running rich?! or burning oil? Need some advise.

[QSL]

please send them. Mike@quarterscalelegends.com

[QSL]

I wanted to follow up on this to document the issues for other people.

Engine used is the m-6007-z427fft ford racing 427w

I changed the jets last night and it is running less rich for sure. I was not crying in the garage next to it. However, i am getting blue smoke puffing out of the exhaust.

I pulled the plugs and there is no sign of oil.

I started to get real worried because i have seen posts about this issue with these engines.

I called Ford racing today and spoke to Tom and he told me there is nothing to worry about, to just do these two things.

-reduce the oil from 9qts to 8qts
-Hook up the pcv valve. He says there is a ton of crank case pressure and the engine NEEDS this.

I will try these two things and report back. I would be really relieved if that fixed it!!!

[Silverstreak02]

I'm glad to hear you're getting closer. Have you considered getting a wide band AFR to help with tuning or maybe even a professional tune? My simple Holley 570 was tuned on the dyno for about $300. It was nice to know what the engine is producing, but the important part was getting/confirming the correct mixture. I think it will take longer and cost more for your setup, but then you won't have to worry if it is too rich or too lean. Just a thought.

Jeff

[QSL]

thanks jeff. I will need to get it pro tuned at some point. But i am still in go kart and my real concern is chasing down any major issues before i get the body back on in a couple weeks. If i can just get it down to tuning issues, i will be a happy guy.

I wish i had planned the wide band. When i had the headers made, they asked if i wanted bungs and like a stupid moron, i said no...

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by QSL

I wish i had planned the wide band. When i had the headers made, they asked if i wanted bungs and like a stupid moron, i said no...

The Inovate LM series has a exhaust tip adaptor so you don't have to drill your pipes. I don't know if it's quite as effective as a bung in the sidepipes, but it is an option. It's about $80 on top of the cost of the tuner, but I think it is a good investment if you have webers.

[Silverstreak02]

After you get the body back on avoid driving it until you
1. Get the engine tuned correctly.
2. Get a professional alignment.
3. Get the brakes bedded in and adjusted properly.

You'll be safer.

Jeff

[QSL]

Originally Posted by Silverstreak02

After you get the body back on avoid driving it until you

2. Get a professional alignment.

What? a crosseyed front end is not good? I eyeballed it one night after a 12 pack

[Todd Buttrick]

What dizzy/ignition are you using?
Does it have vacuum advance?
Using metered vac or manifold vac? (don't know the Webers well enough to know)

[QSL]

MSD ignition. Coil, distributor and box.

No vacuum advance

[CraigS]

Your 12 pack alignment will be fine after you recheck BEFORE a 12 pack!! Ha ha

[QSL]

I finally have some success!!! I installed the pcv valve, took out a quart of oil and that actually seemed to help. But the big deal was the pressure regulator. After some testing i was getting a minimum of 3.5 PSI with it turned all the way out!!! I ordered a new lower volume fuel pump (ended up not needing), a billet fuel pressure regulator (not the holley crap) and a gauge that is NOT liquid filled!! I learned that with every 30 deg temp increase, the gauge can be off by one psi. Thats a lot when your target is 2.5 psi.

The new regulator and gauge work awesome and i can actually hear a difference in the engine. its running much stonger. took it for a spin and i was almost scared, so it must be getting close!

[QSL]

Oh, by the way, it does smoke a small bit still. When i start up. i get a black puff. When it warms up i am getting a small amount of blue smoke. If i rev it, it blows it away and leaves, but when it hits idle its still there a small bit. I am hoping that running the car more with the correct tune will "clean" it out. ??

[Jack Wojack]

QSL, in regards to the Blue Smoke. I have a FPP 347 stroker and I have been experiencing blue smoke at times as well. It seems these small block Fords do make some crankcase pressure/oil mist. After trying different crankcase venting methods I am pretty much convinced that I am going to have to add an oil separator to the PCV circuit. At least that's the way I am leaning. I think I am just sucking the oil mist into the manifold from the PCV circuit.

Food for thought.

Jack

[QSL]

thanks for the info!

[JKleiner]

Where is your PCV located Mike? Valve cover or valley? In either case but especially if it's in the valve cover there needs to be good baffling at the port. Some covers have very little or even no baffling and will allow the oil being slung around off the rockers to be drawn in under high vacuum conditions; i.e. decell and idle.

Glad to hear that you're making progress

Jeff

[QSL]

It goes from the valve cover over the the center of the intake. The intake has been ported so the vacuum comes from all 8 cyl. I can see the baffle and its really close to the top. I did drive it one time without anything in there and it spit oil all over the firewall.

[JKleiner]

Originally Posted by QSL

I did drive it one time without anything in there and it spit oil all over the firewall.

Well then by extrapolation we can conclude that it could also spit oil at the PCV which in turn might allow oil to be drawn into the intake then to the cylinders creating...smoke! I've got a friend who had issues with his car smoking on track under decelleration (so much so that he was black flagged one time) until he reworked the baffle inside his FMS cover to keep oil away from the PCV. As a quick check you could try it with the PCV removed and the hose plugged. Maybe stick a breather in the PCV grommet on the cover so the crankcase doesn't pressurize and to avoid the mess of it spitting oil all over the firewall again! If that does some good then you probably need to fab up a more substantial baffle. It only needs to allow airflow so it could run the full length of the cover with a narrow opening at each end. You just need to keep the oil splash/mist from reaching the PCV.

Good luck,
Jeff

[Jack Wojack]

Jeff, thanks for sharing your thoughts on fabricating a decent baffle. I would rather hide something inside my valve cover rather than resorting to hanging a separator somewhere.

Jack

[QSL]

jeff, thanks! I did run it without the pcv. Ford actually told me to install it to reduce the smoke. I really think its either just the way it is or I have a intake leak. Now its more notacable on the passenger side. Its actually not bad at all, but we will see. I am also running cheap recycled oil right now because i was trying to figure out the gas in the oil issue and a oil change every other day was getting expensive. Plus its 5w-30 right now. dont know if that makes a difference. But i have some quality 10-40 i am going to fill her up with this weekend.

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by QSL

I ordered a new lower volume fuel pump (ended up not needing), a billet fuel pressure regulator (not the holley crap)

Glad to hear it's getting better.

What regulator are you using now?
And which fuel pump did get? I may need a new one.

[QSL]

Professional products http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PFS-10663

The quality is WAAAY better then the holley. They also have a nice dry gauge for $10 that looks nice and so far works a lot better too.

Fuel pump, i left the same one on i had. its a summit mechanical high volume. We also purchased the lower volume one, but i will just save that one for the next project.

[dallas_]

Ah... ok.
We're using a return style regulator and I'm having trouble finding one that goes below 4psi. I'm using a Mallory 4309 but it doesn't seem to regulate well below at low pressures.

[QSL]

tim uses the Fuelab 51506 and says he is happy with it. It has a return on it. http://fuelab.com/fuel-pressure-regu...sure-regulator