Captain Obvious

It's not unbalanced much. I suspect you won't even notice. However... There may be some issues getting it chucked up successfully. Will depend on the size of the lathe. You need either a big one, or a little one. If the lathe is big enough, you can stick the angled portion through the hole in the spindle. And if the lathe is small enough, you can run the T/C rod all the way through the spindle from the non-business end (over where the drive gears are). But if the lathe is in the middle... You won't be able to push the angled end into the spindle (because the hole through the spindle won't be large enough) and the T/C rod may be too short to poke all the way through the spindle and still have enough working length sticking out the chuck because the headstock is too long. Kinda hard to describe without pictures... Haha!! Does any of that make sense at all? But in any event, as Chickenman mentioned, make sure you put a fillet on the base of the shoulder. Don't put a hard 90 degree corner in there. Can't possibly make that scary rusty T/C rod any worse! You've got the perfect practice piece.

Glad to hear that swapping the washers around gave you enough clearance to claim victory. Kinda surprised it made that much of a difference, but whatever works! Now that you got the immediate crisis under control, here's an idea for the future if you want more clearance. Chuck the T/C rod up in a lathe and remove material to shift the shoulder that the washers sit against closer to the control arm. You'd gain clearance at the expense of caster. Blue, You got your lathe up and running yet?

Weird. I wish I had some silver bullet solution, but I don't. As far as I can tell, the T/Cs were never changed throughout the whole run. Same part number from inception to end of model. If you've got the rear nut torqued down until you've compressed the bushings to the point where you're clamping on the inner sleeve, then I don't know what else to look for. What are the chances that your wheel/tire combo is just too large and you've been masking a potential rubbing issue all along with your adjustable setup? And I know it's ridiculous to even ask, but I got nothing else... When you attached the T/C rods to the control arms, you got both bolts installed, right? You didn't do something ridiculous like use one bolt through the front hole on the rod and the rear hole in the arm and get the whole arm pushed forward? I know, but I gotta ask.

Mario, I know you're on vacation, but if I don't write this stuff down, I'll forget. Two things to look into when you get a chance... 1) Not sure if you still have an EGR valve (or if has been removed). If you do still have one, it might be leaking when it should be closed. This would lean out your idle mixture. Actually it would lean out your mixture at all times, but like any other fixed size vacuum leak, it would have the greatest impact at low RPMs. 2) Have you verified that your ECU is getting the START signal? Pin 4 should go hot in START and that temporarily richens up the mixture some.

If there is truly a clear flood mode to the ECU It seems really odd that there would be no mention of it in any of the service manuals, owner's manuals, or the the FI guide. The ECU has access to the START signal and the WOT signal, so they COULD have put something like that in there. But if they did put that in, why didn't they tell anyone about it? Yeah, if you could post a copy of that TSB, that would be a great piece of FI trivia!

Yikes! Nice snake. That'll keep them acorn hording critters away for sure! I had a hard time getting the suction cup to stick, so I've used double backed sticky tape to the valve face. If I get a chance, I'll snap a pic of my valve lapping ummm.... "tool".

Hahaha!! That was awesome! So if he made up a new Avatar with just a big blue "L" on it, we'd all know what that meant?

Zed, Thanks for the reminder. Yes, it's a 78. (Hence all the discussion about the transient state theory to the fuel pump relays and the whole priming thing.) I should know better than to get involved in more than one thing at a time. 78 was also the year they started with the gear reduction starter, right? I've never messed with one of the later starters, but is it possible that the noise you guys are talking about with the starter may be related to that? Mario, I don't think it's an ignition issue, but your module is on the kick panel wall next to the passenger's right foot. Have a good time on vacation and we'll catch up when you get back.

The thermotime can only fire the CSV when the key is in the START position. Repeatedly turning the key from ACC to ON doesn't send any power to the thermotime or CSV. You will not flood the engine by doing that. The only time the CSV can possibly get power to open is when the key is in the START position. And there is no functional link between the ECU and the CSV. The ECU does not cause the CSV to fire, nor does it even know that it ever happens. Completely independent. You're looking for the fuel pump relay? This is a 77, right? If that's the case, it's the "two relays in one case" that lives above the driver's left knee. 78 is out in the engine compartment in front of the battery, but 77 is not. But I don't think this is a fuel pressure problem. Sure, the pressure drops off when the car is not in use, but it behaves pretty much the same way whether it's been primed or not. It sounds like it holds pressure for at least a couple minutes... Something to look into in the future but I don't think it's the hot iron at this time. And about a clear flood mode? I've never seen any documentation to support that belief. I guess they could have a special mode where it could cut off the injectors completely if the frequency of the ignition pulses are "cranking engine" slow and the WOT contacts in the TPS are closed. But as I said, I've never seen any mention of that anywhere. Chickenman, What is it that makes you think your 76 has that feature?

