Is this the problem I fear it is?

[shadango]

Still trying to get my 318 to run right....have been going on about my issues in other threads...
I dont think I ever tried checking vacuum in drive before......just in idle.

Note that in drive it acts wild, but giving it some gas (while holding the brake) smooths it out for the most part.

Here is some video of the reading.....thanks for taking a look.

http://s349.photobucket.com/albums/q391/shadango_bucket/cuda%20video/?action=view&current=vacuum01.flv

[moparniac]

maybe there is something wrong with the vc gauge try another one....... in idle in gear my 500"r 750 HP was pulling 9...... you should be up in th 16-20 range i would think in gear/idle...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vKlAnKdcB4

[72cudamaan]

Erratic vacuum is commonly caused by sticky valves or broken valve springs!

[shadango]

maybe there is something wrong with the vc gauge try another one....... in idle in gear my 500"r 750 HP was pulling 9...... you should be up in th 16-20 range i would think in gear/idle...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vKlAnKdcB4

I have two gauges and they do read the same......

[shadango]

Erratic vacuum is commonly caused by sticky valves or broken valve springs!

I had the valve covers off earlier in this process and saw no indications of broken springs.....maybe I need to pull them again and look closer......but they looked pretty new....

[miketyler]

headers look sweet. Wish mine still looked that good. Are those freshly installed? If not, I gotta know what coating that is on them. 

[gkring]

Poor machine work on one or more valve will cause them to be slightly open from too much preload. Also acts the same as a blown head gasket making the vacuumn gauge bounce around like that.  Do a compression or leakdown on the cylinder to see if you have a problem with a single cylinder. if that checks okay pull the rockers and lay a straight edge across the tops of the valve stems jjust to make sure they are all equal. I read a few of your other threads. From what I can tell the motor is unknown condition and has never ran correctly. You have to check the basics first. Compression and vacuumn leaks. 

[shadango]

headers look sweet. Wish mine still looked that good. Are those freshly installed? If not, I gotta know what coating that is on them. 

They are dougs headers with the ceramic coating. They do look nice.    They ahve maybe 150 miles on them...

[shadango]

Poor machine work on one or more valve will cause them to be slightly open from too much preload. Also acts the same as a blown head gasket making the vacuumn gauge bounce around like that.  Do a compression or leakdown on the cylinder to see if you have a problem with a single cylinder. if that checks okay pull the rockers and lay a straight edge across the tops of the valve stems jjust to make sure they are all equal. I read a few of your other threads. From what I can tell the motor is unknown condition and has never ran correctly. You have to check the basics first. Compression and vacuumn leaks.

I did a couple of compression checks on it up to now........got 150 psi or so consistent across all of them, though a couple were just a little higher.....

I was told the motor was redone 10-15k ago....and that it ran good when it came into the shop...it was being swapped out of a roadrunner in favor of a big block....but yeah, other than that prety much unknown.  Doesnt smoke oil or anything that I have seen.  Checked several times for external vac leaks.....havent changed out the intake gasket yet since its a bit of a chore....taped up the breather hole on the valve cover and put my thumb over the PCV valve hole and got pressure when I released it.....cant recall if I did that test cold , warm or hot though....

[miketyler]

You know when I ran the vacuum test on mine I had the Holley that wouldnt hardly idle on it. It did set pretty steady at 17psi around 900rpm but I was having to baby the throttle to keep it running. I never checked it in drive. I wonder if that might reveal more tell-tale information on that cool running cylinder I have on my 340.

Nice pipes for sure. Post up pics of them after you have 2500 miles on it or so. I had mine done by a local powder coting place and they are a flat grey now.   

 

[shadango]

I know the chrome on the steel collectors I have has started to flake and peel off already....LOL

I expect the pipes will trun a bit orange-ish from heat...but hopefully not rust at all...

[Chryco Psycho]

you need to check vacuum in drive , this will determine what power valve or springs you need under the metering rods

[shadango]

you need to check vacuum in drive , this will determine what power valve or springs you need under the metering rods

Thanks Chryco....you had offered this advice before in anotehr of my threads and I followed it but it didnt change anything....I have tried all the springs ...blue up thru orange up thru plain and no change seemed to happen as far as it dying out.

I played with the connectors to the ballast and made sure they were on right (seems the Bill Evans connectors arent that great.....tilted the fuel filter I am using up so its more vertical and it seems to stay filled better.....and swapped out the accel coil (which was reading 13.5k-16k when hot) for a autozone duralast gold coil (which reads only 11k-12k when hot).....

Let the car at idle in park in my driveway for 40 minuets and it never stalled out on its own....

Then when I drove the car yesterday, took it out for about 30 miles or so....no problems whatsoever....didint hit a lot of traffic or redlights.....but stopped several times in drive and just sat and waited for it to die out...it never did.....

I dont know if one of those things fixed it or if it just didnt do it this time....

I hate intermitant issues!

I would think, though, that if a intake manifold internal leak or bad springs were my issue it would act poorly consistently , right?

Maybe it IS just a fuel /carb issue......

I dunno.  My head hurts.  LOL   

I just want to have this car drive reliably....so I can move on to fine tuning everything.

[Chryco Psycho]

yes a vacuum leak or the wrong springs should be a cosistant problem
I wish I was closer I would just drop by & fix it for you

[shadango]

I wish you were closer too!

I think an experienced ear/eye would be able to get me straightened out.

Where are you again?