Re: Tom's 392

[tsm1@xxxxxxxxx]

> Cam went bad and wasn't opening the valves = no compression?

Cam wasn't "flat".. we watched both valves open and close, at least
roughly as much as the rest of the bank did.

> It has to be something big to have 0 compression?

That's my thought, too.

> You are not seeing anything and
> weren't hearing anything (bang, bang) when it was running, right?

Nothing unusual other than the miss and resulting "shudder".. *BUT* my
vacuum gauge was fluttering badly - bouncing audibly off the "0" peg at
idle.  "pink pink pink"..

When we put the borrowed 392 in and something was bouncing around inside,
I got the same flutter on the gauge.  After fixing it, and still having
two plug electrodes smashed, the vacuum gauge did NOT flutter.  Fixing the
smashed plugs, the gauge still didn't flutter, though power was MUCH
better. :D

So I argue to myself that even if I was imagining everything else..
SOMETHING was causing my vacuum gauge to flutter from 0 to 10 or 15 while
idling with the "built" 392.

The gauge was pretty solid right up until both #1 pushrods failed.. it
bounced then, and the motor popped out of the carb.  Fixed the pushrods,
and it ran without popping, but the gauge fluttered, and later 0
compression from #7 (tested it the next morning after driving 20 miles to
the nearest hotel that night)


> Either the piston wasn't sealing (at all), piston wasn't going up and down,

Piston could be seen through the plug hole moving.. and I'll verify later
this week that it still moves, after I get some pictures taken.

> there was no air to compress (valves not opening, something blocking that
> intake runner).

Possible.  Couldn't feel anything pushing out of the plug hole, but Robert
did report that with the engine *running* he felt a "suck".. though we
didn't notice any "suck"/vacuum when cranking it on the starter.

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

I did check #7 last.. don't recall going back over any others after that.

#7 was the fourth spark plug hole the gauge was put into - it was brand
new from NAPA that day. :)

John Comer even oversaw the operation for a few minutes - we spun it over
a bit when he got there, before pulling it onto the trailer.