Get well soon!

OK, so on two different days it was giving you trouble starting and on those two different days you tried two different things things... First day you gave it a shot of starter fluid and it fired right up. Second day you unplugged the WTS and it fired right up. Seems pretty clear that it really wants more fuel in order to start. The question now is "why?" And this test: Did exactly what it is supposed to do. With the WTS disconnected, your ECU put in WAY too much fuel. The engine liked it at the very beginning, just to start the engine. But once the "starting process" was over, it was way too much fuel for the engine to burn and it probably belched black eye burning smoke. But your reminder that the problems started after you put in a new WTS is interesting. The water temperature sensor is what they call an RTD ("Resistance Temperature Device" or "Resistance Temperature Detector") and it is made up of a piece of something (often a short length of platinum wire) that changes resistance with respect to temperature. There are lots of different RTD's with different R vs Temp curves and it's possible you accidentally got one with the wrong curve. Do you have an Ohmmeter you can use? Take some resistance measurements to compare your old and new water temp sensors? Here's the FSM page that lists a couple temperatures and the corresponding resistances. The ranges are pretty wide, but it might highlight an anomaly: And I agree about the plugs, they look pretty good. A little rich maybe, but not enough that it would be at the top of your priority list. They certainly aren't scary lean that would make you be looking for a huge vacuum leak. I would reevaluate the plugs again after you get the starting issue worked out and have some miles on the car.

Siteunseen's Head Shop Got a nice ring to it but I'm not sure you'll attract the right kind of clientele.

Awesome! You bought a set of ten? That's clearly more than you need, right?

Cool! Thanks for the pics!! So anyone know how long they included the puller? Was there any chance that something like that was supposed to have been included with my 77? I don't see any features or clips or anything that would hold a puller, but I don't really know what I'm looking for.

It sounds like your thermotime and cold start valve are working exactly as intended. I don't remember how long it takes the thermotime to self warm due to the internal heating coil, but I thought it was a pretty short period of time even when the engine was truly cold. I took a quick look through the FSM and I found the temperatures involved, but I didn't see anywhere where those temperatures were translated to "time". I think I had seen some numbers somewhere, but haven't turned those up. Ten to fifteen seconds sticks in my mind on an honestly cold engine. The point of all that is... I'm not surprised at all that your thermotime switch went open so quickly. That thing started warming up the instant you took it out of the freezer, and after installation, the conduction rate to your ambient temp engine would be huge. You got one quick shot before you went above the threshold and the thermotime opened. And BTW, it sounds like you've got a good handle on how the system is supposed to work and you're doing a good job of testing things and evaluating the results. You'll figure this out.

But here's the thing... Based on what you said before " The title is lost, and he said he did some research on the title and it hasn't been titled since 1978 in Florida." The problem is there IS no OK title to be replaced. Oklahoma cannot and will not replace an old Florida title. Only Florida can do that. So say you get in touch with the DOT in Florida and verify that the car is still currently titled in FL, you could maybe apply for a replacement title from FL (assuming they'll send one to someone other than the currently listed owner of the car). But even in the event that you can get a new copy of the old Florida title, then you still have another problem and that is unless the name of the guy who signed your bill of sale is the same name as what's on that replacement title, then as far as the OK DOT is concerned, you bought it off someone who didn't own it. If the name on your BOS won't match name of ownership on the title it looks on paper like you were sold a car by someone who may not have had the authority to do so. I'm sure there are provisions for abandon vehicle reclamation or condemned property reallocations, but I know nothing about it in any state. I'm no legal expert, but I would certainly do some research into your options before you put a lot of time or money into the car.

That's a great point. I had intended to say something about that too, but forgot. "No there is no history for it unfortunately. The guy I bought it from found it in a repossessed house covered in dust. The title is lost, and he said he did some research on the title and it hasn't been titled since 1978 in Florida." I don't know what ownership paperwork looks like in OK, but here in PA you would have a very hard time proving that you are the rightful owner of that car. And as Martzedcars suggested above, the "real" owner of the car could show up with paperwork proving he's the owner and if you cannot provide a title to combat his claim, then you're out of luck. As unlikely that is, you wouldn't want that to happen. Here in PA, you could use a car like that for parts to fix another car, but if you're planning to put any of the parts containing a VIN on the road, you better be able to provide a PA title obtained through the DMV. So, before you go dumping a lot of time or money into that car, you might want to dig into the administration a little. And unfortunately, because of the state changes between FL and OK, it sounds like would be some interstate conversations necessary.

