only going 20 miles an hour

my 54 has the origional 235 inline 6 with a power glide trans. we are going to set the firing order the right way because the dude that had it before me just half assed it. could the firing order be the issue and if not what else could be the reason why it only goes 20 miles per hour

 

1-5-3-6-2-4


hiney

 

its possible..i would be surprised if it was running ok at idle..
how does it run when not under a load?

any chugging? back fires?

check each wire to where it should go..^^ see above post.

if they are in the correct order..try sytematically removing one wire from a plug at a time and note any engine speed or sound as you remove or re-attach the plug wires

 

did you disengage the parking brake?

 

hook up the gas pedal to the carb.

 

Firing order is on intake manifold

 

No the parking brake is off. The single barrel is feeding the fuel just fine. Have two dead cylinders. Its 2 and 5. Havnt had a chance to correct the firing order. If this isnt the problem, just trying brain storm of what it could be. Thanks for the useful insight guys.

 

Seems to me that your missing a couple of cylinders to start with

Firing order, compression test, and make sure that there aren't any nasty kinks or obstructions in the exhaust system...

BRT

 

swap 2 and 5 to see first.
After that, do the full monty: check compression, timing slop, valves, tuneup parts and settings, restrictions in and out, trans condition and brakes dragging.

 

Sure its a powerglide?

 

If it's not a powerglide, you have to put it another gear yet.

 

Those motors have hydraulic lifters so the valves shouldn't need adjusting.

Take the valve cover off and, with the car idling, eyeball the valve-train to make sure everybody's moving relatively the same. Maybe check the nuts holding the rocker arms down. If they're SUPER tight the valves may not be opening like they should... if they were really loose you'd hear loud clicking beyond what a stovebolt should sound like (they're supposed to tick a tiny bit).

Definitely do a compression test.

-ns

 

yeah man

 

ya originally my buddy told me before i got the car to do a compression test but didnt. any recommendations as how to do it yourself or is it something i would need to have a shop look at with their equipment

 

If the 20 mph is going uphill on a steep one, try going on level ground or better yet down hill.

 

Does your tranny even shift? I could see it doing about 20 in 1st gear. are your RMPs through the roof?

 

well yeah i was taking it on an even ground. i could pedal the bitch faster than its goin now ha

 

Sounds like a problem I had last year, the plastic governor gear chewed up in the powerglide and it wouldn't shift outta 1st gear into 2nd (final-top gear). It's an easy enough fix. check my post on it under my statistics for the full explanations that I gave to other people with the same problem. good luck

Check my post from around 2-29 09 somthin about "damn powerglide"

 

Once you max out at 20 and let off the gas, does it slow down rapidly? Or just coast along?

Can you hear the trans shifting gears?

Buy a compression tester at your local auto parts store, they are easy to use. No need for a visit to the shop.

Is your throttle adjusted properly? Like when your gas pedal is to the floor is your throttle wide open?

 

It's easy, and inexpensive.

1st, buy a compression tester, they are not expensive. Pull out all the spark plugs. disconnect, or short out the coil (clamp coil output secondary wire to a ground, or jumper wire from (-) neg side to ground).
Prop open carb linkage. Put compression tester in first cylinder, crank engine around at least 5 revolutions (count the pulses on the compression gauge). Write down the pressure. Repeat on cyl's 2-6.
All cylinders should go up evenly, and wind up within 10, maybe 15% of the highest one. Anyone too low , there's a problem. If there is, squirt oil into the low cylinder and try again. If it goes up, rings or cylinder wall problem. If it doesn't, valve, seat, or other problem.

 

Actually 20 mph on LA freeways half the time ain't so bad.

 

it just seems to coast along. and when the pedal is down it sounds like it wants to accelerate but doesnt

 

haha nah not at all the 10 man or 605

 

could be the trans, i have an OT truck with a turbo 400, one day it shifted into 3rd and slowed right down, i pulled it back into 2nd and it picked back up, i drove it that way for a couple of months, not sure what the problem is and i no longer drive the truck, have you tried driving your car in first to see how fast it will go?

 

Check to see if the mechanical advance is working in the dist. If it ain't bet that's the prob.

 

I noticed no one has mentioned a semi-plugged fuel filter. It will allow enough gas to flow at low rpms but not at highway speeds. It's a cheap enough fix to try. Good Luck, Mike.

 

Check the timing, if the guy screwed up
the firing order he may have also done
the same to the timing. Fuel filter or
fuel pump are also two good candidates
for going real slow. Best bet is to get it
home and play around with it. Best
of luck. Let us know what the problem
turns out to be. That will help someone
at a later time.
Matt

 

how about the oil is it full?too full?did the previous owner fill the crankcase full of gear lube to quite a knock down?trans fluid does it smell burnt?is there any? not trying to be a dick but things like this always get me when i'm in a hurry to get something on the road.

 

so how goes the battle?, did you ever figure this out and what was it?

 

Yeah, I was wonderin also......