Hello all, I've been digging around on this site for several weeks now, and have found it to be by far the most helpful resource available on the net. I have a 1987 Dodge D-150 with a 904 torqflite and Holley 6145 electric feedback carbeurator.

My first and most prudent problem is that yesterday, while changing the air filter I found a small amount of oil in the base of the air filter and in the filter itself. I cleaned it out, but small amounts appear again after driving. It is almost certainly coming from the crankcase breather? by the looks of it.. Took out PCV at idle and had vacuum. I'm worried it is bad piston rings? What is my next step??? A compression test? For now I'm going to buy a crankcase breather that is just an air filter and replace the current (and very dirty) air filter, to ensure that this is where the oil is flowing from.

My second and ongoing problem is a very poor idle on cold starts. Temperatures have ranged from 0 to 40 degrees and that doesn't seem to make much difference. Starts up fine, but within 10 or so seconds it runs real anemic and quiet like, won't keep itself running without me babying the gas pretty much until the temperature guage starts reading (5-10 minutes depending on outside temp). Once that coolant hits temp, it idles just dandy, but before that it will sputter out and die very quickly. Also, if you run it on the road before completely warm, it runs VERY poor, driving slowly with a "chug-chug-chug-chug" almost like not banging on all cylinders or something? This has been like this for a while now. What steps should I take to address this idle problem? I'm dumb.

Now the non-problematics...

I am planning on replacing the Holley 6145 with a Holley 2300 350cfm mounted on a Aussiespeed Hurricane manifold (already have) this summer. Firstly, will my current ignition (lean burn all strings attached son of a bitch) work with this new carb set up, or am I much better off with HEI mod/standard electric ignition w/vacuum advance distributer???

My next intrigue is for some camshaft reccomendations. My slant is pulling a 5000 pound truck right now rather sluggishly in the higher rpms... and lower.. and especially hills.. erherm! I am looking for something that will provide as much of an increase in performance as I can get away with, while still compromising mileage, power up high, and torque. What would ya'll reccomend???

Sorry about the novel, suggestions and reccomends to anything I have posted would be very helpful, thanks!

Sam

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1987 Dodge D150 Shortbox /6 904 auto
1982 Dodge D150 Longbox /6 833OD 4spd

The main thing you have to consider, is where you live. If you have to pass emission inspection, you might have a problem changing the manifold/carb and ign system. As for a power increase, if your budget, and skills allow, I would opt for a compression increase, by milling the head. It is the ONLY modification, that will help power across the complete rpm range, and also help fuel economy (and the emissions police can't see it).
Before doing anything, find out where the oil is coming from. If the engine is worn, there is not much sense doing mods without fixing the basic problem, first.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Your covering a lot of ground here!

Get the filter replaced, and get a fresh pcv valve in there first. When you pulled the pcv out, was there blow-by coming out of the valve cover? If not, your probably OK on rings.
Your plugged air cleaner will cause deeper vacuum than normal, and may be responsible for the excess oil your seeing.

Your cold idle characteristics are probably a choke problem, but the intake manifold may be slow to seal up too. Take a look at the choke first. It's easier!

If you don't have to smog your pickup, and can install performance parts on it where you live, then definitely pull the lean burn system and proceed as you outlined. HEI and a 350 cfm Holley will do wonders for it. I don't know the Hydraulic cams very well. Hopefully somebody will chime in with a recommendation.
Like Charrlie suggests, compression helps these engines a bunch.

CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

The Hydraulic cam in there is fine. I have super sixed both of my pickups. One with a HEI and one with EI Mopar and they both work better than with the lean burn (almost twice by the seat of the pants method). Gas mileage went from 12 to about 20 (on flat ground).
When you get ready read the HEI thread get a carb and do the swap. PM me if you have trouble as I still have the 87 and can look and see what all I left and what I disconnected.
Frank

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

Welcome on the board. Oil buildup in the air cleaner can be due to something simple and cheap like an incorrect PCV valve, plugged PCV passages or faulty breather. It can also be due to excessive engine wear. Start with the simple and cheap stuff. Just getting vacuum at the PCV valve is not a good indication that the valve (or the whole system) is working correctly. Put in a new valve and a new hose. When you remove the old hose, check the vacuum nipple at the base of the carburetor to make sure it's not at all clogged with sludge. If it is, remove the carburetor from the engine and clean the pipe and its passage with carburetor cleaner, small screwdrivers and pipe cleaners as needed, then reinstall the carburetor with a new base gasket.

Make sure you get the correct PCV valve; many of them look alike, but with different flow capacities. Not long ago, I grabbed what I thought was a correct PCV valve off my shelf and put it in my 225, which quickly began putting oil into the air cleaner. A PCV valve that was actually correct fixed the problem.

It does sound like your choke is faulty -- specifically, like it's coming off too quickly. This happens when the choke heater gets full 12-volt power rather than modulated power via the choke modulator. Find the choke thermostat -- it's the little metal box held to the top of the exhaust manifold on the #5 runner by a single bolt, with a pushrod running up to the carburetor. There's a wire coming from the choke thermostat. Follow it. It should go to a little widget held to the cylinder head by a single bolt. That's the choke modulator. If it doesn't go to any such a widget, but instead is tapped into a wire that gets +12v whenever the ignition is on, there's your problem. If it does go to the choke modulator, the modulator's faulty. In that case, if you can't quickly find a good used modulator, rather than spending money on new old stock parts, just put in an Electric choke kit #1234, which contains all new parts to get the choke and cold-idle working correctly again.

Where in Alaska are you located? Some areas have pretty strict vehicle emission laws which get in the way of making the kinds of major changes you have in mind with the manifold and carburetor.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

How many miles is on this engine?
DD

I live on the Kenai Peninsula (SouthCentral) and there is no emissions testing required. Also within 2 or so year, my 87' will be 25 years old and should be exempt from emissions testing most other places.

I am now quite set on installing the Holley 350, as soon as I assemble the parts to do EI or HEI, hopefully that will give me just the performance and economy boost I was looking for. I was originally gonna install Clifford headers as well, but there is just so many things to throw money at, could I get away with just using the stock exhaust manifold with a Aussiespeed hurricane manifold? I would probably just weld the heat riser shut and use one of those coolant water tap kits for manifold heat, as the hurricanes carb comes out much farther from the engine than the stock intake does.

Milling the head eventually would be nice, but I don't want to go pulling out the motor anytime soon if I don't have to. especially if I won't be seeing that much benefit from a new cam anyways.

Replaced the air filter, PCV, and crank breather, and everything seems to be running nice and clean. No oil coming out of the valve cover anymore, thanks everybody!

Thanks for the vote of confidence on HEI and a new Holley Ceej and 66aCUDA! I'll let you know if I need that info this summer CUDA thanks again.

Also thank you SlantSixDan for steering me in the right direction with my choke issues. I took a quick look at it, and the choke stove is attached by a linkage rod to the choke thermostat on the carb. This has a red and a black wire running from it, the black seems to run to the widget on the head you describe, while the red runs into a wiring harness. This 6145 seems to have alot of wiring hooked up to it, none of which I really understand fully. I am currently in the process of getting ahold of the folks at CarbsOnly to hopefully replace the whole deal.

It has 96,300 miles Doc.

Thanks Everybody!

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1987 Dodge D150 Shortbox /6 904 auto
1982 Dodge D150 Longbox /6 833OD 4spd