If you have a bronze distributor gear, get rid of it. Particularly if you
have replaced the original camshaft with a roller setup. Those cam blanks
are steel, as are MOST of the distributor gears. The most compatible
distributor gear is a mehinite one.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon
On Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 2:54 PM Corey via Gmclist
wrote:
> So, I found out the hard way that even with new technology, you still need
> to use your senses correctly. The bright line that appeared to be some kind
> of scar on the cylinder wall was actually a reflection from the oil that
> had pooled in the piston dish from my wet compression test. But the fact is
> still that I had low compression in #4 cylinder. I got a few comments from
> forum readers, including Dick Patterson, that it may just be a stuck ring.
> So I began a combination of seafoam into the spark plug hole, rislone in
> the crankcase and several successive oil changes. Since I LOVE wasting money
> on something I am immediately disposing of, I actually did 5 oil changes.
> I'll be damned if I didn't get compression in #4 back up to 140 like the
> others! Now... the downside... Throughout this process, I obviously was
> paying very close attention to the condition of the oil. For each of the oil
> changes (average 10 miles or so on each one), I observed small "sparklies"
> in the oil. There were really only visible under direct, bright LED light.
> Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have been able to see them. They were
> observed both in the filter and in the drained oil. Most do not seem to be
> ferrous/magnetic and may have a copper/brass tint. Here's a video:
>
https://youtu.be/BfCklNVAVGM
>
> Here's what I dont get... if this thing is tearing itself apart quickly
> enough to shed particles like this, how on earth is it running so well? On
> the
> last oil change I made a lap around 270 in columbus, 55 miles doing 70
> most of the time (3,000 + rpm) and it did just fine. Are there any noises?
> Yes,
> but Any noise I've been able to pick up on has not been definitive. Most
> of the noises I am getting come and go. Using a mechanics Stethoscope, the
> loudest thing i can hear is the fuel pump which sounds like a little man
> with a miniature hammer.
>
> Oil pressure has been pretty consistent: 50 psi cold start, 40 psi warm
> idle in park, 30 psi hot idle in park, as low as 20 psi hot idle in gear,
> and
> 35-42 psi cruising at 2,900 RPM depending on temperature of the oil.
>
> On one hand, now is the perfect time of year to pull the engine and do a
> rebuild, but on the other hand, I've been trying to get better at "if it
> ain't broke dont fix it", as I tend to be on the overly cautious side
> historically. Leading to many automotive repairs that, in retrospect,
> probably
> didn't need to happen.
>
> Is it possible someone spun a bearing years ago and I'm still flushing out
> particles that weren't cleaned out properly? Is there anything besides cam,
> rod and main bearings that would shed copper-looking particles?
> Distributor gear?
>
> --
> Corey P /
>
> Hilliard, OH /
> 1974 Glacier 26' /
> 3.70 FD /
> ION Wheels
>
>
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