pologreen1

Be careful. The shop charges $100 to go up to 434 from 427. I was going to go bigger, but backed out for later rebuilds.

Other blocks are larger ci sbc than dart. Motown 454sbc

I can't believe $350 difference. Are you talking the dart block, or the little m Chinese knock off?

aklim

OK. That makes a lot more sense.

The PO added a "security feature". A push button start below the key area or a flat surface parallel to the ground. IOW, he was too lazy and stupid to fix the relay melting issue and hooked up a push button switch. The setup you mention. How does it work? Sounds like there isn't a transponder in the key fob that signals the car to ready itself but relies on the door being closed to energize the circuit.

Mercedes used to engineer their cars to last forever. They even give out mileage badges to attach to your grill at 250K, 500K and 750K kilometers as verified by the dealership. At 1 million miles you get yet another badge. When I had my 99 E300 verified at 500K kilometers, I asked how many they had given out. The local dealerships basically gave me a blank stare. Seems like MB had changed the strategy to a much shorter lifespan, aka disposable car. 10 years after 2001, my Excursion now has the "NLA" (No longer available) or "Obsoleted" on parts that are Excursion specific. Sucks but that seems to be the way of the future. The Zippo is done. Make way for the Bic.

Not sure why but one theory is that it is simpler for me to deduce what is happening from a readout than to rely on subjective feelings like smell, feel of the engine, etc? Maybe when it is a carb, I don't know what it is doing whereas with a computer, I can get readouts and am pointed in a direction? IDK. Just a theory.

I believe some of Dad's cars were carbed and they seemed to run kinda rough when it was cold out and after warming up, seemed better? I know my yard stuff definitely does run that way. Start it with choke, ease off the choke when it gets warmer? At least that was how I saw Dad do it in his cars and seemed to work.

BLUE1972

The start button works off the open circuit for the door lock solenoid wire which energizes the #1 relay. When you push the fob the receiver energizes the door open circuit ( if you have door poppers the door swings open) It's not the best but is cheep and works well.

For a few more bucks, a fob and receiver with a trunk button can be used for the start circuit. ( I assume you want auto lock and unlock for the doors off the fob)

The low riders / rat rods use the trunk circuit to pop the hood and energize the electric lifts to open it.

The kits are available with up to 6 channels on the fob, just have to pay a lot more. Just look on the lead sled and low rider sites..

Rexracer77

I have nothing relevant to add, but the fob, you just leave it in your pocket and never take it out. Its the best thing in the world to walk up to my car, with a toddler in 1 arm, and a car seat with an infant in the other arm, and just open the door without having to reach in my pocket and find the keys and then fiddle with unlocking the doors. The doors just unlock. And then Its also fantastic to get in and push a button instead of taking the key and having to insert it anywhere. And its great to never worry about leaving the keys in the car, since you never took them off your person.

And as far as computer controlled machines, in the R&D world, some manual machines are great. But for me, as a Manufacturing Engineer, that wants to keep manufacturing parts in the USA, I need those computer controlled machines to make parts efficiently, and cheaper then what can be sourced from China. Our little shop produces over 3/4 of a million machined parts per week, can't do that on manual machine...

cv67

I remember hearing about that. They built their rep in the 70s and 80s and have been riding on that forever. Couldnt give me a MB. Girl has a 00e320 with over 200k weve hardly replaced anything imo just a lucky strike. I cringe to think what its gonna cost when something (like a trans, over 4k) goes.

On ci builds they are never cheap. 427/434 is going to be a riot on the street any way you slice it.

aklim

Unfortunately, the world changed and we'd rather buy junk at half the price as opposed to getting something that will work. How many times do people have to be told that there is no such a thing as a cheap car that is fast and reliable and yet, there are always people who will try to get it done on the cheap.

First off, MB isn't Government Motors that screwed itself so badly that it had to beg for a bailout and accept a new CEO who got Obama's nod. Secondly, your Girl's record is not that bad but kinda low to me because we have a 99 E300 which is still a W210 chassis with 458K on the clock, Junior. I have spent way more money on salt damage. Trans is still original, fixed the Spring Perch which is a known issue when you have salt, AC done once, heads pulled when we allowed galvanic corrosion to take place between the head and the glow plugs at 300K and we rebuilt the head. So all in all, I don't think we did too badly. 7000 miles more to the 750000 km badge. The best part? I hardly hear the phrase "No Longer Available" or "Obsoleted" at the parts counter. So, if you have 200K and you blow a $4000 transmission, what exactly do you think it owes you? I break GM transmissions at under 100000 miles.

