84 sedan project (beginners luck)

[Murdoc1905]

The reason I was having such a miserable time was due to these 2 tubes

They were so close to the cover I had to take the socket and slide it underneath them then over onto the bolt. Then I had to try to attach the rest. It wouldn't have been so hard otherwise.

Not to mention the entire bolt was covered in rtv which I didn't know until I finally got it out

[amcfool1]

hi, that valve cover gasket is available from Sumitt, should also be able to order it at most part stores. gz its worth the price.

[Murdoc1905]

So currently, I got the carb re-built, hopefully that fixes the issue I was having. Valve cover is still off, working on cleaning it up and getting it back on. I know it's a short term fix but for now I'm going to throw the old cover back on with some rtv. The hope is to get it back together so that I can get the emissions done, or at least get a baseline to see what I need to fix to get the car registered. Once all of that is done I'll be getting the upgrades like a new cover and the better gasket. on the bright side, found out my AC system is completely empty so I am able to remove that AC line that runs over the top of the valve cover so it should be a whole lot easier to re-install it. for those stem valves on the compressor (the rods with the 1/4" square bolt) what is "closed and what is open? originally they were all the way out, I just backed them all the way in but I want to make sure which way is actually closed so when I re-charge the system I am not charging into a closed system.

[DAVE]

okay backed all the way out is for normal operating, all the way in isolates the compressor from the rest of the system halfway between the two is for servicing or recharging.

[Murdoc1905]

Thanks! I'm really glad it's empty because I don't think I could have gotten the cover back on without removing that line. I bought a cheap conversion kit for the r134 but I don't trust it, I think I'll go with a better built one. I'll also need to get a vacuum pump and refrigerant gauge cluster, but I'll gladly pay that to not have to muscle the valve cover around it. In seeing how much rtv was used to seal that cover I'm now wondering if any of it is clogging oil passages in the block.

[Murdoc1905]

So I got the valve cover all cleaned up, cleaned the mating surface, put down the rtv threw the cover on and went to snug the bolts and found that all the driver side nuts don't even come in contact with the cover when tightened down all the way. I wonder why it leaked on that side... So I guess I'll have to get some washers to space it out. No wonder whoever did it last put 1/4" of rtv on it.

[Murdoc1905]

I fixed the vacuum diagram finally, found 2 tubes that were completely clogged and fixed the missing tee's and hoses. I may need to re-thread the threads thst hold the choke flap on because of the one broken screw and the other one doesn't seem like it wants to screw in. Valve cover is hopefully attached tightly, it's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it should work. After that I need to set up the carb. How do I pump gas to the carb without starting the engine? Do I just unplug the center wire to the distributor?

[AMC of Houston]

I just pour a half-cup of gas down the carb into the intake, and hit the starter.   The engine fires up for a few seconds on that, and then the pump takes over.

I have loads of parts BBD's if you need any parts (like the choke shaft or a whole air horn).

[Murdoc1905]

Would that be enough time to fill the bowl in the carb? I tried looking for the bolts that hold the choke flap at a few locations and couldn't find anything close. That and the fact that the bolt that is still good doesn't even want to thread all the way I just decided to get 2 m2 screws and dual nuts per. It's small enough to just slide thru, and with a liberal amount of locktite hopefully it will stay.
Changed all the spark plugs as well

[AMC of Houston]

Should be enough to fill the bowl - if not and it dies out, a second half-cup will do it for sure.

Yeah, those choke screws were staked on the bottom originally to keep them from coming out if they got loose.  That staked bit can booger up the threads when they are removed (or the screw will lock up and break!).   Your fix should work - you may want to stake these too just in case.

[Murdoc1905]

Sounds good, I'll have to do it a bit later as this just happened putting the air cleaner back on

I still have to buy a heater control valve as well but that isn't stopping the car from starting. Do I need the Thermal electric sensor in anything but cold weather?

[AMC of Houston]

Nope; that is only for cold startup below 50 degrees F.   The circuit is normally open for above 50-degree operation, so no issue running without it.   You can probably get a new one for ~$35 (!!).   Part number is J3240825, or Jeep # 33000630.

[Murdoc1905]

Good to know, I'll probably end up picking one up as I do plan to drive this in winter every so often, but for now I'll see what I can do to get it running good again

[Murdoc1905]

Did the timing at around 1100 rpm, couldn't accurately get it to 1600 without a dedicated tach. It looks like it's the 4th line from the bottom, no clue what any of this means so I'll probably have to look it up. Is the TES connected to the engine temperature gauge? Because my temp gauge is no longer working.

[AMC of Houston]

Nope; temp gauge and TES are not interconnected.   Fry the gauge fuse maybe; or the wire fell off the sender?

May need more advance.   If I remember my timing marks, I think you're at 4 degrees.   There are numbers in there by the hash marks; you just can't see them without a mirror!