HELP............Mark... anybody?

[rontron]

giving everybody a little more info.............don't know if it could have anything to do with the problem but......

several months ago I had driven it to the golf course and I didn't even have the dash in it ....instruments hanging from there wires........but just had to drive it because I was so proud of how good my engine rebuild was performing and wanted to experience it........anyways...........out of no where ..........it freaking rained like crazy and we had to quit playing it rained so hard........all the guys were laughing at me because I had no top and no windshield wipers and there was so much water in the car I had to pull the drain plugs in the floorboard..........after the rained stopped.........one of the guys said he would following me home or part way anyway so I wouldn't be stranded......It started fine and seemed to be ok.........so I followed him on the back roads from Simi Hills to the 23 freeway throwing a towell over the windshield constantly to wipe off the mist that was still coming down..........fast forward I made it about 3 miles from home and it stated surging and cutting out......water had gotten to the electrical system eventhough the hood was on.......and I barely made it home......it was real scarey as well as being stupid .......especially when it died in the middle of the intersection about a mile from home......and everyone honking at me because I'm and idiot........nursed it home somehow......and a couple days later after blowing the engine compartment out with my compressor......I started it and its seemed fine..........but now the idle would vary.....
on acceleration everything was fine though so I started driving it again while I was continuing to work on it and installing the new dash......other than the varying idle from 1000 rpm's to 1500 which is irritating it ran fine until this thing happened.....don't know if that helps you guys diagnosis......but thought you might have a laugh at my expense

[rontron]

SILENCE............DOESN'T HELP ME FOLKS..........i guess I stumped everybody.........

[RRoller123]

It is too broad a situation, need to narrow down the questions to something specific.

[81SPIDERMATT]

IF #1 wire is sparking at plug is likely not dist cap, save your time and money.

Actually, you can have a spark jump a gap outside the engine but it will not jump the gap under compression in the engine. This can happen because the voltage required to jump the gap increases proportionately with pressure. If a fault in the distributor cap or a plug wire serves to reduce the voltage available at a plug to a value that is marginal for the pressure condition in the running engine, you will get a weak spark/erratic ignition on that cylinder while running, but would see a spark when tested outside the engine.

Focodave has a point about the plug wires. Are your wires long enough that you can swap wires between #1 and another cylinder to see whether the problem moves with the wire?

GOOD IDEA......HAVEN'T TRIED THAT YET........WILL DO TODAY AND GET BACK

what was the outcome of moving the wire or trying a different wire???? seems to me that if a new wire was used and you said it was a different plug and not just cleaned and replaced ... and same thing happened that would point to the cap ....

what about the injector... rookie question .. but could it just be squirting fuel all the time???? cold start injector keeps squirting ... would that affect #1 ???? .. all sensor connections clean and tight ???? . plugged gaped wrong???

[rontron]

no injectors.......carb

and about the wires..........I just did an oms test.............problem (number one cylinder) measured a little over 9 oms
and number 4 cylinder with the longest wire and fires fine measured 14 oms..........so it ain't the plug wires.......

gonna test the resistance on the cap.............keep you posted.........Please keep up the ideas guys......need to figure this out...............

[rontron]

no injectors.......carb

and about the wires..........I just did an oms test.............problem (number one cylinder) measured a little over 9 oms
and number 4 cylinder with the longest wire and fires fine measured 14 oms..........so it ain't the plug wires.......

gonna test the resistance on the cap.............keep you posted.........Please keep up the ideas guys......need to figure this out...............

what a minute..........I can't test resistance in the cap..............the cap is new but I guess I'll buy another freaking cap and rotor.........alls i can think to do.............

[seabeelt]

Still need more info. However, I'm with Kieth. I would be looking at carb jet and idle solenoid issues regardless of the number one plug. If the car is only operating on three cylinders, its gonna be running really rough. If idle glues up and down, the amount of fuel seems like the variant.
R/

[rontron]

what more info would you like..........I thought I gave everything I know........cylinder one fires sometimes but not all the time so the spark plug has fuel build up on it........like I said before if I pull the plug wire when its running on number one ....IT DOES MAKE A SMALL AMOUNT OF DIFFERENCE........so it seems to me it is trying to fire.....

if the cap and rotor that I ordered doesn't make a difference then I'll have the carb rebuilt........its been a few years since it has been gone through.........but again like I said before..........before I got stuck in the rain......the carb was fine......maybe there is water stuck in the bowl. I know that happened once to my Quadrajet on my 76 GP but I don't know if it can happen to the weber

[majicwrench]

Seldom will a carb make one cylinder not run right. If cylinder is running but not as well as the others, look for something affecting that cylinder and not the others. Ohms test on wire just checks its inards, it is possible for spark to be arcing outside the wire ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE YOUR PROBLEM. Hmm, what else would affect one cylinder?? Vacuum leak YES. Compression YES Vavle adjustmetn YES

I've asked a couple times what makes you think plug is fuel fouled??
If you cup hand over carb does idle improve??
Grab a hunk of vacuum hose stick one end in your ear and listen while moving hose around carb intake head.

[rontron]

I've asked a couple times what makes you think plug is fuel fouled?? BECAUSE IT IS WET AND THE HEAD GASKET IS NEW]
If you cup hand over carb does idle improve?? HAVEN'T TRIED THAT
Grab a hunk of vacuum hose stick one end in your ear and listen while moving hose around carb intake head. NEVER TRIED THAT EITHER..........DOES IT HISS IF THERE IS A LEAK? AND IF IT WAS VACUUM ......WOULDN'T IT EFFECT ALL CYLINDERS EQUALLY?

[majicwrench]

"Wet" could very possibly be oil. For it to run rich enough to foul a plug it would smoke black. If one plug black/wet and others clean is not a fuel issue.
Vacuum leak at one port would affect that cylinder much more than the others. Vacuum leak right at carb would affect em all.
Play with hose, create a leak somewhere and then listen to it thru you hose, or just listen down throat of carb.

Cupping hand over carb will make all cylinders run richer, is often a good way to see if running too lean.
Keith

[rontron]

"Wet" could very possibly be oil. For it to run rich enough to foul a plug it would smoke black. If one plug black/wet and others clean is not a fuel issue.
Vacuum leak at one port would affect that cylinder much more than the others. Vacuum leak right at carb would affect em all.
Play with hose, create a leak somewhere and then listen to it thru you hose, or just listen down throat of carb.

Cupping hand over carb will make all cylinders run richer, is often a good way to see if running too lean.
Keith

or just listen down throat of carb. LISTEN FOR WHAT DOWN THE CARB? I'm not yelling just trying to separate the text mine from yours

[majicwrench]

No worries bout yelling.
Listening down carb with hose will give you an idea of what a vacuum leak sounds like.
Keith

[rontron]

No worries bout yelling.
Listening down carb with hose will give you an idea of what a vacuum leak sounds like.
Keith

BUT HOW DO i KNOW THE DIFFERENCE IF i HAVEN'T EVER LISTENED DOWN THE CARB?

[So Cal Mark]

how have you verified it's fuel on the plug?