Thread: still fouling plugs

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I am back with the same old problem.My 77 camaro still runs rich at idle and fouls plugs.I have everything new now and it still has the same problem.New dist,cap,rotor,wires,coil,fuel pump,750 quickfuel carb.It seems to run alittle lean at wide open throttle but fouls the plugs at idle.I even went with a hotter plug which lasted longer but still fouled over time.Im running a 355 with 11:1 doomed pistons with iron eagle platinum 200cc runner with 64cc chambers.An erson 250/258@.050 with 565 lift and 109 lsa,vic jr intake.The quickfuel carb has interchangable idle air bleeds so I was thinking I could put bigger air bleed jets in to see if that helps and if not maybe restrict the idle feed to take some fuel away at idle.But I have tried 4 different carbs and they all did the same thing no matter where the idle mixture screws were set at or were the timing was at.I think this is going to be the death of me I cant keep putting plugs in this damn thing.Will an MSD box help with fouling plugs at idle?I have checked for vacuum leaks but have found none.If anything its leaking from the bottom of the intake but I put a new intake gasket on just to check and it looked like the old gasket was sealing good just from looking at it.
Another strange thing is all of my plugs have oil all over the threads,pretty heavy.Could I have oil getting into the cylinders somehow and that be the cause of the fouled plugs?The plugs dont look to have oil on the tips but they are to black to say for sure one or two look alittle shinny.Some of you may remember I was the one who had oil running down some of the valve stems out the exhaust.I pushed the seals back down but havent rechecked them yet.I have only had it at the track once,8.12@86mph.I might have oil seeping into every cylinder and not even know it.Does any one have any hints after what all i wrote about my problem?The plugs I run are ac r45 ts,dart says to run r44ts if that matters.Thanks

Are you running a PCV valve ? And if you are pulling oil from the valve guides it would be on the intake side . That is the seal you need to make sure is doing its job . Are these heads old and the guides worn out ?

No they are brand new Dart iron eagle platinums with maybe 10 miles on them.Yes I am running a pcv valve.

Originally Posted by tango

Are you running a PCV valve ? And if you are pulling oil from the valve guides it would be on the intake side . That is the seal you need to make sure is doing its job . Are these heads old and the guides worn out ?

I would check your oil control like tango says.

If oil is only getting in a few cylinders wouldnt those be the only ones with fouling problems?How can every plug look the same?And if the intake was leaking at the bottom by the lifter valley,wouldnt that cause oil to seep into only the runners that were not sealed?I have taken the carb off and looked with a flash light down the plenum to were the intake meets the heads and they all look clean.Could all 4 carbs(which 3 of them were used not new)have too rich of an idle for this motor?

Which carb do you have? Mechanical or vacuum secondaries?

Originally Posted by camaro77

No they are brand new Dart iron eagle platinums with maybe 10 miles on them.Yes I am running a pcv valve.

Some times with a HP oil pump at high RPMs lots of oil ends up in the heads . With your PCV valve sucking it right in to the intake . This use to happen to the 1973 455 SD Trans Ams . They also had some type of 80psi oil pump in them . Remove your PCV valve and add another breather instead . Also if your trans runs a vac modulator some times if it blows out it can suck trans fluid into the intake . If your heads are new the oil should not be coming from the guides . But do look good at the seals . And if your rings were not sealing well this car most likely would be smoking .

I havn't read all you posted prior to this,If valve covers are not leaking and oil is not running down into plugs then it's obviously internal.Yes a (MSD set up will help)But if this is A Drag-Car only I think A (MSD-Cranktrigger) is money well spent.When are you checking your plugs to find them Black and sooty,setting in the garage or returning to the pits after a pass down the track,If so thay should be black.(IF you can only shut off your engine with steering lock colum do not do this test for obvious reasons!!!.Find a road like the return road at the track ETC.make A (WOT)blast cleaning carbun off plugs then shut it off,pull plugs at this point, IF still black to rich/ IF white to lean shooten for that tanish color.What thickness of spacer plate do you have under carb,What FUEL type are you running CAM-2 ETC.the reason I ask is if I forgget to buy Cam-2 befor going to track I have to buy VP-racing gas at track and rejet my carb,it makes my car run lean on the bigend with my set up.one last thing is your fuel pump mechanical or electric.

I have the mechanical secondary carb.The plugs clean up after a pass or two but when idling around the house they blacking up and start to foul.I have 80 to 85psi of oil pressure when cold but with the carb running rich I have to idle it up some so the pressure climbs to 90 or better untill it gets warm then it settles down to about 40psi for normal oparating temp at idle.It does smoke a little just when i first crank it up and it does seem like oil smoke (white) not black from fuel.Thats whats so strange it fouls plugs but I have never seen black smoke out the exhaust from excessive fuel.
I made seven passes at the track two weeks ago and it never smoked while making a pass.So could oil be fouling the plugs?When I ran the cranking compression they were all around 185psi but that was a while back i havent checked it in awhile.And I have been running pump gas so far.This is a street legal car but I plan on doing some bracket racing with it mostly not to much street driving.
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE HELP AND I WISH ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Remove the PCV valve first . Also if your Holley is a older model . The power valves may be blown . When this happens the carb will run very rich . And blacken the plugs . What type of plugs are you running .? Type and heat range #

Originally Posted by DennyW

Now you gave it away. Yes, your valve guides are loose. That's your problem !!

He said the heads are new . Maybe the seals are damaged ? But you would think that the new guides would stop most of the oil .

I know that on my 1989 pick up it smokes on the start up . And for sure the valve guides are worn . but its getting up in miles to . Maybe his forged pistons have some blow by on start up till they warm up and expand .

I have the mechanical secondary carb.

How do you have your secondary linkage set up?

Take a look at these options.

Just thinking out loud, but it looks to me like the 1:1 setup would run OK at full power, but could cause fouling at idle/partial throttle if set up incorrectly.

Originally Posted by DennyW

New things can be bad also. From his discription, that is a common valve guide problem. If it was seals, believe me, that thing would smoke more than just start up, and then, not clear up after the start.

((I pushed the seals back down))

New/Means= New to him, said they were new, could be new, but worked, or reworked incorrectly. Kind of like someone saying it is a rebuilt motor.

Not rebuilt.Brand new heads.And the seals on some of the valve stems were up on the stem after running awhile not down where they should stay but not on all the valves.They are the positive stop seals.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

How do you have your secondary linkage set up?

Take a look at these options.

Just thinking out loud, but it looks to me like the 1:1 setup would run OK at full power, but could cause fouling at idle/partial throttle if set up incorrectly.

No I have the factory 60% link in it.