If you had a collapsed lifter, it would be pretty loud.

 

well here is the update. saturday i finally got to work on the truck. i replaced the lower intake gaskets, the plenium gasket, the distributor o-ring, oil, and antifreeze. i started it up (after fixing my timing) and it ran good, i could actual get it past 4k rpm with no problem. then probalby 5 min after it warmed up, it started breaking up when i gave it any throttle. put the vacuum gage back on it and it says 11-12. this is starting to get aggrivating. the only thing beside cam lobes worn is maybe the gaskets slipped when i set the intake onit? hell i dont know. maybe it is a cam. i pulled codes again and it was 32, evp or something like that. i had it unpugged. SUGGESTIONS ON NEXT MOVE

here is a list of parts of what i have put on:

rear tank sending unit and fuel pump
front tank sending unit and fuel pump
frame mounted fuel pump
fuel filter
fuel pressure regulator
distributor cap
rotor button
spark plug wires
spark plugs
MAP sensor
TPS sensor
intake manifold gaskets
plenium gaskets
water pump (3 months ago)
2 core raditaor (3months ago)
new battery
new sliding rear window

parts left to be put on:

vinyl flooring (pull a part find)
clutch
flywheel
slave cylinder
motor mounts
tanny mount
speedo drive and driven gear

 

sometimes you have to know when to throw in the towel. if you don't know how to fix it then you will have to sell it or take it to a mechanic, and a good one. Do you have a copy of the factory service manual? it seems to me that since it was running good for a while that would immediately take out the cam. I could be wrong, but the cam would act up no matter what.

I would get something or someone who knows what they are doing. Not saying you don't, but I know when im in over my head. I don't like throwing parts at my vehicles to fix problems. Its hard to diagnose things from the internet.

Good luck with what you find. I hope you get it back and running, and please please post up what you end up doing or find out so others can use your info to help themselves. So many problems on boards like these and very seldom follow up and solutions.

 

i will never throw in the towel. alot of the parts were needed before any problems arised. as for the cam, if the truck was running good and then all of the sudden problems arise could mean a cam lobe(s) got wore to much. i dont think it is the cam anyway. but with much futher research on here, there could be a clogged exhaust pipe somewhere, going to take the intake manifold back off and double chekc all gaskets. putting a whole new exhaust on (cat back rusted off and got rid of smog so manifolds are being replace with long tubes. I figured i have a great plant for a workhorse/towing machine so if i put 1g in parts or even a little more, its better off then haveing a truck payment on something new. i WILL figure it out

 

I would suggest that you find a breakout box for these trucks and break out your multimeter and start testing every circuit in the wiring harness to your computer. Rather then just throw parts at the truck, check all of the electrical circuits on the harness, compare your readings to your manual. If All else fails, and I do mean when all else fails, as a last ditch replace the computer in the truck, it is the brain for the vehicle, and once you have eliminated everything else, such as, pickup coil in distributor, Ignition Control Module, then check it!!

 

You'll figure it out. It could always be worse, right? You said you had your EVP unplugged when you did your test run? What happens when you have it plugged in? Any change? What is your vaccum gauge doing specifically? You can actually use that gauge as a great diagnostic tool. First check your voltage at your EVP and see where you are.

Second Chance Garage: Vacuum Gauge Diagnosis

Check out what your V gauge is doing and report back what you find. I just can't get over that lack of vacuum.

 

i was told that evp doesnt come in to play until WOT or was that the egr. i dont remember. i will hook it up and try anyways. as for the vacuum gauge, on initial start up it will get to maybe 13 hg, but then drop to 9 (sounds like motor will die) so i tap the gas and it goes back to 11 -12 and bounces between them. WOT it will go to "0" and on release of throttle it will spike to 25 the drop back to the 10-12 mark. the weird part is after i replace the intake gaskets, and reset my timing, it ran so smooth, i could actual go WOT and it go to 6k rpms, the nwhen i was ready to put the vacuum gauge on it started to break up (like water in a cylinder) and wont go past 4k and stutters and shakes. i am still going to take manifold off and check the gaskets

 

i also wonder if the Previous Owner might have put a cam in, like a mild RV cam or something. and i am assuming there is no way to check unless cam comes out

 

i just went through the link you gave me: How to Use and Interpret a Vacuum Gauge and scenario 10 is the best described one. but also scenario 14 is see just a little of it. but scenario 10 is possible late valve timing or intake leak. so i got another starting point. thanks again

 

I like the way you think!!! You are so right about the new truck payment. Plus the new truck are so huge!!! They are approaching 1 ton sizes of days past. It could be the exhaust. However I have a feeling its some sensor or electrical.

I say this because the truck is running fine when cold right? Then it will stumble and fail when warmed up. When the truck is cold it runs in open loop mode. Meaning it runs on a preset of parameters. Then when it goes to closed loop it runs of input from sensors. Please correct me if Im wrong here. But that would lead me to believe that some sensor is out of range and malfunctioning

 

it runs bad the second you start it up. rough idle, rough WOT. it runs bad and like MAIRNE5811 says, the vacuum is way too low. no codes but EVP voltage too low. that wont cause a 9-11 hg drop in vacuum. i gonna get it one day. weather permitting

 

well, today i removed the exhaust manifolds. the P.O. must had removed them because the bolts were barely snug and one was missing. the gaskets were totally gone. went ahead and removed all the exhaust cause i am putting long tubes on and new exhaust. after i got the exhaust, the clouds opened up and let it rain cats and dogs for 2 hours and still raining. i will keep everyone posted as i progress to find my problem

 

I think it will run right with the exhaust off. If not, pull the valve covers off, loosen all the rocker arms, and see if any valves sit higher than the others. (Did you determine the missing cylinder,'s?). That low of a vacuum reading could only be caused from an engine mechanical failure or plugged exhaust. Is your gauge accurate? I think this may be expensive, but simple.

 

vacuum gauge is good. when the problem first happened i pulled plug wires and number 5 cylinder seemed a lil wierd but then i got zapped from head to knee and forgot all about it. i will put on the long tubes and fire it and if it still acts up, i will pull wires again.

why am i checking to see if any valves are sitting higher?? i though that if you loosed the rockers that a bad valve would sit lower because of carbon build up, or warped/burnt valve. i did a compression check but i think that the gauge might be bad. i will do another on just to check

 

well, just started the truck. no headers, open heads. vacuum gauge was 11-12. so i decided to pull some some sparkplug wires. before i did, i was watching and evaluating every exhaust port and out of all of them, #2 had a faint(really really faint) white smoke looking stuff coming out the port. almost looked like your breath on a semi cold morning. any ideas?? so i pulled that spark plug wire off nothing happened except me getting jolted from head to toes. why the hell would i get shocked for. i can take the plug wires off my integra all day long and not get shocked