[1446]

after changing my valve seals... my engine is loping fiercely enough to definitely notice... after pulling my plugs I noticed some were gapped up to and in some cases over .060. I have an HEI ignition but am concerned about the impedance of my wires. I'm regapping to .045 and would like some feedback on some of the specifics concerning my wires.... Please help..... I'm growing quite des

perate

 

[RRich]

A bad plug wire shouldn't cause a lope - neither should plug gaps. Misfire yes, lope no.

Hold your hand over the carb a little to choke it - lope goes away = too lean - look for a vacuum leak - most often cause of lope.

If no leak, check the advance springs under the distributor rotor - broken/loose/missing springs can make it lope too.

 

[dave]

Depending on the type and brand of plug wires you have 700 ohms could be OK. I helped with a set of new MSD wires for a Chevy and none of the wires measured more than 200 ohms. I installed a set of Autolite wires on an old Volvo a couple weeks ago, and all the wires measured more than 1200 ohms.

I think for the most part, the ohms your reading is OK if all the wires are about the same lenght. If for example you find one wire reading 5000 ohms and the others reading 700 then that would indicate a problem. If you had two wires, both about 46 inches long and one measured 1200, and the other measured 1400 I would say that is still OK.

dave

 

[1446]

well.... I checked in my distributor..... all seems fine...but the loping is definitely there, and it wasn't before I changed my valve stem seals. I've checked all that I can without taking off my valve cover..... Jesus I don't wanna do that again..... please don't make me.

 

[RRich]

Also - have you isolated which cylinder is causing it by pulling one wire at a time?

 

[LEVE]

1. I'd confirm the lope (not a miss),
2. With a Vacuum Gauge Check,
3. Then isolate to a cylinder(s).
4. Did you ever think that re-setting valves,
5. Changing seals, etc.,
6. Uncovered another problem,
7. Masked by not doing the work?

 

[1446]

Rrich.... that diarhea thing.....lmao... too funny..

I don't know what to think about this loping.... but I hear it in my exhaust too... definite lope action... I'll try to disconnect one plug at a time. good idea. I'm still somewhat in a panic mode.

 

[ryankopecki]

1000 ohms per foot is the general spec for most plug wires. High performance ones have a lower resistance. They are made at such a high resistance to prevent interference with radios and other such electronics.

 

[NIX]

What's the difference between lope and miss?

 

[RRich]

Excellent question - to me a missfire is an even "thump thump thump" as the engine turns, every other revolution.

A lope is a constant drift in speed, faster, slower, faster, slower etc., like the lope from a high performance cam (rumpity rump) at idle.

Bloody1 - which is it? What have you found so far?

 

[1446]

To me... a lope is my engine shaking my entire vehicle. It's shaking the entire vehicle. Not as prominent at high speeds. I have 33" tires and 4:11 gears. I can still drive nearly 90 mph.

I have another question.... I sprayed out my distributor with carb cleaner. HEI Distributor....could this have damaged my ignition system>?

Once again... Loping to me....is the engine lurching from side to side. I don't know any better, sorry.

 

[Guest]

Carb cleaner in the 'plastic' dist cap? I don't think that was a good idea. Carb cleaner eats up plastic real good.....and yes, this could cause a problem.

Are you sure you have the right plug wires on the right plug? It's real easy to get a couple of them transposed. Check your timing. If you have a dead miss, you will hear it at the exhaust as a pop when at idle.

Take a step back and check the basics. It's easy to get into a rush and overlook something simple. Rule of thumb...check the easy things first.

 

[1446]

Oh wise people of this forum for which tons of thanks are owed.... this is the deal.

Firstly.... you guys were right. Apparenlty I had a sliced boot around my #1 cylinder sparkplug wire it was grounding out pretty much constantly. That new zap zap zap zap zap noise wasn't the alternator going out like I thought... it was my sparkplug wishing for power but sending it straight through my chassis.... Blech!

In any case... I'm running good now... still have some carb tuning to do though. If anyone knows the ins and outs of my carter which I've recently rebuilt I'd love to hear any tips, tricks, or tonics to alleviate the poor performance I've ended up with. Things I'd like to know is ... Properly setting up the vacuum piston break... what happens if I tighten the screw too much.... or too little.... what happens if the pump arm is set to high or too low... I'm having trouble narrowing down my sets of circumstances... I know my jeep can run better.

 

[Guest]

Marc,
Glad you got the problem solved. Which reminds me of an important troubleshooting trick....Open the hood and look at the engine at night with the lights off and the engine running. Any electrical problems like the one you just found will 'jump' right out at ya.

Regarding the carb. Buy a rebuild kit (about $15) and go through it. The instructions are good. One of the common problems besides dirt is the throttle shaft wear. If the shaft is too loose in the base plate, you may have to have it re-sleeved. Go over to the SWB site and you will find 'tons' of info on the carter BBD.

 

[1446]

Did I tell you people how fricken much I love this forum. YOu may notice I chose to use the word "fricken". This was necessary for emphasis on my love for this place.

I used to take my Jeep to a mechanic... then another mechanic then another, only to have them butcher my Jeep in one way or another. I joke you not, these guys cause more problems and lie about it when confronted so badly that I won't even consider bringing my girl to any of them anymore... ever... they're butchers. The job gets done better... certainly not faster, but with the information from the most selfishless people I've ever known, my Jeep is running so sweetly I feel like a million bucks again. Nothing is better than when I'm driving my Jeep... Sounds pathetic... but my Jeep makes my life fun. THANKS ALL... Seriously.... thanks ALL.