OK, since the last thread on this rig. It has been running great. I have been driving it to and from work a couple times a week (about 50 miles total ). It's been pretty cold here ( single digits ) so I let it warm up in the mornings before I take off. Then I scoot down the highway around 55. Everything's PEACHY! that is... until a couple days ago.

it was about 0 deg F out. I started the truck and let it warm up. When it had it's 15 min. I kicked the idle down with a tap of the throttle and putted down the road as any other morning. I stay below 55 on the interstate as it seems to really work hard to go any faster. I get 3 miles away and while climbing a medium hill at 45 in 4th I hear a LOUD! THUDUDUD DUD DUD DUH!!!! it felt and sounded as though the drive shaft broke and I was getting nowhere quick.

It still was idling. Very rough, however. I managed to limp it home BARELY. I checked compression the next day expecting a thrown rod. 1-110 / 2-60 / 3-20 / 4-60. So I pulled the head. I did find a failed ring on the head gasket ( felpro printoseal ). I checked the block and head for any warpage .003 lengthwise and .001 across total. I installed a new head gasket kit. Then upon re-installing the cam notice that it is CRACKED!!! in half just before the middle cap.

I picked up a complete 22r head and cam setup from a local yard. I swapped out the cams and used the 22r aluminum rockers. I adjusted the lash .008 and .012.

Now here is where I'm at. At some point I accidentally let the timing chain slip off the cam sprocket. Ooops! Now it seems as though the timing just won't find a happy spot.

I set the crank pulley to the 0 deg mark.

set the cam sprocket pin ( some say straight up, some say little left ) tried both

and make sure the dizzy is pointed at my #1 cyl while on TDC compression stroke and both valves closed. firing order 1342

replaced spark plugs

I now have it where it seems like it really wants to start but... it doesn't.

Gotta let the batteries recharge and take another stab at it. Am I missing something here? I am running a weber carb, welded shut the egr piping on the exhaust manifold and intake manifold. only vacuum lines I have is for the brake booster and dizzy advance.

 

There are a lot of things it could be...

We weren't there to see that you did everything correctly, so we have no way of knowing if you even did the head gasket and head job correctly.

But I would check for grounds that weren't bolted back down, wires that weren't connected...

Did you test the compression again?

The fuel is hooked up?

Did you test the junkyard head to see if it isn't complete junk?

 

Oh I understand. This is far from my first head gasket job. Its just the first run in with these motors. Usually just domestic small / big blocks are my experience. I did the job to the book with torque and bolt sequence. I did forget to mention the valves checked out while apart and from appearance none of the pistons made contact to them. No peck marks.

I did another compression test and all were close to each other low about 75 across the board. I'm thinking low because of low battery by this time and its 0 deg when I did it

 

Yes fuel was connected. As I do fully understand the triangle of combustion. air fuel heat. Just trying to throw some crap at the wall. In a thinking out loud way. Some of its bound to stick

 

Not sure what battery and temp do to compression, but 75 on all of them is seriously low...

 

Timing is 360 out. If it does spark, it is probably backfiring out the intake. Download the FSM for any 20R, 22R, 22RE, 22RET and it'll tell you exactly how to set the timing

 

Well if not turning fast enough. Thick oil weak battery and any wear in rings allowing blow by seemed reasonable.

When it does fire it isn't out the carb or exhaust. Got it to run for like 5 seconds and she sounded really good. Till I remembered that I still had the valve cover off and got a free under the hood lube via the timing chain, ha ha. So close. I'm thinking more of a fuel too rich now flooded.

 

Got it!!! It was the weber carb... The throttle has a spot that is holding the plates open while at idle or trying to start. I purchased this carb second hand and I find that this electronic choke isn't quite right. Thanks for the replies and giving me a place to hit my head against the wall. I did a third compression test and all were around 115-120 as now its 30 deg above and have had the battery on deep charge since last night.

It now is running and sounding a lot better than before.

 

Awesome.

 

Just for giggles. Here is the broken cam. It was running with this on 2 cyl for the 3 miles to get home. Simply amazing.