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-   -   Miss fire problem. Please help! (https://camaroforums.com/forum/engine-internal-23/miss-fire-problem-please-help-51500/)

82 z28 Jun 6, 2010 05:34 PM

I was thinking vacuum leak so i covered the carb with a towel and it died like it should so no leak. Then i started thinking that it might be a bad valve since it makes a popping noise in the exhaust every few seconds so i put a dollar bill up to my exhaust cutout and sure enough every time it made that popping noise it sucked the bill back really quick for a split second :(

18436572 Jun 8, 2010 10:58 AM

lol, those are tests from the fiftyies when they didn't know alot.
both tests are very vague and the bill pulling back is just the sign of a missfire.
i used to do that on dual exhausts to see what side it was on
ripping the bill would be burnt valve.
but if you where to do the cylinder balance test and compression test ... they are much more conclusive.
plus you would see your 8 new plugs to see if they are nice or fowled.

that would give you much more information on what is happenning and where in your engine
your still just guessing with your paper trick
can you record the sound of your engine some how so we could hear it miss?
that would be fun. lol

82 z28 Jun 9, 2010 07:24 AM

lol yeah i know they are old tests but i have been busy lately...soon i would like to try a compression test though if i can.

I tried to make a video but i dont have a good quality camera and you cant make out the sound in the video lol.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL THE HELP!!

Jr. Mechanic Jun 10, 2010 11:23 PM

You need to perform a leak down test, not a compression test if you suspect a burnt valve.

18436572 Jun 11, 2010 11:39 AM

i find that a waste of money and never bought that gauge.
it costs way more than a compression tester and you need shop air supply.
if it's missing enough to pull on the paper ... it should be low enough in compression to see the difference to the other cylinders.
if the comprssion is all even and the car was kind of sputturing once and a while, then it would be a good idea to do leak down test.
in 25 years i've seen it be helpful once!
depends where you work i guess

Jr. Mechanic Jun 11, 2010 02:05 PM


Originally Posted by 18436572 (Post 430653)
i find that a waste of money and never bought that gauge.
it costs way more than a compression tester and you need shop air supply.
if it's missing enough to pull on the paper ... it should be low enough in compression to see the difference to the other cylinders.
if the comprssion is all even and the car was kind of sputturing once and a while, then it would be a good idea to do leak down test.
in 25 years i've seen it be helpful once!
depends where you work i guess

All a compression test tells you is what the compression of that cylinder is. A leak down test pin points the exact cause for the loss of compression. If a cylinder has low compression, it could be due to faulty rings, head gasket, valves, or some catastrophic failure like a fractured piston or cracked head. A leak down test is extremely helpful if you want to diagnose an engine before you tear into it, much more so than a compression test.

In the OP's case, I would first do a compression test to find the faulty cylinder (s) (if any are at fault), and also to check the condition of the engine. Then move on to a leak down test if any cylinders are significantly lower than the others.

18436572 Jun 12, 2010 09:08 AM

right that's what i said, but with different words!
and i still wont buy a leak down tester!
if i find a low compression cylinder ... i will take it apart and visualy see the problems and fix them
or junk the engine and put in replacement.
not to many guys change one valve , or change one piston

82 z28 Jun 13, 2010 11:57 AM

Thanks you guys have been very helpful!


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