Sunday, July 03, 2011

Spark Plug Gap

Today I regapped all of my plugs, which once again entailed removing the passenger side header. The Accel shorty plugs came gapped .035, and I found on MSD's website that they recommend .050-.060 for engines with a compression ratio in my ballpark. After regapping all the plugs, I re-installed them and went for a test drive. I immediately noticed a much better idle quality. As I took a blast on the freeway, then settled into cruising speeds, I found that the engine miss was still present, seemingly unchanged.

When I removed the plugs, I took a read of each one as I placed it on the bench. I found that 4 of the plugs looked to have an ideal burn, perhaps showing an every so slight lean condition, as they were a light brown. The other 4 plugs however showed nothing, almost as if they weren't even firing. Now I would definately notice if half of the cylinders weren't firing, so this leaves me a bit baffled.

Next step is to go a step richer jet in the carb, as well as maybe a 1/4-1/2 turn richer on all 4 idled screws. After that, which I'm guessing isn't going to resolve my miss, I think it's time to start taking a look into the electrical. I believe I still have some grounding issues, as my turnsignals make my voltmeter jump a bit when flashing, as does my fuel gauge.

So while the drivability keeps improving, with my charging issues, leaks, and cooling all taken care of, gremlins still exist in the form of electrical, and my brakes are still a bit more softer than I'd like. I have made the decision that my Camaro will remain in my garage come next winter, and skip the winter storage trip to my parents' house. I concluded that I can accomplish more improvements during the winter this way. Already on the list is a new carb and intake, sound mat w/carpet, tail light housings, and hopefully (crossing my fingers) a new rear end, so I'd be ready for the track next season. Stay tuned, as I hope to hit a cruise night sometime in the coming weeks.

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