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Hey everyone,
I purchased a used complete 2.2 motor several years ago from OGTS that is paired to an automatic transmission. Since having the motor, I have went from a Weber 32/36 to a Weber 38 with the original 1.9 intake and exhaust manifolds. Just a few weeks ago work was completed on installing dual Weber DCOE 45's along with a new OGTS header and a 1975 distributor.
Last summer I was experiencing some issues with the car. I was having a hard time starting it from time to time. So I changed the timing to help with starting it, then had issues with it pinging while driving. I had tried to rebuild and tune the Weber 38 in hopes of fixing the issues, however the issues persisted. I was also noticing a lack of power over the past couple of summers, but I wasn't sure if I was just getting accustomed (or bored) to how it drove or if I was having some sort of carb issue.
So after getting the DCOE 45s installed, I knew that I wanted to have a professional fine tune and balance the carbs. So I took it to a shop that specializes in vintage cars, complete rebuilds and motor tuning. The shop was having difficulty dialing the carbs in as well, so the lead mechanic decided to check the motor out to ensure it was running properly so he could then get the carbs straightened out. Well, as you can guess by the title of this thread...he found some stuff and it is not good. He first noticed that a lifter seemed to be stuck or collapsed, so he took the valve cover off. He found that several of the lifters were so tight that had a hard time loosening them up. Once he got them straightened out, the lifter on #2 was the problem child. In fact, it was so bad that he found gas inside the airbox on the #2 airhorn location! When you hit the throttle, instead of sucking in air, its a mix between sucking it in and blowing it out. So he moved on to a compression check. Two of the cylinders registered compression around 95-100. Yikes. Somehow the car still runs and drives, it just isn't very powerful, obviously.
So, looks like I'll have a motor rebuild to occupy my time this fall & winter. I've never taken on this sort of task, so I don't know what to expect or what I'm going to need. I know that I won't know what I'll need until the motor comes out of the car and is opened up. I'd like to only have to rebuild this motor once, so I want to do it right. If there are any modifications that I can make during the build that would increase performance, mainly torque since it's just a street machine, I would be interested in learning about those.
I know this build isn't an immediate one, but I figured that I could start it now and begin the planning it out and then acquiring the necessary parts.
Thanks for any help or insight that is provided in this thread.
Eric
PS> Gordo, it looks like dual DCOE carbs are a good way to diagnose an engine problem!!
PSS> And yes, I've been following First Opel 1981's 2.2 Engine Documentation thread as well. I just want to leave his thread and my thread separate.
I purchased a used complete 2.2 motor several years ago from OGTS that is paired to an automatic transmission. Since having the motor, I have went from a Weber 32/36 to a Weber 38 with the original 1.9 intake and exhaust manifolds. Just a few weeks ago work was completed on installing dual Weber DCOE 45's along with a new OGTS header and a 1975 distributor.
Last summer I was experiencing some issues with the car. I was having a hard time starting it from time to time. So I changed the timing to help with starting it, then had issues with it pinging while driving. I had tried to rebuild and tune the Weber 38 in hopes of fixing the issues, however the issues persisted. I was also noticing a lack of power over the past couple of summers, but I wasn't sure if I was just getting accustomed (or bored) to how it drove or if I was having some sort of carb issue.
So after getting the DCOE 45s installed, I knew that I wanted to have a professional fine tune and balance the carbs. So I took it to a shop that specializes in vintage cars, complete rebuilds and motor tuning. The shop was having difficulty dialing the carbs in as well, so the lead mechanic decided to check the motor out to ensure it was running properly so he could then get the carbs straightened out. Well, as you can guess by the title of this thread...he found some stuff and it is not good. He first noticed that a lifter seemed to be stuck or collapsed, so he took the valve cover off. He found that several of the lifters were so tight that had a hard time loosening them up. Once he got them straightened out, the lifter on #2 was the problem child. In fact, it was so bad that he found gas inside the airbox on the #2 airhorn location! When you hit the throttle, instead of sucking in air, its a mix between sucking it in and blowing it out. So he moved on to a compression check. Two of the cylinders registered compression around 95-100. Yikes. Somehow the car still runs and drives, it just isn't very powerful, obviously.
So, looks like I'll have a motor rebuild to occupy my time this fall & winter. I've never taken on this sort of task, so I don't know what to expect or what I'm going to need. I know that I won't know what I'll need until the motor comes out of the car and is opened up. I'd like to only have to rebuild this motor once, so I want to do it right. If there are any modifications that I can make during the build that would increase performance, mainly torque since it's just a street machine, I would be interested in learning about those.
I know this build isn't an immediate one, but I figured that I could start it now and begin the planning it out and then acquiring the necessary parts.
Thanks for any help or insight that is provided in this thread.
Eric
PS> Gordo, it looks like dual DCOE carbs are a good way to diagnose an engine problem!!
PSS> And yes, I've been following First Opel 1981's 2.2 Engine Documentation thread as well. I just want to leave his thread and my thread separate.