aklim

I'd want to be able to have a proximity start when I get close enough and be able to unlock the steering wheel and only crank when the fob is nearby. Having been in a car that had that bypassed by the owner who swore he would never start it in gear AND HE DID and we hit the wall, I think that being unable to start in anything but park and neutral is good. Opening the windows is nice when the car is parked and it is HOT. I believe my W210 could achieve that without having to insert the key and turn to crank if not for the fact that MB didn't believe that people could adapt to not having a key. That key has no real blade. You push it in and it unlocks steering and allows you to start IF you have the trans in neutral or park. I really don't want to bypass the key since I would prefer not to allow anyone to start it without the fob being within 10 feet of the car.

BLUE1972

I ran the start through the neutral safety , no steering column lock on a rat rod.

The show cars have many items hooked to the fobs. windows, lights. hood, trunk all listed on their specialized sites...

If I did it for myself I would just go with a DTDP + momentary on SP push button and call it even. The switches are hard to find. They were used on the old gas generators.

aklim

But if you wanted steering lock, I'd suppose you'd have to hook up a solenoid to make that work. Wife thought of getting a C3 at one point. Hopefully she forgot or I'd have to look deeper into getting something like that. I stuck in a keyless entry which makes the C4 tolerable. It was miserable to have to unlock manually and push the switch to open her door. If she decided to get a C3, I'd definitely have to hook up something like that and get the thing over to fuel injection which is going to be yet another joy.

cv67

It owes zip, even the mechanic who corrected a software issue (got stuck in 2nd auto fwiw) said get rid of this thing hed never seen one go 200k)
Thing is when it goes guess whos gonna have to pay to fix it?
GM 4l60e.....going on #4 or 5 in my Silverado lost count. I would never buy a new car even an import. We drove a few hondas, toyotas etc I was shocked was pos they are putting out now for the $.
Old stuff for me from here on out I can actually fix

Ex...I need cats for my truck. $1300 min for GM stuff aftermarkets barely lasted me a yr. Solenoid for a MB (and they have a zillion) can cost hundreds per.

aklim

I do transmission flush every 60k. Brake flush every 2 years at least. When I change pads, I flush. Replacement of lines with braised SS lines which improved pedal travel. A couple of alternators and a starter, MAF, rebuilt head, pull glow plugs every year so it doesn't seize up, rear end dine with trans, coolant flush every 3 years, power steering done at the same time, I'm sure I missed a few tings but much more is spent on body work.

When it goes, you decide if you want to fix it. I fixed both spring perches thanks to salt on roads and MB comped me half. Oh before I forget, I changed the seat heater on the driver side. Would I spend $5000 to fix all the rust? Nope. Car isn't worth it. I bought it in 05 March and put 400k on it. Exhaust is rotting but not worth it.

Why shocked? Things go up in price from when you were young. It is par for the course.

No, I'll let people like you and my wife play "what if". Odds of that many failures is very rare. At this rate we can speculate on a complete wire replacement and what it costs too. A poorly diagnosed car means lots of replacing of parts. I tend to be involved in the fix and I want to know the game plan. I don't just write the mechanics a blank check, no questions asked.

BLUE1972

I feel your pain with the CATS.

I'm going through the nonsense with the wife's dog car - Ford Escort wagon. Went to Auto Zone free computer readings. The computer said bad O2 sensor, it was new, went old school and used sparkplug light to find the 2 hole on the coil pack dead. Replaced the coil pack, plugs and wires ran better no miss, low power - no codes. Swapped the O2 sensor - under warrantee, no change. New code for temp sensor, swapped with one from a good car (friends car), no change. His car ran good with the sensor. Took it to the shop, it's been at the shop for 3 days now - they still don't have an answer. Runs good then starts to loose power and miss, then back to ok.
Her Subaru, 27k miles had to replace the 2 up stream heated wide ban sensors cost me $370 for the pair. Evidently since the car sat for 8 months it is a common issue.


My 1980 Chevy truck at 450k miles the carb finally went, due to the Alcohol in the fuel eating the metal. Figured time to replace the manifold and go Aluminum. Carb + manifold w/ gaskets = $425.00. (free air cleaner and hat) Took me almost the entire Saturday afternoon. Truck is running great again, did it 2 summers ago.
Trans failed at 275k miles, rebuilt for $450.

I agree old school is cheaper to maintain.

REDC4CORVETTE

I put a 434 in my 1986 with a 4 link best thing you can do for a vette.
12k in the 434 ,trans will not hold the power just so you know.

