Starting problem

[patrick hubbard]

So the bolt holes for my starter are stripped out from the previous owner. So today I had to hold the starter on wile my wife started the car. I still have a long crank sometimes. It runs poorly when I first start it an for about a minute after and smells like gas out the exhaust and smokes. After it gets warmed up and I drive for a wile it wants to die when I stop or slow to turn sometimes it does die. And after its warmed up and I have been driving for a wile if the rpm drops below 1000 my oil light comes on above 1000 it goes out. I also have one cylinder with a leaking head gasket. The last time I had my intake apart there was oil standing in the tank. Any help would be appreciated

 

[luigisho]

Do you think you're going to be able to eliminate this before you replace the head gasket? I'm wondering if whatever is leaking at the HG is making it difficult to maintain proper idle. You have oil in the intake, how is the sparkplug on that cylinder? Actually if enough oil from the intake gets into the valvetrain it could foul any plug. At least quench spark efficiency.

 

[patrick hubbard]

That one had the cleanest plug. All the rest had signs of running rich. I had all my plugs gapped wrong. The were suppose to be .042 to .o46 and they were like .056

 

[E1]

First -
What color is the smoke?
White smoke is coolant.
Blue smoke is oil.
Black smoke is poor combustion.

Next.
The cleanest plug. Gas is a wonderful solvent/cleaner. If that hole is not firing, that plug would get washed every time the injector fires. Maybe a bad coil.

Oil light.
You mention a head gasket. Water in the oil will clog a filter. Pull the dipstick. What does the oil look like? What does it smell like? If very gassy smelling, that dead hole may be introducing fuel into your oil and thinning it down. When it heats up, it only gets thinner.

 

[patrick hubbard]

Well my engine is now seized.

 

[E1]

Ouch.

 

[luigisho]

https://shoforum.com/index.php?thre...ort-block-trans-k-member.140992/#post-1535823

 

[patrick hubbard]

Good news my engine isn't seized. The new bolts I used for my starter were too long. Man I feel like an idiot.

 

[stephen newberg]

Better than the engine being seized, though, so I think you should actually feel good.

smn

 

[98SF19]

I don't know, that's kinda like me replacing fuel pump but yet still having to eventually deal with the rack . . . if Patrick's got a cylinder leaking at the head gasket, that'll need addressing tout de suite!

 

[patrick hubbard]

I don't have the money to do it

 

[patrick hubbard]

for head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, cam seal, lower intake gasket, water pump belt, intake coupler set, spark plug well seals and head bolts for 639 dollars.

 

[patrick hubbard]

on to the forth starter in 2 months

 

[98SF19]

From your initial post, the symptoms are apparently indicative of failing CKP, something I was told to check for my car recently, but getting a new one was not the answer. Maybe just get in there (passenger front wheel well, remove inner panels, and you'll see it just to right of crank pulley), remove sensor and clean it up, spray with elec. cleaner and maybe even apply some dielectric grease. If you've never replaced or cleaned it, that might be something to eliminate.

As for the starter, how did you reconcile the stripped threading? I know it's somewhat of a blind job, but sounds like you cranked them down tight but didn't realize there was a gap. I got a reman'd unit years ago that matched the OEM to a tee, visually, but once installed, using same bolts, it made a horrendous clatter when starting - but it did start the car. I thought my FLYWHEEL was toast, but it was fine. Luckily, I had a spare starter sitting around my garage that did the trick.

 

[patrick hubbard]

I'm getting good signal from the ckp. I had to reset tap the starter bolt holes from m10 to 7/16. the starter keeps going out from long cranking as in several minutes a lot of the time