Help Me make my Z that much better....

[85Iroc383]

Ok guys, As most of you have read or seen (in my sig or other posts) i have an 85 Iroc with a 383 stroker. I am having a few issues that maybe you guys have either have had or heard of and maybe can give me some advice on what i should do. Let me tell you guys before i start a list that i know my vehicle needs a new serpentine belt so if that is a cause of any of these just let me know but understand i know my belt needs replacement.

1) Starting the car - She doesnt wanna stay running at the very beginning, unless its like 85 degrees outside the car stumbles alot and just dies out. If i just rev up the car a little bit she still dies, i litterally either have to keep on the gas for a period of time (maybe 2 - 3 minutes and the RPM's at about 3 1/2 or 4) or just get in keep on the gas as much as possible get'er in drive and go in which case she will die at every stop for the first few times.

2) There are alot of times where i will be sitting at a red light or stop sign and go to hit the gas and she sometimes dies, or she stumbles goes almost under 500 rpms and then jumps up and goes.

3) On occasion even if i am using the high octane fuel, when i turn off the car she "diesels" out, in other terms she finishes a few strokes in the motor.

I also believe i have a minor mis-fire going on somewhere under the hood. Any help guys would be greatly appreciated!

[azkkn]

sounds a lot like it needs to have the timing set, and also have the carb adjusted, or the choke fixxed or adjusted.

[85Iroc383]

thats the funny thing, when i went to set the timing 1 of 2 things is wrong option 1 my timing mark is WAY OFF! or option 2 my timing is just that horribly off (but everyone seems to think its option 1) lol

[Joe 1320]

What kind of distributer / ignition?

[85Iroc383]

hmmm lol the distributor i believe is MSD or HEI i forget off the top of my head... its red lol.. and im not entirely sure on the ignition... could be stock....

[azkkn]

hmmm lol the distributor i believe is MSD or HEI i forget off the top of my head... its red lol.. and im not entirely sure on the ignition... could be stock....

most of your hard starting issues, and dieseling issue are most commonly related to timing. if the harmonic balancer is not defective, there are only a few reasons why the timing mark would be off. the tab is bent or not the correct one for that motor, the timing gears are not correctly installed, or the distributor is out one tooth or more. since you say the timing marks are off when you go to check timing, i would say its off a tooth, its very common, and the distributor can usually be cranked around enough to make it run ok, but no where near correctly. it wouldnt hurt to pop out the distributor and line the motor up on #1 tdc, and try floping the distributor back in. and re checking hte timing

[Joe 1320]

It is possible the advance mechanism in the distributer is not correctly functioning properly. I have even seen re-curve kits that totally mess with the timing. I would suggest a professional check the timing curve and tune it to match your engine configuration. The distributer will need to be put on a specialty machine, I don't know of a way to do it on the car.

[Squat13]

What type of cam are you running, COMP? With those guys you really need a degree wheel to install correctly. I stuck one in a 400 Pontiac about 3 three years ago and never new about the deg. wheel and it never ran worth a ****. also check that AFB (Performance baby, get back Holly), I ran one on a 69 Impala 396 and it really likes to clog the idle cercuit.

[85Iroc383]

What type of cam are you running, COMP? With those guys you really need a degree wheel to install correctly. I stuck one in a 400 Pontiac about 3 three years ago and never new about the deg. wheel and it never ran worth a shit. also check that AFB (Performance baby, get back Holly), I ran one on a 69 Impala 396 and it really likes to clog the idle cercuit.

Yes its a comp... lol

I will most likely be taking her to my mechanic's shop b4 the snow blows and having him diagnose her and give me an estimate to fix (I may not have the Ca$h to pay for it right then and there) I can at least entrust in him to do it right and know what hes doing instead of having a couple of buddies come over and help; because my mechanic builds/fixes/races dragster so he may even have a few tips on what to do to the Z to make her scream.