New 383 runs really bad/Please Help

[q-ship]

67 b-body's advice is the best, along with the 180 degree comment. You can do all the checks & tweaks and whatnot... but if your cam timing is off actual TDC, NOTHING else will solve the problem. Period.[/QUOTE]

All cams are ground to be as accurate as possible for a standard timing chain set. This doesn't mean they are truly accurate, but you can adjust as much as 6 degrees +/-, maybe more, to dial in the power band.

Literaly millions of cams get installed every year by OEM's and mechanics by lining up the dots, without any issues whatsoever. Not the ideal way, but by far the most common way.

What this means is that his cam timing is about 100 out of 100 on the list of his problems causes. -- that's if it wasn't degreed in by the builder.

The cam (if the OP's post is correct), is so small that I bet you could be 8 degrees + off and not cause any idle/spitback problems.

I only point this out because you suggest that doing the simple adjustments are useless unless you disassemble the motor to check the cam timing!

Let's say he did that and finds that his ignition timing is too retarded after a day and a half (or more), of tear down/reassembly, new gaskets, etc.

the keep it simple approach is always the best. If the few minutes of checking the common problems doesn't produce results (even though it's a %99.999 percent chance that it will), you can then check the unusual/improbable.

As a side note, The car can not run if the distributor is 180 degrees out! Virtually impossible.

I don't mean to be harsh, but your comment can cause much grief if followed, and only has a fractional chance (actually less) of being the cause.

How would you feel if you spent a couple days tearing down your engine, because someone told you to do so instead of checking the obvious/easy, only to discover that that wasn't the problem?

 

[07charger67]

An engine can run 180 off ignition timing because mine did that until I fixed it "it ran with no power and stumbled". Think of it this way, the piston is going up and the exhaust valve is open, when the piston is almost at TDC the spark plug goes off and ignites whatever fuel/air that is left in the chamber. The compression might be 3 to 1 but it can still run with no power. You don't have to tear the engine apart to find out either, just the distributor cap and driver side valve cover and watch the valves and the rotor.

 

[Cranky]

The cam can be WAY off and not cause spit back problems....but I'm just curious if this 'pro' engine builder knows where it's at. The cam being off along with the ignition timing, carb adjustment being off and a few other things being not right kinda stacks things up and makes for a bad running engine. And static compression has nothing to do with where the ignition timing is at. It may act like it's got 3-1 but a 10-1 engine will be 10-1 no matter and I don't think I've ever experienced an engine being out 180 on the ignition timing and still run.....

 

[07charger67]

Well I have, and I blew up a muffler doing it too, it ran like it had no compression thats why I said 3 to 1, I didn't really check it. It ran awful, some times it would run and then sometimes it would back fire out the carb and the intake would get really really hot. Trust me an engine can run that way, I would have never thought it until it happened to me.

 

[maddart]

If your posting of cam specs and compression are accurate, you will need some serious octane in order to keep it from pinging its guts out. The cam is way small for the compression. So you will probably have to back the timing way off in order to keep it from pinging if you drive it, or better yet, add some race gas to continue tunning.

The cam is sealed power ZCS-661 which is listed as the high performance replacement for a 383.
I will add a pcv valve and continue to tune.

 

[Cranky]

Do a compression test and if you are not over 190, you will probably be ok on 93 octane. Once you get it tuned up, then you will find out if you have ping issues but I've had 8-1 engines with ping issues and had 11-1 engines that didn't. Your cam may build a lot of cylinder pressure but on the other hand, it may not. Kinda hard to tell without knowing the specs on it. That's just one of the reasons why I degree in all of my cams. It tells me exactly what I have and what to expect...and for all those that think it's not that important, I will keep on hammering that point as it will never be a dead horse.

