Ho there,

For a while I've been putting up with this B18d and some abominable blowby. I long-since assumed it was piston rings. After running a hundred plus miles with 20w/50 and having adjusted the valves to .020" my vacuum gauge has been consistently b/t 2-3" higher at idle, now at 14-15" (not fluctuating, just random variance) and has been rebounding upon decelleration to an almost respectable 21". But, cruising in any gear other than 4th, the throttle is pretty much floored, and there's 0" vac. I used to see 5" or less in this condition. Oil pressure gets to be around 50+ at start-up, and likes to settle 35-45 while driving. Before it all leaks out sitting in traffic.

Just yesterday I discovered the exhaust pipe to be leaking from every seam and backyard weld (not mine). My compression is 1-4: 135, 140, 135, 125 DRY; 145, 143, 145, 125 WET. I went after the valve lash again, trying the vClassics method which I seemed to do a great injustice to as the car loped like a zebra with a lion around it's neck at 800rpm. Just to get home I put it back with the Clymer method, as it was getting dark, and I had a date, and it ran just it's usual crappy.

Am I wrong in concluding that based on those compression results that my rings can't be totally to blame for the blowby? So if I get rid of that exhaust, what are the predictions in terms of blowby? I suppose that if my valve timing is off, then exhaust gasses aren't being evacuated as they should be (among other sinister conditions). If I ever get the valve timing right, what then?

Someone wiser than I please illuminate the way.
Many thanks,
-Sean Custer


--
1966 122s; 1970 142s

There are some other things that might be giving trouble. Would be good to
make sure you don't have a flat lobe on the cam. This is pretty easily
checked with a steel rule with the valvecover off. Measure against the
top surface of the head to the valve spring retainers. Open should be about
3/8" different than closed. If you have one that isn't opening that far
you need a cam and new lifters.

Is your exhaust system open? No mashed pipes, etc?
The fact that one cylinder is 125psi both dry and wet indicates a small
valve leak.

And I go for a bit more advance than Rhys. I set mine at 20° - if you have
vacuum leave it connected when you set it to 20°. You might see better perf.
and cooler running.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Good deal; thank you kindly, gentlemen. I'll have a look at that distributor. The points are only 6 months old, and I disassembled, cleaned & lubed the 003 dizzy then too. But, there's been a lot of rough stuff in getting it started lately. The timing was set to 18-20 deg. static, I'll have to see where it's at now. Thanks for the cam lobe check too. If the performance doesn't pick up once I confirm the timing, that'll next on the list...
--
1966 122s; 1970 142s

Have you checked the initial ignition timing and total advance? Everything you say points to retarded timing. Set it at 10 degrees at idle, and check that it makes over 30 at around 3500 RPM. When the breaker point gap closes up with normal wear, the timing point is retarded. That may be all it is.