Engine problem
 

I'm running a older vintage type sprint.Fired it up today.My engine was bought used and I never heard it run.Its a 350 with 305 heads.I had started it before but needed to fix a few leaks.Nothing appeared to leak as we fired it this time and it sounded good.Then I began to notice a few milky drops of water dripping from what appears the timing cover area.This I don't understand.It got a little rough sounding and quit.Inspecting the oil, its milky noting water in the oil.Where should I start, head gaskets? When started previously, there was no water in oil. Any opinions?

Re: Engine problem
 

Are you running alcohol or gas and fuel injection or carb?

In a conventional sprintcar if a motor is cold or sits idiling for long periods of time you will get alcohol mixed into the oil as the engine cannot burn all of the fuel while sitting still which creates the milky affect. Usually the oil tanks will have a catch can that contains this excell mixture which can be drained.

Re: Engine problem
 

Its injected with a old hilborn.I just drained the oil and its white. i was of the opinion that fuel in the oil made the greenish pea soup color.

---------- Post added at 03:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------

now that I have drained the oil and it has sat, it has a green tint to it.On this old motor, i'm really running it old school with main by-pass only. It has #15 nozzles with a .064 pill.Its a old wet sump system.

Re: Engine problem
 

The next time you fire it try turning the fuel shut off, off so to lean the engine out. When they set and idle with no low speed by-pass they general run very rich. But the milky oil sounds pretty common when idling or not building much temperature in the motor.

Re: Engine problem
 

rrc,,I've worked on my car and others for over 10 yrs,,heres some of the mistakes we've made,,,first do you have alkey plugs in the car ,second do you have solid core mag wires ,you might have to big a fuel pump......check the mag cap for corrosion,verify the timing,set the barrel valve at about22%..if it still seems 'fat '-send the mag in...by the way if you just let it set idling-leaning with the fuel shut off is a great idea,,let us know how it goes....

Re: Engine problem
 

Thanks to all for the tips. We didn't get to time it.The wires are the red solid core type and the AC plugs were in the motor.However, I will get a new set of Autolite AR-133 if that sounds right. I'm really out to lunch with the barrel valve.How do you set that?Also, would a secondary or high speed by-pass help?Which one could be of most importance for this application? Won't be doing any balls to the wall running with it.

Re: Engine problem
 

I can't say what plug to use,your heads may need longer reach or peanut plugs...just get a mid range alky plug in the style required..when you pull your plugs-make sure the electrodes aren't smashed..it's no uncommon to have to index plugs on racing motors so they don't hit the pistons..buy a leakdown tester and mag buzz box from Speedway Motors...most timing lights don't work well timing mags..easier to buzz the mag in...you set the barrel valve with a leak down tester....IF you have the right size fuel pump for your motors needs -you shouldn't need a s.valve.....you may need a high speed but you should wait till you see if your motor 8 stokes under full throttle on the straight a-ways,if that happens add a return line with a high speed set to open at 58 lbs/about a 65 pill

Re: Engine problem
 

sounds like water to me maybe not though, get a radiator pressure tester go up to 20 psi or so leave it set overnite with oil drained next morning should have a little pressure on it still and NO water loss out of rad and certainly no water coming out of oil pan.

Re: Engine problem
 

You can get all the setup info from Hilborn, on line, they have a tech manual/instructions you can download or print, it'll ball park ya. Bob

Re: Engine problem
 

OK - dant is right - the best way to set the barrel valve is with a leakdown tester. With a 360 and 2-3/16" injectors we set our barrel at 18-19%. With the 305 heads you have you may need to go a little leaner - say 16-18%. If you don't have a leakdown tester, a quick way to set it is to take a 1/16" drill bit, and set the barrel to where the bit just slides into the exposed portion of the hole in the valve. Make sure you're on the correct side of the ramp (the slot in the barrel valve should appear as the throttle is opened and the hole should be disappearing). This will get you into the ballpark.

We run a highspeed on one of our motors (set at 55 psi), but not on the other motor. We don't run secondaries and haven't noticed any problems. I would say you probably won't need either with the motor you have.

One of the best investments I've made is the two-gauge leakdown tester. I use it not only to set the barrel valve, but also the high speed, and I leak down the motor every couple of nights to trend any ring/valve leakage. If you have a blown head gasket or something this will show that, as well.

Please feel free to PM me if I can help further. I've made many mistakes, but I've learned from them.

Tim Simmons

Re: Engine problem
 

10.4 on the leak tester, best money you can spend, I prefer the 2 gauge version, but a single will work also. I ck my nozzles at least a couple of times a year, just to make sure they are all flowing the same, or close, if you get a baseline off them when new, then you'll know when they are drifting, or plugging, but you can baseline them, even after being used a lot, and still tell if they are drifting. Real good investment! Bob

Re: Engine problem
 

I'm definately getting educated! I researched the plugs that i believed came with the motor.I took for granted they were right but turn out to be passenger car plugs! I have gotten a set of champion racing plugs v59c which cross reference to Autolite AR-133 but am unclear what to set the gap at.The plug calls anywhere from 018-045.I'm using the old Vertex mag with internal coil.Any suggestions? thanks again, ron

Re: Engine problem
 

Champion plugs come set at .025 out of the box.

Re: Engine problem
 

Just another thought, while you are leak cking, look in the radiator for a bubble trail as you ck each cylinder, at a hundred psi, it will show a leak, might even blow the cap off, if you don't take it off. Those aluminum rads, are only good for about 40 psi, then they swell the tubes, closing off any air flow over them, another good thing to give a visual, if the fins look all kinda wiggly, look carefully at the tubes. Bob