cooling and timing questions

Topic: cooling and timing questions (Read 881 times) previous topic - next topic

cooling and timing questions

November 03, 2010, 01:33:00 AM

hey glad to see everyone back :burnout:
1984 cougar with the 3.8 v6 and 127,655 miles
i have 2 questions to see if i can get help with .
the first one is with timing. the car knocks and pings really bad when driving on the highway . checked the timing its at 10. if i leave the one wire disconected off the distributor it doesnt knock at all. but i know it shouldnt be left that way . i have cleaned the throttle body ,but not the replaced the knock sensor. heres part of the other problem if i leave the one wire connected to the distributor and drive on the highway the coolant will bubble up really bad in the overflow, if i leave the wire off the coolant stays fine.
now in the last 4 weeks i have replaced the radiator ( it was rotten)
the water pump & thermotat & fan clutch also the coolant temp sensor .
i flushed the heater core which i replaced about 2 years ago in the :flip: winter .... the water ran strong so im sure there is no clogs.

i bought one of those block testers to check for head gasket problems and it comes up negative. besides no coolant loss.
also i get heat , but not very warm.
why dont i get good heat now , is someting screwed up with the engine , due to a timing issue? should i look at vaccum problems somewhere?
thanks for any help !!!! help !!
eddie

cooling and timing questions

Reply #1 – November 03, 2010, 10:32:16 AM

Have you checked the total timing??? That is how far it advances with the engine running at 2000-3000 RPM... It should should be around 36*, if it's advancing farther you don't have the base timing set correctly or there is maybe a issue with the distributor...

The thermostat controls engine temp, so if your not getting heat either it's bad, not seated properly, or there is a restriction in a hose or the core... Of course this assumes a properly operating blend door in the heater plenum...

cooling and timing questions

Reply #2 – November 03, 2010, 04:50:29 PM

well today i looked further into the distibutor and found oil down there. i guess thats my problem now. i have never done any distibutor work so can i take it out and is there a seal that can be replaced, or should i just get a new distributor.

cooling and timing questions

Reply #3 – November 04, 2010, 10:45:36 AM

there is no replaceable seal on your distrubutor that I know of. It can just be pulled out and put back in. Thats what I've always done.

But I don't understand what you mean when you say you found oil. Do you mean there was oil on the intake where the distributor shaft goes into the engine? If thats the case then is your lockdown bolt tightened enough? If thats loose or stripped or something then that could very well be the cause of your knocking, since your timing is most likely changing when you put the engine up the rpm range due to a loose distributor.

also, make sure that you are checking your timing while the wire is disconnected. when it is connected the computer is adjusting timing. With it disconnected, that is your true base timing.

Also, I never knew of a knock sensor on the v6's?

cooling and timing questions

Reply #4 – November 07, 2010, 04:31:20 PM

the oil is down on the shaft near the bottom it looks like quite a bit. nothing on the top part of the dist. i did have the wire disconected when doing the timing. maybey i didnt do the check of the timing the right way.
on the heat thing i made sure the thermo was set right. which it wasnt , so i seated it properly and the heat did get a little better. i will check the plenum door . all the heat , defrost , vent etc they all switch correctly, would that possible mean the plenum door is okay? jeez this heat thing i gotta get fixed soon its getting cold here :)

cooling and timing questions

Reply #5 – November 07, 2010, 09:07:46 PM

If you mean when you pull the whole distributor shaft out of the engine you have oil at the bottom of the shaft, you absolutely SHOULD have oil there. If not you would have a real problem.

The fact that the controls switch correctly has nothing to do with the plenum door. The controls for all of that are electronic and vacuum controlled. The plenum door is a manual cable connected directly to your slider control.

To check it, take out or drop your glovebox so that you can see the lever that controls it. Try moving your slider back and forth and look to see what is moving. Take the cable out, slide the control all the way to warm, pull the lever all the way toward the passenger side and down, and then reconnect the cable in that position. That will make sure it is set for maximum heat. To dissconect the cable you only have to slide it out from under the hooks. To reconnect it just slide it back under. The hooks will be stubborn though. It might require some force.