x24-7x

Ok I started a thread for this already but I kind of made everything confusing. I have a 95 firebird LT1. FIPK K&N intake, shorty headers, exhaust, stage 3 clutch.

I replaced the old heads with new, stock heads and lifters. I had to replace one plug wire. The valves were adjusted 3/4 turn the way it is supposed to be done. The car ran fine at first(only drove about 5 minutes), but the valves seemed unusually loud so I tightened them a quarter turn. It seemed to run fine for the first 10 minutes but after that, it seems to hesitate and miss, almost seems like it does it everytime it fires, and you can hear a clicking noise, like a valve or a leak somewhere, everytime it hesitates. Just sitting, idling and reving, that car runs fine, but under a load it does all of that mess. Seems to be in open and close loop. When deaccelerating it always backfires once out of the exhuast. It seems to be running rich because there is a strong smell of gas and white smoke comes from the exhaust under acceleration. Im pretty sure all of the plugs and wires are ok, and if they weren't, it seems the symptoms would not just be there under a load. Any ideas!?!?!?!?!? Also, the car was sitting about 8 months. The oil needs to be changed because it was changed about 4 months ago but it has been sitting. There is also a tear in the rubber piece where the MAF connects to the air intake..iDeAs?

Maybe the valves need to be readjusted? They do seem a little loud...

BUBBA

Having a leak in the air intake hose will definitely make it run like crap.

x24-7x

i put ducktape around where the leak was just to try it..didnt help at all...ideas..anybody...

joeSS97

Your rockers are too tight. 1/2 turn is enough. And yes fix the leak in the intake bellows.

x24-7x

with them at 3/4 turn they are loud..so at a half turn they'll be even louder..is that normal/ok? right now just to try they are a full turn..and i cant hear them at all but it is runnin the same..

x24-7x

should i go ahead and back them off 1/2 now since they are at a full turn..or should i go ahead and start on the ignition..like plugs,wires,cap and rotor..

JoeliusZ28

I only did 1/6 of a turn on my rockers... granted i havent started my engine yet so idk how it will be yet.

x24-7x

ok well i backed mine off 1/2 a turn and they actually arent that loud. along with that, the backfiring it would do under deaccelartion went away. it still has the miss to it but i dont think its as bad..so im guessing i should back it off another 1/4 and see how that goes...???????????????????????????

JoeliusZ28

i wouldnt do that. 1/2 turn plus 1/4 turn = 3/4 turn which means you wouldnt have any preload left.

1/6-1/4 turn is probably optimal.

x24-7x

well thats what im saying. they were on 1 turn. so i backed them off half. and it runs a little better. so im gonna back them off another 1/4 turn. so its like they were set at 1/4...

JoeliusZ28

thats fine but you shouldnt 'back them off.' undo them and re-set them completely.

x24-7x

well i backed them off another 1/4 and it didnt do the trick. and now you can hear them. so i guess im gonna go and readjust them all over to 1/2 turn and change the spark plugs and go from there....ideas..??

JoeliusZ28

take them all the way off and reset them with 1/4 turn. Make sure your geometry is OK. i doubt spark plugs has anything to do with that.

x24-7x

if it is missing it seems like the spark plugs could have something to do with it. if none of that works im gonna go ahead and replace the cap and rotor i guess...im kind of at a loss of ideas after that..im still fairly new to all of this...

but the haynes manual says adjust them 3/4 turn and then i have other people like you telling me to adjust them 1/4 turn. at 1/4 turn though they seem to be a little loud like you can hear them...

JoeliusZ28

different number of turns could be optimal for different types of rockers though.

and your optispark would be a good place to start for the missfiring if you know it is happening in both open and closed loop.