Buick 3.8 poor performance

[kellyjeff19]

Also I have another question you mentioned high oil pressure at high rpms will prime the lifters which in the event the push rods are to long would cause me to lose compression. Here’s my question when I bought a new timing cover and oil pump rebuild kit I packed it with petroleum jelly and installed a 60psi oil pressure spring there was a lot of different options for oil pressure springs could I have a to much oil pressure? I don’t have a pressure gauge right now just a idiot light which turns off within a second or start up. One final thought is back when I primed my oil pump before I installed my distributor my cord drill was having a hard time spinning the oil pump once it built pressure. of coarse I thought more oil pressure is probably better but now it’s got me wondering if it could be causing problems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dank GN]

I think its pretty funny how you are asking for ppls help and when they all have said your spring pressure seems to be the issue which I to do agree with them you automatically dismiss them . You reran the factory springs which are weak to begin with even brand new . After doing enough of these cylinder heads and setting them up correctly N/A or turbocharged I can tell you that your springs are most likely your problem. Since you don’t think it is your springs can you please tell us what the seat pressure out when you set them up ? Open pressures ?Or did you just slap them back together like most un experienced guys do? There is nothing wrong with that if you can at least admit that’s what you have done . I really like your reason behind that they are okay. “It reved nice and clean before the rebuild “ .

 

[kellyjeff19]

I didn’t set spring pressure. I assumed it ran fine before so clean the valves up and it will run better so I do not have spring pressures for you as of right now. I lapped the valves and installed a intake seals and cleaned surfaces reassembled it. I’m not dismissing valve spring pressure as my problem. But wouldn’t spring pressure be a companied by valve train noise? Or long push rods would get no compression? I will admit I have no experience with these 3.8s and don’t know what to expect as far as performance goes but I feel there’s a lack performance. I will run some tests tomorrow and get back with you with my results thanks again guys.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ek02]

Something else to consider. What is the retainer to valve guide clearance? If the guides have never been cut down for seals, the lift of the new cam would make that clearance very close so that the retainers could be hitting the guides.

 

[michael evans]

Well I never milled the heads or block and my compression readings are 120psi on all 6 cylinders correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t that rule out push rod geometry I gues they could be to loose but I haven’t bounced one off the rocker arms yet lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Slow movement is only

Also I have another question you mentioned high oil pressure at high rpms will prime the lifters which in the event the push rods are to long would cause me to lose compression. Here’s my question when I bought a new timing cover and oil pump rebuild kit I packed it with petroleum jelly and installed a 60psi oil pressure spring there was a lot of different options for oil pressure springs could I have a to much oil pressure? I don’t have a pressure gauge right now just a idiot light which turns off within a second or start up. One final thought is back when I primed my oil pump before I installed my distributor my cord drill was having a hard time spinning the oil pump once it built pressure. of coarse I thought more oil pressure is probably better but now it’s got me wondering if it could be causing problems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes to much oil pressure can cause issues.

What color spring did you use ?

I would at least temporarily install a manual oil pressure gauge.

 

[kellyjeff19]

I can’t recall what spring I used but I got a set of manual gauges I can throw on and see what pressures I’m looking at



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kellyjeff19]

Something else to consider. What is the retainer to valve guide clearance? If the guides have never been cut down for seals, the lift of the new cam would make that clearance very close so that the retainers could be hitting the guides.

That’s a very good point I will check into that if the new distributor doesn’t resolve my power issue


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kellyjeff19]

Okay so I pulled my distributor out to replace it with the new one and looks like the teeth on the distributor are worn pretty good I think this verifies some of my high oil pressure suspicions what color spring should I run I still have an assortments t

hat came with the oil pump rebuild kit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WarWagon]

That distributor gear wear looks normal. When they are completly knife edged or the middle is worn out its time for replacement.

 

[kellyjeff19]

That distributor gear wear looks normal. When they are completly knife edged or the middle is worn out its time for replacement.

That distributor was new 4 weeks ago it has some pretty big grooves cut into it looks worse then the distributor that cane out of my small block Chevy after 7 years of service. I went a head and replaced it and swapped my white spring in my oil pump for the yellow spring that I believe will lower my oil pressure and maybe fix a couple oil leaks on this engine I didn’t get a chance to throw a pressure gauge on but I am pretty sure my oil pressure was pretty excessive it had lots of oil in the valve covers just at idle and I was getting oil into my pcv valve which was causing it to burn a little oil.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk