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Is it a blind hole or does it lead to a water jacket? If it is blind then yes you can use oil, I typically use something like Ultra Slick or Red Line assembly lube when I’m putting an engine back together. Be sure you also lube the underside of the bolt head as well as the threads.
I would start by testing at the fuel pump relay first since it’s the easiest to access and you know it’s fuel related. Get a wiring schematic and test the hots and grounds at the relay after getting the truck to die again. You will want to try and do testing with the relay installed if possible, sometimes T-pins or short jumpers can help. If you have no problems there then you know at least it is related to the wiring or mechanicals after the relay and if you do have something missing at the relay you know it is before the relay or the relay itself. Start there and post back what you find.
Check out ChuckE2009 on youtube, he has a few vids on welding cast iron. I have done it with his recommended “Nomacast” as well as Jupiter-BBB and both worked well. I would pull the manifold, clean the area and make a nice v-channel in the crack, preheat it and weld away. Also be careful when bolting it back on and make sure you torque it down evenly in a couple steps.
Easy enough to track down the problem, next time simply disconnect the wire at the starter relay that comes from the ignition switch and see if the starter stops cranking. If it does then the problem is with the ignition switch or wiring from it. If it doesn’t stop then the problem is with the relay or wiring from the relay to the starter.
You mean it’s coming in and out of OD? Is the OD light flashing, what happens when you switch OD off?
[quote=”husker240″ post=142770]Im thinking its the two connections on the back side of the distributor. i plugged them in blind and I am not positive they are locked in.[/quote]
This is most likely the cause since both the tach and injectors need to see the signal from the distributor to work.
If the exhaust manifolds where glowing it very well could have burned an exhaust valve and that would cause your exhaust note. A check with a vacuum gauge could verify it. I would also be certain though to get all the ignition components checked out as well as timed properly, along with checking compression and a leakdown test if necessary to be certain about the overall condition of the engine.
I would start at the solenoid and see how many volts (if any) you are getting at the “S” terminal. If you are not getting power when your key is in the crank position see if the ignition switch is sending power or not. If it is, you know to check the wiring/connections between the switch and the solenoid. If it isn’t you know you likely have a bad switch or wiring/connection before it. If you have a good 12 volts at the solenoid but you still have to jump it then check the connections at the solenoid.
An easy way to check for a significant issue with a cylinder is to just make sure both valves are closed then pressurize the cylinder. I just remove the valve from my compression gauge air hose, screw it into the cylinder, and hook up an air compressor the other end. If you hear air leaking through the oil fill hole or the dipstick you know your rings or piston are shot. Air leaking out the intake = likely bad intake valve, air leaking out the exhaust pipe = likely bad exhaust valve, etc.
Since you have spark at the plugs then I would verify no one has messed up the cylinder locations on the dist. cap, you may just be off one position clockwise or counter clockwise. I have seen plenty of times where someone will pull the distributor to do something like change the intake or install an HEI setup and not reposition it the exact same way so you end up one or more cylinders off. You could just try rotating all the wires one at a time then try to restart it or just place number one cylinder at TDC on the compression stroke then check if the rotor is lined up with the number 1 cap tower.
Always since the first time I screwed up and didn’t. Came off the SO truck with my brand new air hammer in hand to do a recall that involved knocking a few frame rivets off to add a plate for the fuel tank. About an hour under the truck followed by about 3 hours of ringing ears…….lesson learned.
If you do in fact have a weak spark directly at the coil it could also very likely be the coil itself. Also did you test each cylinder post at the cap?
I too would urge you to take a good look at this field and talk to some technicians before committing. Realize that many technicians don’t stay technicians their entire working career. The “old timers” I worked with have all gone into other fields, albeit most are still in the auto industry in one shape or another. If you still find yourself set on becoming a technician I would advise you to look into the heavy equipment diesel side. It has been and will likely to be in demand for many years to come, besides the other benefits you can look into.
I got started at a trade school while I was still in high school. A few of us went to apprentice a few days a week at local shops. I got lucky and ended up at a busy local dealership where after graduating was hired full time. IMO you should go to school, but, look into the school very carefully. I knew guys who paid thousands of dollars going to a trade school they saw on a TV ad, when they got out thought they knew everything only to get that mental breakdown look the first real diagnostic job they got. My school was only a few hundred for adults at the time and I bet it’s still under 1k a year. Also as with most jobs/careers building relationships can help you in many ways, from the beginning having to borrow tools, to shop politics, to getting that next job that brings you to the next stage in your career.
Honestly this is something I have been thinking about a lot for some time now. A number of the more seasoned techs when I was starting out warned me about all the pitfalls that came with this career. Here I am in my mid-30’s and I’m already seeing some of the effects this field has had on me physically. Do I go into production machining (small parts) ? Medical equipment maint./repair? Honestly I don’t know yet but I am looking at getting another form of income going, rental properties. About two more years and I will be ready for my first, then 5-6 years later should be ready for number 2 then so on. I am trying to plan as far ahead as I possibly can and for as many situations as I can. What happened in ’07/’08 was a huge eye opener for me. I think besides finding an alternative career I will be physically capable of doing for the long haul I’m also looking at what will still be needed and as recession-proof as I can find.