Ok, I finally got it running and took it for a spin. started fine, put it on gear and took off.

The issue is the engine is weak when i put it on third gear it lost complete power. There is also a sharp rattling noise as i press the gas. I don't get the noise when the car in parked as I accelerate. The car refuses to go up a hill as it becomes weak. any idea of what can be wrong?

I DIDN'T MENTION THAT THERE WAS OIL LEAKING ON TOP OF THE EXHAUST, LEFT AND A LOT OF SMOKE. THE SMOKE IS NOT THE OIL BURNING ON THE MUFFLER. ITS ALL OVER THE CABIN.


ANY SUGGESTIONS?

a picture of the undercarrige would help, i bet the oil is comming from a pushrod tube seal. not a huge job, but when you say a lot of smoke comming into the cabin???

What engine, induction etc etc.

1.7 4 DUAL WEBBER CARBS.

would the push rod oil leak causes the weakness on the engine?

Does the smoke in the cabin smell like electrical insulation? Stop driving it until you know what that's about.

We need to know a lot more about your car to even start asking things.

- year and engine size
- carburetors or fuel injection?
- Are all of your vacuum hoses on properly and seal like they should?
- Was it running well and this is sudden development?
- Try to list the steps you took to get the car running?
- New fuel or old fuel that's been sitting in the tank a long time?
- Can you tell if the rattling noise in the engine was mechanical or did it sound like really bad spark knock (pre-ignition).

That'll get things started in the right direction!

timing advanced too far would make it rattle [ping] and kill power under load. and cause the engine to get hot and do really bad things.

don't drive it like this .

Nope. Not until there was no oil and the motor froze up!

Well I just purchased it. Scoffing to the previous owner, his father rebuilt the engine. And he drove it twice since. The only thing I Sid was changed the accelerator cable . The gas is new.
The railing sound is like a lose piece of metal in side the engine
It gets weaker as it gets hot
As for vacuums I am not sure what should be there. I don't see none, just the ones for the heat (hose)
The some smell is not electrical it s the same smoke that I see all over the engine.

These steps are iterative. More or less.


Change your oil and see if there are metal bits in the oil.

Pull the valve covers and look at the valves. Make sure all the retainers are torqued down properly (4 nuts that hold the valve rockers to the heads. 10 ft/p)

Do a valve adjustment. Are any of the valves way out of spec?

Turn the engine by hand with the plugs out and feel for where (if) you get resistance.

Do compression and leakdown testing (compression testers are cheap, leakdown tester can be rented but you need an air compressor to do it.

Zach

I took it to the old owner's father. He claims that he rebuit the engine and never drove it since. (about 2 years) he say by the sound, the engine is fine, it may be an exhaust issue. he will let me know in the morning. I am waiting impatiently...

are you sure you werent missing 3rd and going straight into 5th?

I am sure i did not.. even at 1st it gets weaker as you drive. the hotter it gets the weaker
it gets better when cools off

as Zach says:
check the valve adjustment
check the compression
check the timing
check the AirFuel Ratio as the carb jetting could be way off-too lean so when it gets hotter its even more lean..no power..

Lots of small things can be wrong here but you must go step by step to check and correct em. no magic wand to go "poof its fixed"

Its with the mechanic. O forgot to mention that it was misfirering also.

If the engine is misfiring and knocking, its not fine. And taking it to the father of the guy you just bought it from is not going to give you an unbiased opinion. Why would a fresh engine be allowed to sit for 2 years? What you are telling me is raising red flags.

Zach

rattling sounds like timing to me.

If the engine has to come apart after all else is eliminated...

Depending on the fitting of the pistons and cylinders (i.e. if the pistons are a little oversized and/or the cylinders a bit tight) there could be some piston seizure as well. Seen it with forged pistons that weren't given enough expansion room. Only a problem if they didn't come as a matched set (by a good manufacturer) and they were fitted badly.

It's immediately apparent when the pistons are removed. If they're galled then they're too tight.

Here is the update,


Compression test result
1-3 100
2-4 150


car starts fine now after swapping plug wire 2 and 4. good power at first take off, after driven for a 5 minutes it starts loosing power , smoking bad and rattling. it feels as if its overheating. I also have oil dripping on both sides... oil trail....

when I open the oil cap there is a lot of smoke I also see sign of oil on the heat-sink like block on top.

I am thinking the head gasket could do that... was thinking of removing the heads tomorrow.... any suggestion will be appreciated....

also would it be easier if I take the engine down to work on the heads..?? of should I attemp to remove them and see whats going on?//

I forgot to mention that there is no more misfire

It could be a head leak that opens up as the engine starts to heat up.

Compression test numbers are an issue. If the engine really is new, it could be that the rings have not yet seated for 1 & 3. But given what else you are saying I don't buy it.

Have you confirmed timing yet?
what grade gas are you using?
Did you do an oil change? Was there metal flake in the oil?

Zach

I just don't buy the new part. He seems like his da was just playing with the engine. He is not experienced. How do I confirm timing? I did not do an oil change. I am about to go and check the oil now. Will update in a few.

I use 87 unleaded for gas

Ummm mine requires 91. Do you have some kind of Hybrid engine?

Move to premium grade gas for a tank and see if that helps.

Go buy a timing light from a FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store). It will come with instructions on how to use it. I like the kind with the advance dial on the back of the timing light.

Don't get frusterated. 30 year old cars need a little help every now and again. There are basic tools you will need when you play with old cars - wrenches (metric 8mm - 17mm), timing light, carb snyc (if you have carbs), spark plug wrench, etc. Most of us keep a tool box with the basics in the car at all times. There is a lot you can do with these engines for tuning before you look to dropping it for a rebuild. Ask questions, listen to the advise we give you. We have been there, and if someone tells you to do something asinine several folks usually jump in and say so.

Zach

oo, may have to drain the tank ........ didnt know would that cause these problems as well? i just assumed that a 4 cyl uses 87.

No it doesn't. Not if it's stock. I know, you're reading that 35 year old sticker on your 914. Do some research on octane. The older octane ratings and Europe and US octane octane ratings are not the same.

But don't confuse this guy with misinformation. He's got enough trouble. 87 octane for a 1,7 is just fine.

Don't do that.

Stop! You're killin me. Check the basics (valve adjustment and timing) and report back. Put down the keyboard and get out to the garage.

Thanks Zack for the encouragement. You have been a great support from day one. I have a timing light, carb sync, but I have to gat a valve adjustment tool

Update :


when i toolk off the valve cover, i tested the gap and found that they were off according to the instructions from pelican forrum they were all tight (no space ) at the tdc. that was the case for all 8 of them.

I did the adjustment as instructed.


after the adjustment, the pressure test stays the same as before, except that 3 went up to 135

new test result:

1: 90
2: 135
3: 150
4: 150

I put everything back togetter and attempted to perform a timing test. Unfortunately the timing light did not come on at 3200 rpm or above.. its a brand new light, not sure if its deffective. I replaced the fuel with 93 premium.

1- The car did perform better. didnt loose power as much, or maybe not at all. but after 10 minutes of driving, i started hearing the ratling again and the smoke comes back.
2-I noticed this time that the smoke was coming out of the mufflers and the where the pcv valve should be. but there was no pcv valve. it is empty.

3-I have an other problem with the number one spark plug. it look likes it was stipped by the previous owner, the plug refuses to go in straight and you can see that it does not go all the way in.

4-one of the passenget side push rod is leaking

5-the engine is a noisy and sound like an exaust problem.

I think I corver it all..

I am not sure that i was using the right timing light.. I picked up one at autozone.

Weird...

I have already read this post before i opend it up