first off, the bs....

1979 f-100
1998 302
headers
4 barrel edelbrock 600 cfm
edelbrock rpm air gap manifold
transmission work (2500 stall +many many more)

now the concern.
the four barrel carb and intake was recently added yesterday. i cant seem to get it set right, ive watched the dvd and instructions and all the paper work they give you.

what im getting is a sluggish accelleration near full throttle but good response and and hardly any acceleration after that. i can only get it up to 85 mph whereas the 2 barrel i had on there would perform better and go 100+ . the timing is set at 12 degrees. i found some ignition problems but i fixed them all i believe. i get a popping and a backfire from the carb every now and then. the popping happens when im tryin to accelerate. what i want is a quick smooth acceleration. there are certain points in the throttle where it is smooth and it always idles perfectly.

help me out here guys. thanks

 

Try leaning out a bit and retarding the timing. I have a 74 with the performerintake and a 600 Holley and it likes a lean setting and 10 degrees initial.

 

I am 90% sure that you have your distributer a tooth off or even 180 degrees off. That would definitly explain your back firing. I would pull out the #1 plug, and have someone turn the engine over while you put a finger over the plug hole.when the piston comes up on the compression stroke,you will feel the #1 clyinder pressure against your finger. With a flashlight, get the piston in the compression stroke as close to top dead center as you can. then line up the mark on the harmonic balancer to 0 degrees. Mark the #1 spot on the distributor base. then pull of the distributor cap and see if the the #1 spot on your cap lines up is lined up with your mark.

 

alright, turns out the timing is dead on where its supposed to be. i got rid of all of the backfiring through adjusting the carb.....and i had a couple of plugs loose . it will only pop and sputter around 4000 rpm which makes me believe i have a bad valve spring(s) making a couple of valves float. in neutral while revving it to test my plug wire and plug job, it would pop and sputter like a rev limiter was in it around 4800 (i have no limiter).


keep it comin....

 

And you are 90% wrong... It won't run at all with the distributor 180 degrees out, and about 90% of the time it won't run at all with the plug wires off even one spot.

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What kind of vacuum are you running? Are you using the 98 distributor or a duraspark or another aftermarket setup?

If you are running the duraspark, I would imagine you aren't pulling enough vacuum with that manifold, or you have a serious manifold vacuum leak which is very possible and common. The 98 302 probably came from an Explorer and does NOT have the same heads as that manifold is designed for.

 

if it came from an explorer then it should have the gt-40p heads, right? i ran them on my 351w with a performer rpm intake and a demon 625 carb and had one hell of a setup is the air gap gonna flow that much differtn? it sounds like a vaccum leak to me if you think the carb is setup right

 

They make intakes for the GT-40 heads and for the regular port heads, the GT-40s have different port sizes and I know the exhaust bolt holes are in different spots, but I'm not sure about the intake bolt holes.

Is the motor rebuilt or did you just put it in the truck as is?

 

try another carb on it.........one off something that runs good......

 

what's the rest of the combo...cam, heads, etc.??

 

sorry for the delay but ive been working hard on this. turns out i found the problem in the worst way. long story short, the distributor gear got eaten up by the cam gear (cam gear = steel, dist = iron). but the motor is fine and the oil pump is also.

for all the other questions, yes it has the gt40 heads and hell yes is makes a diff with the air gap

yes the motor came from an explorer

no vacuum or manifold leaks

anyway. thanks for all yalls help, DAMN yall know what yall are talking about. turned out to be my firing problem ive been having. it finially just said "f-it ill go out the same time he mods the motor". but a steel gear should fix the problem and i should be back rollin smoke. ill keep ya posted. thanks again FOR ALL OF YALLS HELP!

 

Good to hear... keep us posted on the performance... sounds like you have quite a combo.

 

Topic 2: Excessive Distributor Gear Wear on Ford

Excessive distributor gear wear can be a problem with Ford engines. Most of the time, the problem is a result from the use of a high volume oil pump. High volume oil pumps put a lot of stress on the distributor and cam gears. A high volume oil pump is not necessary on a street driven engine that turns no more than 7000 rpms. Only extreme racing engines require the high volume pump. Should you use this type of oil pump, the following precautions will save your distributor gear from early destruction.

(1) Drill a .030" hole in the lifter/oil galley plug behind the distributor. This will allow additional lubrication on the distributor and cam gears. This will not lower oil pressure enough to hurt the engine.

(2) Ford oil pump mounting brackets have elongated holes. Due to this, the distributor shaft and oil pump shaft should be aligned so that the distributor turns freely before tightening the mounting bracket bolts. Failure to do this will cause a binding situation, thus damaging the gear.

(3) Stock Ford hex oil pump drive shafts are know to vary in length which could cause a bottoming or binding situation.

(4) Brass distributor gears can be used to avoid damaging the cam gear. Brass gears are softer and can wear out quicker than the cast gear, but will not cause damage to the cam gear. If using a brass gear, check it occasionally for wear.

 

Thanks alot perf for that. what was the problem???

1. changed out the dist and put a bronze gear
2. changed plugs (washed em)
3. changed out coil cuz it wouldnt rev over 5k w/o poppin
4. took out vac. advance and locked in the timing.

RESULTS:

1. HOLY *****IN HOLE SHOT (works great with my 2500 stall)
2. the whole setup it near perfect for the motor (slight smell of gas after launch)
3. still wont powerbrake (soft tires/limited slip)
4. all in all, the truck runs a WHOLE lot better, throttle response is unbelieveable.

once again. THANK YOU ALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!