Ever Backfire So Hard You Break Something?

So I put a new Air Gap intake on the SBC in my '40 coupe. I guess I had the timing too far advanced, when i tried to start the engine, it backfired hard thru the carb. Sounded metallic. Retarded the timing, got it started, set the timing 16 advanced. Now I've got a miss, and a loud lifter type noise coming from the right side. Can a backfire bend or break a pushrod, rocker, or worse? Got to get my nerve back up and pull the valve cover.

 

in a word... yes.

 

Sheared a bunch of teeth off the ring gear and lunched a starter once. Sounds like you bent/broke an exhaust valvetrain component. Did you happen to install new intake bolts too? On an SBC, it's possible to use intake bolts that are too long and they will interfere with the pushrods, bending them. Pull the cover and check it out, no big deal likely...

 

Thanks, thunderbirdesq, the starter does sound a little different now. I'll pull the valve cover, and check the ring gear...

 

You probably bent a push rod .

Retro Jim

 

My shorts in Mexico City one time...but that's probably for another thread!

 

It happens to me quite a bit after having Mexican food.

 

So that's what that smell in Mexico City is. I broke a blower drive belt once from backfiring.

 

Broke some wind once...............

 

Kind of a little different than you were looking for but I had a 46 Chev. and coming down a curvy hill I turned the key off and then turned it back on expecting a back fire. Well I got the back fire, blown muffler and just so happen a motor cop was on the curve writing a ticket. He could not chase me but in the mirror I seen him laughing big time. Last time I pulled that stupid trick.

 

Split a muffler in half on the highway. Low end torque dropped like crazy, high end hp was great. Luckily the roads were wet so no sparks.

 

yep. popped an aluminum intake right off of an fe390.

 

When I was younger I had the timing off on my 327 Chevy just changed the intake to a 4 bbl carb, went to start the car hit the key,and a big bang and flash under the car, blew the oil pan off, and bent 3 or 4 push rods. That is when I learned how to time a motor.

 

Blew a muffler in half on my old '60 Burb when the ignition cut out, and it backfired when it caught again! Scared the crap outta me!

 

"Broke traction" once and my back cracked.Damned MSG!

 

My buddy had a vette with the crossfire injection. He bowed the top lid of the manifold.

 

Never broke anything, but me and a buddy were trying to figure out why his Chevelle wouldn't start. His dad came over to have a look and was leaning over the engine compartment when I hit the starter. It shot flames about three feet out of the carb just about searing my buddie's dad, luckily he jumped out of the way in time. He quietly walked over and grabbed an extinguisher to put out the small fire that was now burning in the engine compartment. The thing also made one the strangest noises I've ever heard come from an sbc. Come to find out, my buddy dropped the distributor back in 180° out.

 

X2 on the exhaust. Blew out two brand new mufflers in a '67 Chrysler 300. All because the carb linkage stuck and I shut the car down at WOT. BOOM!

 

I tried to start my old flathead in the dead of winter, and I flooded it big time, gas coming out the headers. When I did finally get it started, it backfired out the passenger header so bad that it actually lit the gas on the floor on fire and actually caught the wall on fire too.

 

Had a '64 nova that went from a quiet exhaust to straight pipe when it backfired and blew the muffler clean off.

 

had a model A backfire and blow the muffler off. dog pissed on the garage floor and leaped in the air and took off.

 

Many VW beetle stock mufflers sacrificed there souls to backfires. The old pea-shooters became split pea-shooters in no time.

Doug.

 

Thanks for the good advice, and funny lines. I'll pull valve covers and check for loose / bent pushrods. Hope thats all i did. Should have pulled fuel pump fuse, and checked timing first, i guess, but I've switched so many intakes and never had trouble.

 

Yes to answer your question. Tunnel ram + cold morning + Holley carbs = lots of power valves back in the day.

 

There is a difference between and backfire and an afterfire. Back fire is through the carb, afterfire is through the exhaust... technically... yep... nevermind.

 

I had two good back fires in my 65 Mustang with the louvered GT exhaust tips. The 1st backfire slammed the louvers shut. The 2nd backfire blew the exhaust tips apart, and turned my mufflers into puffer fish looking things with blown seams.

 

My first car was a 66 Dodge Charger with a 383. (THIS WAS 1978) It needed all sorts of work like a rebuilt engine. A friend of my dads helped me take the top of engine apart and rebuild it. After finally getting it together we tried to start it. it cranked and cranked but wouldnt fire, so he broke out the starting fluid. He sprayed and cranked and sprayed and cranked for a long time.. we were just about to give up for the night . I was heartbroken here it is my first car and my first major repair and I was still walking. Taking one last stab at it I went to look at the engine. I saw a small wire poking out from under the distributer cap and showed it to him.. he made some comment about being an idiot and puled the cap and hooked up the coil (that he had disconnected and forgot to reconnect) after that we tried to start and it fired then there was a huge KABOOM!!! and my car was running LOUD as hell... I looked under the car and the Muffler looked like one of those old cartoon shots of a cigar exploding.. The starting fluid had pooled up in the muffler and it blew up when the car started... Hey i got a dual exhaust over that but my ears rang for a week...LOL

 

Hey ! Now that, YOU asked.

Had Terrific ! backfire ONCE,
Left "Blackmarks in MY good Shorts"..........
______Mom wanted to know, "who'd been Smokin' in me underwear?
_______________________________________________________________________

If'n ya can't have a little FUN?, What's tha' (THE) point in a'goin'?

Smoked Up!

 

Ditto on the muffler blowing apart. Tried to crank up my '55 Pickup after it had sat for a month or so. Must have filled the muffler with gas fumes, because when it blew, neighbors were looking out their windows to see what happened.

 

I used to get customers who would come back with a turbo muffler blown wide open looking like a chipmunk's cheeks stuffed with acorns. They wanted a free muffler...sorry Charlie my mufflers are not warranted against an internal explosion. I had to tell them to fix the engine problem before they bought a new muffler. Some of them didn't like that. They seemed to think that automobile mufflers were supposed to be bomb proof.

When I first got started I gas welded everything. The tubing came with a film of oil on it to prevent rust during shipping. Plenty of times, the flame would ignite the heated oil and air inside the exhaust. It was all noise and never damaged anything but if you are laying on a creeper not really expecting it and what sounds like a 12 Ga. shotgun goes off a foot from your face, it has a tendency to ruin your skivvies. The first couple of times the other guys in the shop came running. After a few they got used to it...or they didn't care anymore.