Snuff out....engine stalls.

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Hi everyone,

Could someone help us with the following electrical problem, the Electrical Gremlins have attacked again.

We recently had a new set of plug leads installed on our 81 Coupe, after the old ones that were 12 months old got fried from the heat of the new headers. The new leads go from the dizzy and around the back of the engine and up under the extractors, nice and neat.
Well this is not the problem, but ever since the Shop put them on, she has been playing up like a 'two dollar watch'. They installed the leads and tidied up some wiring (no they didn't cut any, just zip tied them up). At higher revs, going along the freeway, she will stall and sometimes backfire, but at slower speeds she just stalls quite frequently. We took her for a drive for three hours the other night, but could not get her to stall at all.

We took her back to the shop and he said he believed he may have fixed the problem by moving a wire that seems to ground after the vacuum advance comes around. Well going to work this morning she stalled 3 times and coming home, once.
I called him and he said it could be a ignition pack on it's way out.
She has a Mallory Igniton system in place of the old computer controlled HEI dizzy and a Blaster 3 Coil.

Anyone had the same problem?
Thought it may be the cap, but that checks out OK. The shaft in the dizzy seems to be OK too.

New engine teething problems, aren't they great!

Cheers

Tony

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Sounds like a good place to start. You may want to take the opportunity to ditch the boy racer 'dizzy' and put the stock one back in.

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

...Sounds like a good place to start. You may want to take the opportunity to ditch the boy racer 'dizzy' and put the stock one back in....

Mikey, dumb question I know but do they make a HEI 'looking' dizzy I can use without hooking the ECM back up. Our new Rochester QJet is not computer controlled (1903).
Part numbers would be great and maybe a couple of links for suppliers.
I have been wanting to ditch it even though it is new, basiclly because it looks crap under there and the last owner who installed it must have been smoking some good stuff to put it on!

Cheers

Tony

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Seems to me any '75 and up. but pre-confuser controlled unit should work just great. There's millions of them around, all GM cars of the era had them. Didn't some Holdens use a similar unit?

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

...Seems to me any '75 and up. but pre-confuser controlled unit should work just great. There's millions of them around, all GM cars of the era had them. Didn't some Holdens use a similar unit?...

Not too sure about the dizzy's, but the Quadrajet carbs - yes on all the 253 and 308 Holden Engines.
We picked our carb up from a guy in the US on Ebay, brand new. Total price landed was $1100.00 AU (around $808.00 USD) and saved $400.00 AU.
I rang the local speed shop this arvo, they have a HEI dizzy for $385.00 AU (around $283.00 USD). That is cheap, by the time I get one in it will cost me around $600.00 AU.
I am guessing, but I think it suits up to 79 Vettes as the 80 had the 'confuser'.
He too said the same thing about the Mallory dizzy. When I said that I think the Mallory was giving me trouble, he said 'As they do, you would be better off putting the HEI dizzy back or thinking about it for later on. Could have been sales talk, but he sounded like he had travelled that path!

I am going down to pick it up tomorrow (Sunday), but do not know if the electrical issue is dizzy related or somewhere else in the ignition.



Tony

 

[Jack]

Brand new, Non-computer (4-pin module), large cap HEI distributors complete with coil & cover and both vacuum & mechanical advances are widely available in USA for around $125 USD. Call Motorville in Kansas City KS at 888-463-0482. They've got a no-name complete HEI for $93. No ... their website still won't do you any darn good but their phone works fine.
JACK:gap

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

...Brand new, Non-computer (4-pin module), large cap HEI distributors complete with coil & cover and both vacuum & mechanical advances are widely available in USA for around $125 USD. Call Motorville in Kansas City KS at 888-463-0482. They've got a no-name complete HEI for $93. No ... their website still won't do you any darn good but their phone works fine.
JACK:gap...

Thanks Jack. If I get stuck, I'll give them a call. What state are they in, I need to work out what time to call them from here. We are around 18 hours ahead in the time zone, depending on what state they are in. (You guys have 4 time zones, is that right?)
Sometimes the parts shops here say they can supply the part, but when you get it it is slightly different.
An example is the water pump for our Vette, we went through 2 pumps until he got it right and then after that it was faulty and I needed an exchange.
Trial and error, but they get it right in the end.



Tony

 

[Jack]

Not Oz ... but the State of Kansas (where Dorothy & her little dog ToTo ran away from) ... that's where Motorville is. Here are two complete HEI P/N's: MTR.9200R (red cap) or P/N MTR.9200BK (black cap) ... $92.99 USD each. They have other HEI's too. I've bought other stuff from them and have been reasonably satisfied ... stud girdle & water pump on race car came from them ... no problem ... but their cheap chrome pulleys are just that ... cheap. Get their catalog ... you'll stand straight up when you compare their prices to what you're probably paying. They have a complete HEI made by Mallory for $136.31 USD. Of course, since Motorville is still in Kansas, I dunno if they can ship to Oz.

Open Mon-Fri 8AM-6PM CENTRAL TIME
Motorville
10 Shawnee Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66105
phones:
888-463-0482
913-371-1323
fax:
913-647-4600

BTW ... I have an old acquaintance who's now a prof at Bond University.

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Thanks Jack!

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Break out the beers....the old girl is fixed!!!!

Thanks to all the guys who posted tips, my humble thanks!

Ignition problem:
OK, we purchased a new HEI dizzy and replaced the 'Boy Racer' Mallory Unilite with it.
She starts easier and runs better with the new dizzy, must be cause it is shooting a bigger spark now! :L
No more stalling while driving.
Problem: Faulty ignition module and 'Boy Racer' equipment

Loose valve train:
New lifters under warranty, re-adjust the roller rockers. The studs were not pulling out as we thought.
The lifters were top of the range US made ones, but there must have been a faulty batch and one failed.
Problem: Big Companies taking over smaller ones, then quality control going to S##t.


Tony

 

[GerryLP]

Tony,

I am curious..are there any late C3's over there with the right side driver seat? I have been thinking of adding an adjustable seat for the better half in my car.

GerryLP:cool

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Tony,
I am curious..are there any late C3's over there with the right side driver seat? I have been thinking of adding an adjustable seat for the better half in my car.
GerryLP:cool

Gerry,

I haven't seen any 81's getting around with two power seats here.
Ours is still on the LH side, so the 'Cheese & Kisses' has the power seat, while I have the power peddle! :L
I am wondering how hard it would be to convert one to have the controls on the other side, maybe that's why we haven't seen any done, it may be in the too hard basket! Can't even borrow one from and 82 either, no such animal. it would have been easy then, just recover the 82 seat in the same factory stitching as the 81 and you have two power seats without ruining the stock appearance.

Anyone tried it?
I think the controls would rub against the trans tunnel.
I do not even know if any of the major converters like Corvette Queensland (www.corvette.com.au) would have tackled the issue.

Cheers

Tony

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Problem: Faulty ignition module and 'Boy Racer' equipment


Tony

Glad it worked- that kid stuff will get you every time. Make mine a VB if you're buying a round.