Hot Rod Forum banner

Lucky winner gets a STEAK dinner! *Some exclusions apply.*

3K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  TimoFinn 
#1 · (Edited)
Long time lurker, first time poster.

My name is James :pimp:, I'm from Green Bay, WI. 5'11 250

I hope I'm welcome here with my little 2000 lb car. FYI it is not a baby vette. Mine was designed before the stingray... I;m rounding 3rd on a restoration and could sure use some guidance. I knew very little about engines and timing when this started, now i barely know enough to understand. But I am very handy with a wrench.

I'm throwing in the towel on this one. Calling in the troops. First one to help me get my motor running right wins an Exclusive, super, 7 course meal at you local Carl Junior or Hardee's. No seriously, I will buy a lovely dinner at a super fancy restaurant of YOUR choice for you and your Wife, or in some cases you and your doll. I'm Thinking $100, unless you really go the extra mile, maybe $200.

I cannot for the life of me, get my motor to run on the idle circuit.
Im almost doubling stock hp of 75ish with this mod. 75 stock HP at flywheel that is!! This is why these cars arent more respected. A General Motors car, designed in France, built in Germany, imported and sold at Buick dealers etc...
It will not even idle on its own under 11-1200. and it wont be smooth unless it is advanced nearly 30-40 degrees. Even then it is well into the throttle. I had the same problem last fall, but thought it would idle closer to 15* btdc. If I try to get it close to 10-20 btdc it will shake and die. Idle screw has to be nearly all the way in. funny thing is Air adjustment screw is within spec and effects idle.

Details as follows. Extra info in case its needed. And some opel specific or inside jokes for Opel forumstuff that doesnt pertain to you hotrodders!

20 miles/3hours on rebuild

good compression, 152ish across the board

2.0 pistons

Dots all line up, including cam sprocket

Small block Chevy valves

OR 66 Combo cam but ground by Norris * have to find my Norris cam card, but here is Isky info. Intake 24/64 exhaust 80/40 Valve lift .430 duration at .050 228

New Hydraulic lifters, new springs, new valve seals, new retainers etc, hardened valve seats, equal spring heights,

Valve lash has been done thrice times.

New timing chain and guides

Oil pressure 3 bars

New Weber 32/36 jetted per Tekenaar

RallyBob tented intake.

1975 distributor

Bosch Supers gapped at .35

new cap, rotor, wires and pertronix at .30. 12v switched direct to each pertronix and coil

fresh 91 octane no ethanol gas

carter e pump regulated at 3 psi

tank is clean and lined

no bindage in throttle.

copper sprayed intake/exhaust gasket NO LEAKS! quadruple checked.

Both brake booster and carb advance port capped off

Ceramic headers to 5 ft of 2 inch exhaust with cherry bomb muffler going out the side of car.

Only way vacuum at carb advance port goes above 10* is if it advanced nearly 30 degrees. Vacuum gauge indicates late timing. and can get to go up to 20 vacuum with no pinging

This is all according to harbor freight timing gun with advance.

I did not measure head before putting back together. I am afraid that it is too thin?? I have tried everything to remedy the situation and am quite handy. I have been no slouch both wrenching and researching how to fix this. I have tried different distributors. Points versus pertronix, caps, rotors, plugs, intake gaskets. jetting, it Did same with Weber 38 too.

No funny noises, even sounds strong.

Things left to try

put change in left pocket and dance the jig

different intake

adjustable cam sprocket

advance cam one tooth

different cam altogether


I knew zilch before this motor, so bear with me. It is looking like one of those situations where the cam needs to be degreed and/or holes drilled in throttle plates?

Go Packers!







*This offer not available in Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Nigeria, anywhere in France, Nova Scotia or Puget Sound, Somalia and Oregon. Value meal will be upsized to a large if your name is Keith, Gordon, Pedro. Movie tickets included if your name is Bob. Meal will be downsized to kiddie if your name is george. Reward cannot be redeemed if answers are cryptic and confusing, and only for your demented pleasure.


 

Attachments

See less See more
4
#2 ·
Which engine, the 1.1L or the 1.9L?

