My 1987 Two Door Crown Victoria AKA THE BROWN BLOB

[gadget73]

Do you have timing gears on this? Thats what it sounds like to me, some sort of metal to metal meshing noise. It also sounds way late, like a tooth off. Check the firing order too, I've mixed up HO and non-HO firing orders more than once and they run really stupid.

And your dad is NY as all get-out.

[87gtVIC]

Just a normal double roller chain between the cam and the crank.

Dizzy is out now and we marked the position it was in.......when we first stabbed it the engine was set up top dead center on the number one piston compression stroke. Whatever the normal procedure is for doing it. Will check on it again for sure. Very easy to get a tooth off.

Firing order was checked for HO and is good. 1,3,7,2,6,5,4,8.

Ordered up heater pipes. Will install that and pressurize the system before installing upper intake.

Will check compression on all cylinders.

Will check distributor location when installed.

[gadget73]

I cheat and use an old cap with the #1 terminal removed. Set the engine to 10 BTDC on the compression stroke and drop the distributor. Line up the rotor with the hole in the cap and it should be pretty close.


Did you prime the oil system before startup with a drill? No funny noises there I presume? Not a lot is gear to gear meshing in these engines, distributor to cam, and the oil pump is gear to gear internally. PS pumps can make some funny noises when out of fluid, just a thought in case it got dumped out by accident. If the starter is messed up and not disengaging properly, that will also get you some funny noises. Not sure how that would even happen unless its dicked or the wrong flexplate is on there though. There is also that aluminum spacer plate between the engine and trans, if thats not up in it's spot it can rub on the flexplate and make noises.

[87gtVIC]

I cheat and use an old cap with the #1 terminal removed. Set the engine to 10 BTDC on the compression stroke and drop the distributor. Line up the rotor with the hole in the cap and it should be pretty close.


Did you prime the oil system before startup with a drill? No funny noises there I presume? Not a lot is gear to gear meshing in these engines, distributor to cam, and the oil pump is gear to gear internally. PS pumps can make some funny noises when out of fluid, just a thought in case it got dumped out by accident. If the starter is messed up and not disengaging properly, that will also get you some funny noises. Not sure how that would even happen unless its dicked or the wrong flexplate is on there though. There is also that aluminum spacer plate between the engine and trans, if thats not up in it's spot it can rub on the flexplate and make noises.

Thanks for the tips.

We have an old cap around that can be used to help out.

The engine was primed with a drill multiple times before starting with zero funny noises.

Will look at fluid level in power steering reservoir. The system was never opened but I accidentally tipped the pump a couple of times and it may have leaked out enough to become an issue.

I know the distributor was meshed correctly with the cam because the rotor spun counter clockwise when removing it. We will check it all out when dropping the dizzy in again.

The spacer between the tranny and engine was put into the dowels and all is correct there and running the same flex plate.

In person it sounded like air noise. In the video it sounds like metal meshing. My dads first thought was metal too.

Search will continue.

[gadget73]

I did have a mating problem between the upper and lower intake once and it whistled pretty good. Idled way high and retarded too, but that was with speed density. Massive vacuum leaks with mass air make it do different stupid things, like not wanting to run. Sometimes aftermarket throttle bodies make whistling noises too.

Is the air intake pipe on? If you did the mass air swap its not gonna want to run without the MAF actually getting airflow.

[86VickyLX]

Sounds like a supercharger whine. Something you're not telling us?
Timing issue as to why it won't start. Engine seems to crank slowly too.

[87gtVIC]

I did have a mating problem between the upper and lower intake once and it whistled pretty good. Idled way high and retarded too, but that was with speed density. Massive vacuum leaks with mass air make it do different stupid things, like not wanting to run. Sometimes aftermarket throttle bodies make whistling noises too.

Is the air intake pipe on? If you did the mass air swap its not gonna want to run without the MAF actually getting airflow.

Video above is with air pipe and mass air plugged in.

Afterwords off camera it ran a bit more without the maf plugged in.

Stock lightning everything above the lower.

Sounds like a supercharger whine. Something you're not telling us?
Timing issue as to why it won't start. Engine seems to crank slowly too.

No.

IDK what to say about the slow crank.

Has a mini starter installed too!

[86VickyLX]

Sounds like your MAF is junk if it runs with it unplugged. Try running it with it off and then plugging it in.

[87gtVIC]

I have two others to try when I get back home.

It still ran like ass when it was unplugged.

[86VickyLX]

You have 24lb injectors on it too right? Did you set the computer to know that it has 24s now?

[Brown_Muscle]

My 1987 Two Door Crown Victoria AKA THE BROWN BLOB

Pretty sure he is running a stock tune, that would certainly do weird things. Wouldn't explain that odd sound though...could be a combination of no tune and something mechanical. Dave, I assume that tune you got is done well enough to allow it to run half decently, I would put it in there and see what happens, at the very least it may run a bit better and aid in diagnosis


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[Grand Marquis GT]

I just looked at the tags. Holy shit, that's some great shit! Better than the ones on Matt's, and I thought they were good!

[87gtVIC]

You have 24lb injectors on it too right? Did you set the computer to know that it has 24s now?

Not yet. When the quarterhorse is installed it will know. Was hoping to get it to somewhat work before placing it in.

Pretty sure he is running a stock tune, that would certainly do weird things. Wouldn't explain that odd sound though...could be a combination of no tune and something mechanical. Dave, I assume that tune you got is done well enough to allow it to run half decently, I would put it in there and see what happens, at the very least it may run a bit better and aid in diagnosis


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Stock A9P tune right now. Once I get back from Houston and the heater hard lines are replaced, compression is checked, dizzy stabbed in more properly and the upper intake goes back on this will most likely be done.

[86VickyLX]

Spout connector unplugged too? Just trying to cover all the basics.

[gadget73]

If its got 24# injectors and doesn't know about it, its gonna run pretty awful. I think I might stick the Quarterhorse on there and change just the injector value for now, leaving the tune otherwise stock. That would at least take one variable out of the equation. If you can load the transfer curve for the MAF you are using, that would also be helpful.

Lame as it sounds, the original 1992 MAF from John's car runs spectacularly on my car. Its a goofy small MAF and it might be choking things, but it seems to mate up very nicely with the un-tuned ECM.