seated in the lifter and rocker properly (bent rods are no fun).
6. If your engine is externally balanced, make sure you bolt the Flexplate/flywheel up in the right position. Also, get the balance card. This in valuable when you lunch a flexplate/flywheel due to a bad/misaligned starter. I ended up pulling my entire rotating assembly and going internally balanced.
7. Spend the extra cash for the 6AL, rev limiters are good and not just for manual trans cars.
8. Do not use the biggest crowbar known to man to adjust your fanbelts.
9. Never remove a hot radiator cap!

All of these have a story and a consequence to them (time, money, pain, hospital bills). I am not trying to hijack, but for all you young guns please, ask questions, use the emergency room here. Let us pass our knowledge on to you. Combined we have probably made every mistake possible 1,000 times or more.

[Norwoodx55]

My favorite doofus grease monkey story?

The time I spend a whole day trying to figure out a no-start, then realized I'd wired the distributor 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8...that was absolutely my stupidest automotive moment ever.

Reminds me of the time I ventured into Ford territory. I wired the distributor in the correct firing order, but didn't realize a Ford dist. turns the opposite way of a Chevy Stupid blue oval nonsense(ie. my lack of altetnative engine knowledge). It took a ford "buddy" of mine to figure it out.

[trapin]

First engine I ever built I installed the chain wrong. Pistons slammed into my exhaust valves and bent them all. I had to pull the heads and have new valves installed. That was a nightmare. What stands out the most from that was the horrific explosions coming from my exhaust pipes as it was happening. It was like the War Of 1812 going on in my parents garage.