Sounds like your Webers need cleaning or replacement, they seem to either work properly or not well at all...at their age internal corrosion of a circuit is likely which can junk the carb. Great carb when they work right but they don't handle wet storage well.

Have you looked here for more info?

The Classic Opel Forums
 
#5 ·
What does the cam card say how to degree the cam?
How did you adjust the valves?
You have hydraulic lifters, is the cam for hydraulic lifters?
Did you align the timing marks in the flywheel/block and in cam sprocket?

Here is a pic where you can see the marks, sorry about the language in the pic;)

You got the plug wires correctly installed?
When the timing marks are aligned the cylinder number 4. is firing.
 

Attachments

#7 · (Edited)
Three ideas jump out at me.

1. Are the valve adjusted properlys. I know you said you did it three time but.... Sometimes if a lifter is adjusted too tight it will pump up at idle speed and leave the valve off the seat but still pass a compression test because the slow cranking speed allow the lifter enough time to bleed down. Simple enough... loosen the rocker arms a full turn and see what you get.

2. To test for an air leak set your compressor for 5 to 7 PSI, duck tape intake closed. You may be able to use a plumbing cap or test plug to seal the intake.
Then pressurize manifold through a vacuum port and get a soapy water spay bottle. Spray around the intake and carb and look for air leaks.

3. WARNING: You will need a fire extinguisher and a friend for this procedure.
- Adjust your timing to spec.
- Have a fire extinguisher suitable for automotive use handy.
- Put on your safety glasses and do the test in an open area.
- Maybe find someone who's done the procedure before to assist you.
- Get a propane torch and see if the car will idle with the intake richened with un-lit propane. Start with a small amount of propane just hissing out slowly and have your helper lower the idle . Decrease or Increase the propane output slowly until it runs better being mindful not let the propane accumulate. See if it idles with additional propane, then carb is lean. If it idles with propane, fuel line pinched off and carb bowl enpty then you're too rich. If it idles with propane either way you need to go through your carburetor and rebuild or replace.
 
#8 ·
So when you say carb advance port is it pulling on the carb side of the throttle plates or the manifold side?

If it's above the throttle plates it won't pull enough vacuum to advance the distributor at an idle especially with aftermarket cams.

If you're not already doing it I would run manifold vacuum.
 
#9 ·
Brand new weber 32/36. Also same symptoms with weber 38

I originally overtightened valve lash due to pumping up. I have since backed up and stabilized the compression test in the process. adjusted valve lash yesterday too, after running for 10 minutes to assure pumped up.

All timing dots line up, camsprocket seems a tiny behind dot. Installed per pic and then rotated crank 360 and set it up for 1 tdc compression.

I used carb cleaner for vacuum leak test. carb vacuum advance port is before the throttle plates. will be testing on intake port today, but seems pointless because car wont idle on idle circuit, and plates are pen skewing vacuum.
 
#10 ·
Manifold vacuum will cause the distributor to have more initial ignition timing which will pull a higher vacuum at idle. Which in turn will give a stronger signal to the carbs at idle allowing you to close the plates some.

Ported vacuum was a trick the factories used back in the smogger days to lower emissions.
 
#14 ·
So if checking the timing what do you have at idle, what do you have at full advance and at what RPM is it fully advanced?

An older engine such as yours probably needs 18* at idle and 38* at full advance.

When you say 32 centrifugal advance is that the length of the curve?
 
#13 ·
hydraulic lifters need 0 valve lash. pumped up the lifters and tightened to 0 lash. no up down on rocker.

RallyBob is Opel guru. Rally racer, and quite possibly could hold his own in any engine machining conversation. he is simply a GOD.

On these little motors the intake is butted up against the exhaust manifold to raise temps faster. causes fuel boil over. one of the first mods we do is a different manifld or header that gets away from intake, and then then another mod we do is a raised ^ plenum in bottom of intake, intake is also ported etc.
 
#21 ·
Factory hydraulic lifter adjustment is 0 lash AND 1 full turn past 0 lash.

I have read Rally Bobs engine building stories and agree that he is pretty good with CIH engines.

I know what Opel CIH engine looks, i have been messing with them my fair share when i was young man, i was just wondering what that modified intake was, nobody in Europe bothers to modify factory intake.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top