BLUE1972

Love the picture, that is the proper attitude for a C4.

I'm currently running a 383 that is getting tired and has started to have oil ring problems. I also broke a valve spring so it's time. The motor ran up to 4k rpm, scary but weird. ( have not pulled the heads)

I also currently have a Richmond 6 speed behind it. 330-17 tires.

I was looking for the occasional blast, running at the airport : not drag track days = no slicks.
So hopefully the rest of the power train will hold.

The Skip - white build is close to the GM crate in price ,, that is why I'm thinking 434 stage 2 or 3.

Just wondering how it will live on the street.

Thanks

aklim

Therein lies the issue. You expect to be able to take it literally. If by bad you mean the reading is out of spec, how? Slow response or way too lean or too rich? When my 91 ran way too lean according to the codes. Corrospond with the injector pulse width and you see that it is dumping way more fuel than it should. Shorted driver side was the answer since the O2 was on that side and the voltage was very lean at 0 and there was no fuel. It gives you a direction while you are expecting it to say "Change O2 sensor and life is good". What is more accurate to say is "Old school is cheaper to maintain because when something goes wrong, you have fewer parts to throw at it.". Your issue is the mechanics are just old school in a new world. They toss parts till it works. No diagnostic skills required like in the old days. Anyone can "fix" a car because you don't need to think. Today you have to follow flow charts and really think about what is going on.

My snowblower runs "funny". IOW, I have no clue what is wrong. Change wire, carb, plugs and a couple of other parts and you are out of parts. I don't need to have a brain to "fix" it. Exactly what the mobile repair guy said. Rebuild carb, plug change and start. They have that franchise. No need to be a trained mechanic. Pay the franchise fee, get the trailer and parts, go forth and replace.

BLUE1972

I went through the test sequences. Followed the trails, took the readings I could with a expanded scale digital volt meter ( HP not harbor freight), vacuum readings. Did the normal compression test, fuel pressure test.. etc. The wires were original and one meggered high so I replaced them.

I even pulled the valve cover and indicated the "cam = lifters = rocker arms" as the car's manufacturer has had a "few" issues with soft cams.

Reading the plugs is not showing an over / under rich condition. I don't have an Air/ fuel meter.

The temperature dropped here so it's still at the shop.

It's an OB1 computer so it's limited.


Last winter I had the same issue with the 10 year old snow blower, I inherited it from my neighbor who moved south. ( most years we don't need one. ) It would only run with 1/2 choke. Plugs showed lean - easy fix - gas now has 15% al in it. Drilled the carb jet 10% larger - runs great now.

cv67

dont see why a 434 couldnt live on the street just keep itcool. Anyone not happy wiht their brand new 427 or 434 bottom end trade you for a mint 383

aklim

How do you read plugs on a fuel injected car since the pulse width is constantly changing? I know before I ditched all my carb toys, you put a fresh set of plugs in the Jetski, started it, do a WOT run, shut down immediately and pull the plugs and read. When you drive, the pulse width is constantly changed. WOT goes off the ECM and cruise goes off sensors so it is going to be difficult at best and a SWAG at worst.

Why? You limited the thing. Scanner can read O2 sensor. You can read O2 sensor if you wish. Don't blame OBD1 for you not SOLDERING a wire to the O2 sensor and getting readout or using a scanner. Sure, it's not as sophisticated as the OBD2 ECM but you need to have understanding of what is going on to see what is happening.

hogandtow

How far do the pistons come out at the bottom of the bores on a 4" stroke? I know that's a big problem with ls engines for long term oil control. A 5.3 with a 4" stroke runs great for a short time. Piston rock =wear? Wondering because I have been thinking 427.

BLUE1972

How do you read plugs on a fuel injected car since the pulse width is constantly changing? I know before I ditched all my carb toys, you put a fresh set of plugs in the Jetski, started it, do a WOT run, shut down immediately and pull the plugs and read. When you drive, the pulse width is constantly changed. WOT goes off the ECM and cruise goes off sensors so it is going to be difficult at best and a SWAG at worst.


To read the plugs = pull the plug, go inside to the shop, put it under the microscope and check the center electrode and porcelain casing. it can show the signs of a dripping injector or a clogged injector. That is how I found the injector trouble on my 85 before I scrapped the TPI. 3 injectors were leaking and one was clogged.

I went on the Ford forum, the motor in that car has a history of the damper shifting ... due to poor fit and material in the crank.. I will know when I visit the shop and look at the car on the lift. They still hove no answer - even with their Ford expert - former ford mechanic.