Drove today for 20+ miles. Was a-ok. No smoke, good acceleration, for now. I will opt for anti-fouler route for now and change plugs as needed. Its the cheapest route until I can take care of the engine. Racing oil is overkill, I think. Thanks for all the input, I do appreciate it.
When I do change the oil I will get the non Racing 40-50... https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-SAE-Premium-Conventional-Motor/dp/B000CQ4DEG
What's important is that you decide and see where it leads. Life is a journey and your packed and ready to roll at this portion of it. Ride it for all the wealth bad and good and it'll steer it's self.
>>>When I do change the oil I will get the non Racing 40-50...>>> You may want to reconsider what kinda oil you plan to put in that thing. Jack E/NJ
I bought a '79 Chevy wagon real cheap back around 1999. It had an anti-fouler on #8 and the guy who I got it from said the engine was shot. I put fresh plugs all around and the 350 sounded good. So I ran it pretty hard and it never fouled a plug again. His wife was driving it around town taking the kids here and there.
Ok just a follow up and the status of usuing an anti-fouler. Each spark plug has 30miles on it, with each having roughly a mile or so of freeway driving. 1st pic 30miles 2nd is antiFouler 3rd plug removed from anti-fouler. 4th new compared to 30mile plug with a light scrub from a wire brush.
Amazing, isn't it? I have noticed no negative issues with my dozer and my tired 350 in the 1966 truck that both have a couple of those extenders. Hopefully yours will let you do those short trips now, without skipping.
After it got to temp. I was getting on the gas and, zero misses. Oil pressure went to roughly 20 at stop-light idle and to roughly 40 while driving. I made some moves to swap it. But life said otherwise and made me allocate that money elsewhere. So, how does it look? Is this sustainable as long as I change the plug when missing? Or is it dangerous to drive like this, especially if I chose to drive on a rare occasion to work, my commute is 64miles round trip. Im thinking keep my spark plug socket/ratchet and a a couple plugs in the glove box. Also, should I use antiseize on the plug threads going into the fouler?
The worst that will happen is a cylinder or two might cut out on your drive - which won't leave you stranded. Just scrape clean the bad plugs and swap with plugs from clean burning cylinders as needed.
I drove the piss out of mine for about 5 years. I sold the car to someone who scavenged it to build a nice Chevelle. I had the anti-fouler on it for a short while and eventually took it off, it still would foul a plug now and then. But not like it was doing.
You can buy an Antifouler at any auto parts, clean the plug, put the antifouler on the plug and screw the assembly into the engine and you'll be set.
Like Boneyard said hot plug and wide gap. The wider the gap the more voltage it takes to fire the plug. The antifouler has a gap in it to increase the required voltage to fire the plug.
They are gapped at 40ish. I have a set of 8 plugs for this engine. I didn’t get hotter plugs. So I’ll use these up then go hotter. How much hotter? These are 8199 shorty plugs. What gap increase on these Accel 8199 header plugs?
Assuming that it is the ring that are causing the problem and not a screwed up valve seal, here is a trick I have used on some oil burner/plug fouling engines. First, after a good run with the engine at normal temperature, position the exhaust pointing away from anything sensitive, such as an open garage door. Adjust the engine so that it is running at a fast idle, and then slowly spray the contents of a can of engine cleaner down the throat of the carb, but without killing the engine. When nearing the end of the spray can of cleaner, spray the remainder in to the point where the engine stalls. Shut off the ignition, and let the car sit overnight. One or two applications like this will clean up an otherwise good smogger in one or two applications of this technique. I have done this several times in my long life, and it has saved many teardowns. Bob
Valve stems and seals were fixed/replaced. Its the ring(s) on cylinder 8. I’ll give this a shot once I run through my pack of plugs. Never heard of your technique, but Im all ears and here to learn, so thanks.
Another trick that was commonly used by used car dealers when I was a kid, was to gently pour some Bon Ami down the carburetor with the engine running at a fast idle. I have never done this, but I have seen it done, and it worked. After driving a couple of cycles, the oil and filter should be changed. The theory is, that it will clean the glaze off the cylinder walls and allow the rings to seat again. Warning, do not use anything other than Bon Ami. Products like Dutch Cleanser, or other similar products, will probably damage the engine. Bob
I had a '57 Chevy with a 283 in the same shape as your motor. I used the anti-foul tip on the fouled plug. This was my only car and drove every where with out any problems at all. After several 1000's of miles it would feel as if the plug was starting to foul out, I would pull the plug and the small opening on the anti-foul tip was carboned up some but not closed completely, I would remove the plug from the tip and take a screw driver and clean out the opening and make sure that all of the carbon was out of the tip ( the plug was always clean ) and reinstall the tip on the plug and put in back in and drive on. I must have put 20,000 miles on that motor before I change motors and I drove it like I had stole it. Good Luck and keep us posted on your adventures with this motor. Ray.
Buy the hottest plug you can find like AC 46, Champion 18. Gap it at 0.50. If it misses close the gap until the miss stops. A
Sometimes ATF and acetone about half and half will free up stuck rings, get the bad cyl to bottom dead center and fill it up with the mixture and let it sit for a couple of days, then put the plug back in and run it pretty hard up and down the RPM range. It's worked for me.
The tired 327 in my '63 Impala had worn rings, used a lot of oil, smoked pretty badly and would foul a couple of plugs regularly every couple of weeks. I started using Bardahl No Smoke and switched to hotter burning marine plugs. It still used a lot of oil, but during every day driving (including local freeway driving), the plug fouling issue was reduced to every 2 to 3 months, and the smoke was reduced significantly. During long trips at highway speeds (like Phoenix to L.A.) fouling would occur much quicker (always carried a pre gapped set of plugs on long trips). Ran it like that for 12 years and about 70,000 miles, until I replaced the 327 with a 409.
Well, here we are. After another 2-300 hundred miles anti-fouler is doing its job. When pulled, the plug did have an old coolant smell to it. That funky smell old coolant gets was present on the plug and yes, my reservoir gets low but not very quickly. Now upon cold start up, Im getting some white smoke out of the driver side, this may also be because it is cold (or coldish for Arizona). I am looking to replace the motor with a turn-key 350. I have my eye on this one and was looking for some input. With that said, I want the most complete turnkey. I looked at jegs, SD, summit and various other engine retailers but I kee coming back to this engine. Any thoughts or alternatives would be appreciated. https://westcoastengines.com/chevy-350-engine/300-hp/ Their instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJhgtzFVAF/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=12ht86npellp5 $4925 with shipping and dyno breakin included. I have never “broke-in” an engine nor have I replaced one, ever. So I want an idiot proof non warranty voiding instillation. I may tackle this myself, the install a friend said he would lend a hand as he has done it before. A lot of people keep telling me to LS swap it. But man that is not cheap. Everyone at goodguys in November, ls ls ls ls ls. Without fail and every damn C10 had an ls. Well, folks Id like to keep a small block.
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