Leak at distributor mount...

[FalconSedanDelivery]

All this is my opinion ,( based on Engine building for customers and myself also , was working at a shop in TN for 6 months where the Engines Have more HP at Idle than any builds on here , with that said , Live Wires " Gimmick" no benefit,Any of the Spiral wound Wire sets will do as much as anything starting at 29.00, Rare Earth Spark Plugs " Gimmick " , no Benefit , a good set of Autolite " copper' Plugs will work as well as any , its the heat range that you need to watch , but for the log heads start with a 45 . on the aluminum 3924 , gap them at .035 as for Wide gaps " gimmick " / Was used by the MFG's to help ignite EGR laden combustion mixtures , so unless that is what you have your wasting your time and helping the spark look for any place to jump to other than where its needed, this is NOT to pick on anyone , I just shake my head , seeing all the money wasted on so call Good Parts ( like the DUI ) nuff said

 

[Varilux]

On the plugs, I was going off the recommendation of wsa111, who said he's had good luck with the NKG 7510. I went with the LiveWires because I couldn't find another set that was custom cut for my application (inline 6 running a GM style distributor cap).

I swapped back to the old plug wires last night, and went for a long drive. No problems at first, but after about 30 miles the occasional "kick" started again (and again, by this point I had the headlights on). On a more positive note, I have a feeling my mpg has improved a bit. The plug boots are all seated very firmly at both the plugs and the cap. The distributor is clamped down well and has full metal contact at the collar (no gasket or silicone).

Still, I'm stuck wondering what is causing the kicks. Per suggestion, I uncovered the coil- it sits in the top of the cap and I did not see any grease or anything else that would specifically soak off heat. The car runs absolutely perfectly (better than ever, actually)- other than the occasional single "kick."

 

[Varilux]

Been reading about random misses, and (ironically on a Chebby forum) I'm thinking maybe I have a "lean induced miss."

Perhaps now that I've gotten the pressure into the carb regulated the car is running a bit lean? Probably wishful thinking (because it idles just fine), but I'll try to adjust this evening. Perhaps the combination of slightly less voltage (with the headlights and A/C on) combined with a lean mix (which I understand is harder to ignite) is resulting in the miss.

Only thing against this theory is I believe it occurred to a lesser degree before I installed the regulator...

 

[rbohm]

8) i would bet that the cylinder, or cylinders that are skipping a beat now and then are the number one and/or number six. those are the ones that are going to run the leanest. i would say pull the plugs and narrow the gaps to .040.

 

[FalconSedanDelivery]

Also You indeed may be lean , it wouldn't show at Idle because that is a different circuit in the carb , keep plugging

 

[Varilux]

Your post reminded me there are different mix circuits. When I adjust the mix screw, I'm just adjusting the mix at idle- right? How is mix adjusted at open throttle (with the jet?)?

Regarding the ground strap- shouldn't I be getting a good ground where the distributor mounts to the engine block? The entire collar makes pressurized contact- so it seems like the distributor would be grounded.

 

[rbohm]

Your post reminded me there are different mix circuits. When I adjust the mix screw, I'm just adjusting the mix at idle- right? How is mix adjusted at open throttle (with the jet?)?

the mixture screw only deals with idle, the main jet deals with the entire system

Regarding the ground strap- shouldn't I be getting a good ground where the distributor mounts to the engine block? The entire collar makes pressurized contact- so it seems like the distributor would be grounded.

it isnt the distributor, its the entire system. while the engine is grounded to the battery, other systems are not properly grounded and rob the ground from somewhere. when you install the ground strap that goes from the engine to the car body, it provides a proper electrical path so that the entire electrical system operates properly and at full power. for instance on my old F250, with the ground strap missing, every time i turned on the headlights, my temperature gauge started climbing to the hot end. when i installed a proper ground for the system, it stopped doing that.

 

[Varilux]

Thanks- okay, I can take the ground strap off the list then, since I replaced all the ground and power cables coming from the battery earlier this year with brand new 2 and 4 gauge cables. The engine is definitely grounded to the battery. The only ground strap I still need to replace is the smaller one running from the starter to the firewall.

Regarding the main jet, I looked into that when I was trying to troubleshoot why my mpg was so poor. I think I determined it was the second to smallest diameter jet you can put on the 1100...

 

[Varilux]

I checked the rear u-joint, which was nice and snug (someone at work who knew I just had my clutch replaced said it is just possible the "kick" I'm noticing could be from a loose u-joint in the drivetrain). However, without a doubt the shop DID remove the exhaust to change the clutch, and they really botched putting it back in. I'm going to be swapping out to dual exhaust in a couple months, so I installed some hangar wire to snug it up for now.

1. Took each wire off and used my voltmeter, set it to play a tone to indicate continuity and flexed each wire up and down its length to see if the wire opened at any point (couldn't find a bad wire).
2. Pulled the plugs- noticed a little fuel fouling on 3-4 cylinders- and reduced the gap to 0.040. I'll be installing new plugs this weekend.
3. Left the pressure at just under 4 lb.
4. Turned the mix screw 1/2 turn richer (but turned it back after returning home, because at idle I can just start to smell fuel in the exhaust and the idle mix shouldn't be affecting 2,000 rpm performance).

Went for a 10 mile drive down to Lowes- ran like a champ without missing a beat. On the way back I turned the A/C on, and ran flawless on the return trip as well- until I turned on the headlights, foglights, and A/C... then I got a single "kick" (even though my voltage gauge read 13.5 volts or so).

So, it appears to be a voltage issue? Perhaps a beefier alternator would solve the problem? Or is it more likely my aging battery? Leaning towards the alternator?

When it cools down a couple degrees in a couple weeks, I'll start making the 36 mile round trip to work and back 3-4 times per week and see if I notice anything else.

Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully, I'm zeroing in on the problem.