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1975 buick electra 455 engine

7K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  techinspector1 
#1 · (Edited)
i have a 1975 buick electra limited 225 2 door coupe 455 engine, has been in garage for 10 years. started car 2 or 3 times a year, run up driveway approx 1/4 mile. i started ran car for 2 hrs same driveway, 2nd day did same run beautifull 3rd day did same missing terribly..... changed plugs, cap,roter,plug wires now very hard to start have to hold butterfly open to get running once moter warms up it will idol missing big time. has no power will not go up driveway take out of drive so car doesnt stall.....Could I have a stuck lifter or valve. I installed additive to free lifter no help :confused:
 
#6 ·
gas their was 10 gal of gas in car 10 years installed additional 15 gal car ran great should I drain all gas and flush tank..... the miss was in car before I changed plugs, wires,cap,roter sounds as if car jumped time, it bucks and lugs, turns over fast then slowes down as if battery is dead then fast again,wires are correct pulled plugs cleaned all 8 checking timing tomorrow to no#1 cylinder then pull cap to make sure its pointing to #1 thank you
 
#8 ·
do a compression check.

here is a sad story for you about old gas and a 1973 impala with a 396.

Recently helped a friend get his car going again. had sat for 3 or 4 years with a bad driveshaft.

I got it to run fairly easily thanks to a self draining q-jet which didn't gum up with old gas.

I got the engine running with a 5 gallon tank and a small electric pump.

I thought the tank was empty because the gauge showed empty and the mechanical fuel pump wasn't pumping out any fuel when running (using the external tank). turns out the gauge is broke and the rubber line from the tank was mushy and flat (not flowing).

so when I added 10 gallons of new fuel, the gauge still read empty and the stock fuel pump wouldn't pump (until I changed the rubber feed line)

anyway, got it running with the old gas and new gas mixture. The exhaust smelled like old gas but the car was running fine. Took few days of tuning the car and getting it to run perfect. Then it started to miss a little and it got worst and worst over a few days. Finally the engine would barely run and had no compression on 4 cylinders.

What happen? Well the old gas gummed up the intake exhaust so badly that they stuck in the guides. This caused the push rods to bend and the cam/lifters to started going flat.

I pulled the heads and had to hammer out the intake valves. There was some sort of varnish on the valve and inside the guides. Lacquer thinner was the only solvent that would get the varnish off.

After taking the heads apart and cleaning them, I re-assembled them and changed the head gasket, cam, lifters, and straighten out the pushrods.

A terrible experience which I know was caused by running old gas, even through is was mixed with new gas.
 
#12 ·
jackpetrill said:
gas their was 10 gal of gas in car 10 years installed additional 15 gal car ran great should I drain all gas and flush tank..... the miss was in car before I changed plugs, wires,cap,roter sounds as if car jumped time, it bucks and lugs, turns over fast then slowes down as if battery is dead then fast again,wires are correct pulled plugs cleaned all 8 checking timing tomorrow to no#1 cylinder then pull cap to make sure its pointing to #1 thank you
Agree with potential fuel & carb problems. Be sure and have a strong battery other wise you run the risk of not have enough voltage at the HEI distributor coil during cranking.

This is the problem I had with my Pontiac 400. I was too cheap to go buy a new battery and the old battery was only good for about 5 crank revolutions before the voltage dropped down so far the coil didn't have enough voltage to generate a strong spark. I measured this with a volt meter and observed the weak spark by removing plug #1 and cranking the engine. A new battery solved my problem.

Hang a volt meter on the distributor 12V line and you will see the voltage drop during cranking.

BT :)
 
#13 ·
1975 buick electra455 engine

454 c10 took off valve covers had 4 bent valve rods,worked them out was a bugger I might as well take off intake manifold set aside....pulled out all valve rods took off intake gasket their were 2 lifters lying on bottom, one was apart lost retainer clip, all parts were recovered...... 4rocker arm retainers,were snapped off found those pieces also,rocker arms were off valve springs doing zip..........ordered new push rods and lifters the old lifters are flat on bottom I only have 28 thousand on moter ran fine before gum up don"t think need a cam..... drained all gas out of tank ordered carb kit if I need to start after repair will take rubber line off fuel pump that goes to tank drop hose in 5 gal can so its fresh gas........
 
#15 ·
Procure new battery cables and two new ground cables. Choose a spot on the firewall and on the frame where you can grind down to bare metal and also a boss on the block where you can screw a bolt into that is ground down to bare metal. Connect one end of one of the ground straps to the firewall, using a bolt and nut that will go through the firewall and that you can get to from the inside of the car to tighten. The other end of that strap and one end of the other strap will go to the frame, where you have ground down to bare metal and drilled for a bolt and nut. The other end of the second strap will go to the engine block and be secured with a bolt into a boss, wherever you find one. You can also use the starter mounting bolt if that's where the negative cable from the battery connects. Just make sure you have bright, shiny metal to connect to everywhere. No paint or other gunk to limit electrons.

This is always the first thing to do with any old car or truck you start on. If you don't get the grounds worked out, you will be chasing your tail with electrical gremlins until you do.
That's my best advice. Been there, done that too many times.

I like to use #4 welding cable from the welding supply store and solder on the copper lugs myself. BULLETPROOF.
 
#16 ·
Making up your own cables is a real good idea. Not only will it cost less, but they will be better than most anything offered at the local parts store. Marine grade cables are also good- but pricey.

Get the cable terminals at the same place you get your cable, they aren't available just any-ol'-where. You might even ask if they have a hydraulic crimper w/the correct die size that you could get them to use before you solder the ends as a final coup de grâce.

Regarding terminal crimping vs. soldering (or both), THIS is just one of many discussion on the subject.

Personally, I tend to crimp then solder whenever possible. But that said, a PROPER crimp- done w/a quality tool, to the correct pressure and using good terminals, AND having the insulation stripped correctly so as to not weaken any strands- is a good connection, period- and needs nothing else except in special circumstances.

One thing that's often done, is either no tinning is done, or the wire is OVER tinned. This is where the wire wicks up the solder past the end that will be in contact w/the terminal. Any vibration or frequent movement of the wire can easily fatigue the copper, causing a premature failure.

Another problem can come w/crimping a tinned wire then re-soldering the terminal. This can actually loosen the mechanical (crimped) connection when the solder melts the second time, causing the wires to "relax" into the terminal w/less compression.

I have always crimped, then soldered. And I use shrink wrap. Not heated w/a match or cigarette lighter- but w/a hot air gun.
 
#17 ·
jackpetrill said:
454 c10 took off valve covers had 4 bent valve rods,worked them out was a bugger I might as well take off intake manifold set aside....pulled out all valve rods took off intake gasket their were 2 lifters lying on bottom, one was apart lost retainer clip, all parts were recovered...... 4rocker arm retainers,were snapped off found those pieces also,rocker arms were off valve springs doing zip..........ordered new push rods and lifters the old lifters are flat on bottom I only have 28 thousand on moter ran fine before gum up don"t think need a cam..... drained all gas out of tank ordered carb kit if I need to start after repair will take rubber line off fuel pump that goes to tank drop hose in 5 gal can so its fresh gas........
Sorry to say, but it sounds like you had the same problem as I did with old gas. I bet the intake valves stuck in the guides and the lifter and pushrods had nowhere to go but sideways. hence, all the broken and bent parts.

If the lifters came apart and the pushrods bent then you will need a new cam. so pull out the radiator, fan, shroud, water pump, balancer, front timing chain cover.

furthermore, I would bet the valves are stuck which means the heads need to come off. you should go ahead and get a valve job while the heads are off.

I would have never guessed old gas could be so damaging to an engine if I had experienced it first hand.
 
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