 

[maddart]

Here is all the info i can find on the camshaft

CAM TYPE
Hydraulic
EXHAUST DURATION
225 Deg.
EXHAUST LIFT (INCHES)
.309" x 1.5 rocker =.463
EXHAUST LIFT (MM)
7.849 Mm

FITS
• Chrysler Cordoba ( 6.6 L 400 Cid V8 ) 1975 • Chrysler Imperial ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1972 - 1975 • Chrysler Newport ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1971 • Chrysler Newport ( 6.6 L 400 Cid V8 ) 1974 - 1975 • Chrysler Newport ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1978 • Chrysler New Yorker ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1978 • Chrysler 300 ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1971 • Dodge Challenger ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1970 - 1971 • Dodge Challenger ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1970 - 1971 • Dodge Charger ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1971 • Dodge Charger ( 6.6 L 400 Cid V8 ) 1972 - 1975 • Dodge Charger ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1974 • Dodge Coronet ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1971 • Dodge Coronet ( 6.6 L 400 Cid V8 ) 1972 - 1975 • Dodge Coronet ( 7.2 L 440 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1970, 1972 - 1973, 1975 - 1976 • Dodge Dart ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1968 - 1969 • Dodge Monaco ( 6.3 L 383 Cid V8 ) 1969 - 1971 • Dodge Monaco ( 6.6 L 400 Cid V8 ) 1972 - 1975 • Dodge Monaco ( 7.2


PRODUCT_IMAGE SEALED POWER ENGINE PARTS ZCS661 - CS8443878

INTAKE DURATION
214 Deg.
INTAKE LIFT (INCHES)
.299" x 1.5 rocker =.448
INTAKE LIFT (MM)
7.595 Mm
LOBE CENTERLINE (EXHAUST)
116 Deg.
LOBE CENTERLINE (INTAKE)
110 Deg.
LOPE SEPARATION
115 Deg.
OVERLAP
46 Deg.
PRODUCT FEATURES
O.e.m High Performance Replacement

 

[Cranky]

Anything new with this?

 

[WileE]

67 b-body's advice is the best, along with the 180 degree comment. You can do all the checks & tweaks and whatnot... but if your cam timing is off actual TDC, NOTHING else will solve the problem. Period.[/QUOTE]

All cams are ground to be as accurate as possible for a standard timing chain set. This doesn't mean they are truly accurate, but you can adjust as much as 6 degrees +/-, maybe more, to dial in the power band.

Literaly millions of cams get installed every year by OEM's and mechanics by lining up the dots, without any issues whatsoever. Not the ideal way, but by far the most common way.

What this means is that his cam timing is about 100 out of 100 on the list of his problems causes. -- that's if it wasn't degreed in by the builder.

The cam (if the OP's post is correct), is so small that I bet you could be 8 degrees + off and not cause any idle/spitback problems.

I only point this out because you suggest that doing the simple adjustments are useless unless you disassemble the motor to check the cam timing!

Let's say he did that and finds that his ignition timing is too retarded after a day and a half (or more), of tear down/reassembly, new gaskets, etc.

the keep it simple approach is always the best. If the few minutes of checking the common problems doesn't produce results (even though it's a %99.999 percent chance that it will), you can then check the unusual/improbable.

As a side note, The car can not run if the distributor is 180 degrees out! Virtually impossible.

I don't mean to be harsh, but your comment can cause much grief if followed, and only has a fractional chance (actually less) of being the cause.

How would you feel if you spent a couple days tearing down your engine, because someone told you to do so instead of checking the obvious/easy, only to discover that that wasn't the problem?

 

[WileE]

I didn't tell him to do anything... I just stated a fact. After 30 years, I'ver seen too many guys waste time checking the tree branches without knowing if the trunk is good. I don't mean to be harsh, but you don't have to disassemble the engine, and it doesn't take days to check TDC, and see if your valve timing is off. If you know what you're doing, it takes a half hour.

 

[texas69bee]

timing

Rj12yc

I agree with 07charger. My first build was with my dad and we did the same thing. 180 deg. off

 

[hotroddave]

if its a new build might wanna check that you dident eat a cam lobe during break in it does happen.

 

[Garys1969RR]

I sent a PM to the OP to see if he had solved the problem, as it turned out he had. The builder had set the timing at 10 degrees retarded rather than advanced. He re set it and it runs great. He just forgot to let us know. Lol

 

[Mebsuta]

I sent a PM to the OP to see if he had solved the problem, as it turned out he had. The builder had set the timing at 10 degrees retarded rather than advanced. He re set it and it runs great. He just forgot to let us know. Lol

In that case I'm taking down my Hillbilly car video.