Re: Tom's 392

["Ed Sohm" <idaemes@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Cam went bad and wasn't opening the valves = no compression?  It has to be
something big to have 0 compression?  You are not seeing anything and
weren't hearing anything (bang, bang) when it was running, right?  Either
the piston wasn't sealing (at all), piston wasn't going up and down, or
there was no air to compress (valves not opening, something blocking that
intake runner).

Or................................dare I say it?  Your compression gauge
broke.  Did you check compression on #7 last?  No offense intended.


My 345 performed well this weekend pulling a gooseneck stock trailer loaded
with household stuff.  Got some bad gas (I think) that the truck didn't want
to run on in the heat of the day, but burned just fine at night.  The truck
still doesn't have the scoot I think it should, but did ok considering the
weight it had to move.

Edward J Sohm
Battle Creek, IA
'71 800B
'74 200 Travelette Camper Special (converted to 4X4) 345, Edelbrock, 727,
4.10s, 265/75R16s
+ 10 or 12 more









----- Original Message ----- 
From: <tsm1@domain.elided>
To: <ihc@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 12:18 PM
Subject: Tom's 392


> I finally had a moment to pull the driver's side head from the 392 (that
> suddenly lost all compression after 900 miles on #7 after breaking and
> bending #1 pushrods) last night.
>
> The head gasket seems to be "OK" to my untrained eye. It tore just a
> little when removing the head, and the headgasket and dowels both came off
> with the head, leaving just a spot or two near water jackets of torn
> gasket.
>
> I haven't pulled the gasket from the head yet. I need to get the digi-cam
> and get pictures of what I have thus far.
>
> On the head, the front chamber (#1) looks a little "drier" or cleaner than
> #3/5, which look dull and carbon'd, while #7 has a streak of "wet" across
> both valves.
>
> It could be coolant from tearing it down, though the stand leans with the
> front down. #7 and #3 had coolant in them, with less on #1/#5, but those
> were closer to TDC, too.
>
> No obvious signs on the head of the valves hitting anything or being
> nicked or anything else.
>
> On to the block.
>
> No obvious (to me) signs of headgasket failure. I'll get pictures.
>
> All 4 pistons are carboned. #1 is at TDC. The other three all have a
> black carbon ring about 3/8" thick (going Up/down the bore), and then
> another ring, about 3/8", that's discolored ("gold"-ish color), before
> going to the rest of the bore, which is roughly uniform.
>
> I see little black lines in this discolored area, that might be carbon
> deposits. I see some in each bore I can see. #7 has a couple lines at 6
> o'clock, within 1/2" "grouping" - I presume these lines are from the top
> ring gap, and it's walked a little. The other bores have a slight
> variance in the location of the lines as well.
>
> Nothing looks obviously scratched to me, and there's no hole (visible) in
> the #7 piston.
>
> I still need to drain and pull the pan, and then see about pulling the #7
> piston out, for a closer inspection.
>
> But thus far nothing LOOKS bad.. at least, not like my spun con-rod did on
> my race 304C ("Black.. hmmm..")
>
> -Tom Mandera, Helena MT
> '74 200 Travelette, dead "hot" 406cid 392.. just got a 5spd w/ PTO for it
> though..