Yeah, give some of the finer grades a try and see what you think. I believe after I used the 800 grit, I never switched back to anything coarser. I may have used some of the 280 grit to start and then switched to the 800... Been about two years now and don't remember for sure. I used a cordless drill for the power source and changed the rotation direction every now and then. I know you can do them by hand, but with 24 of them to do and imperfections that really should have had a valve job done, I got tired and switched to the drill. If you're just doing that one valve, I would just do it by hand. I did, however, have the valve seals out at the time. If you're going to do this with the seals in place, make sure you got them lubed up good before you start rotating that valve. Don't want to wear out your brand new seals!

Here's my current collection of lapping compounds. I've got the same permatex tube that you do and I've got three other fixed grits as well. After digging these out, it reminded me about something else that I don't like about the Permatex variety... The Peramtex offering is water based while the other grits I have are oil based. I found I like the oil based way better than the water based. Here's what I have on the shelf: The green Loctite Clover can is a double ended can that has a coarse grit on one side and a fine grit on the other. I think it's a combo of 120 (coarse) and 280 (fine). The white tub is 800 grit that I got off ebay (I think). You can only buy the finer grits in big tubs (like a pound or gallon) which is great for someone who is using lots of it, but if you only need a little, you're out of luck. So there are people on ebay who have realized this and buy the tubs and then separate it into smaller containers Anyway, this 800 grit oil based compound was my favorite and I suspect I was trying to lap out imperfections way worse than what you are trying to do. Point being, if it worked for me on what I was trying to do, I think it would work for you. If it doesn't, then you should probably look more deeply into why the valve doesn't seal. It might be a problem that lapping won't fix. I did 24 valves and you can see how much (how little?) I used. I got (what is hopefully) a lifetime supply.

I spent a bunch of time taking optional stuff off that my previous owner had put on. So on my list... I guess I forgot about that one so I added it to my list of SOP. Stuff will be out of place. Stuff will be missing. Stuff will be wired wrong. Stuff will be put on backwards. Stuff will be leaking because it's too loose or too tight or because it's standard thread when it should have been metric. Stuff will have been modified and/or added that wasn't done right or are just things that you don't want or need.

Yeah, I only know that because I made the mistake of using the wicking green once on a small screw and then tried to take it apart without heat. Prior to snapping that screw off, I had always assumed that red = high, blue = medium, and green = low. Not so. And I paid the price. Interesting that on the page for the wicking grades they say that it's easy removal and ideal for small screws. What I think they mean is: "It's easily removable with the application of heat", and "It's ideal for small screws because you don't have to hold the small screw in your hand and make a mess out of everything trying to apply the locker to the screw threads before assy. You can apply it after assy which might make it easier to apply." That's my read anyway. I agree that the wicking grade is the best choice for the carb stuff so you can apply the thread lock last after you have all the adjustments made where you want them. But I do think if you don't any of the wicking stuff, the ubiquitous blue medium strength non-wicking grade (blue 242?) would probably work OK instead. Take the screw in question partway out and put some on the exposed threads and then quickly try to get it "close" to where you ultimately want it before the threadlock sets up. Then after that point, do your tuning. It won't hold as well, but I'm thinking it would probably be good enough.

I'm no engine builder, but I've lapped a couple valves and about the only advice I can offer is... To start, use a finer grade of lapping compound than you think you need. You can always move to a more aggressive grit later if the fine stuff doesn't do what you need. And if you're not trying to get rid of large imperfections, you want a fine grit. And I don't recommend this stuff... They call it a "multi-grade" compound where there is a mix of different sized particles in the base slurry and as you use it, the larger particles move out of the way letting the smaller ones make contact: Unfortunately, I think that's the only stuff you can walk into your parts store and buy off the shelf. I've got a couple fixed grades that are much fine than this. I think I have a lifetime supply and would be happy to send you some of what I have.

I'm no expert on the topic, but the green 290 is not a low strength lock. It's actually a "medium/high" strength wicking lock. I think if you use the 290 and get it applied correctly, you could be very sorry. I'm think the wicking grade 220 blue would be a better choice if you were convinced that you needed a wicking grade. http://www.henkelna.com/us/content_data/339213_11656_LT4985_ThreadlockerGuide_v6_F_LR.pdf

Not sure if matters or not, but the original insulator disk had "wing" tabs on both sides and in addition, the width of the tabs on the two sides were different because that was how they ensured the disk could only go into the socket one way. If you try to put the disk in the wrong way, the wide tab won't fit in the narrow slot that was designed for the narrow tab. All that stuff is necessary since the bulb has two different filaments and they aren't the same wattage. You have to align the correct filament with the correct wire with the correct pin on the side of the bayonet. (Does any of that make sense at all......?)

That still makes me laugh! Like the guy with the house window air conditioner sticking out his car window.