Thread: More Holden Trouble

Originally Posted by bee utey

They are the correct length for a blue motor.

OK thanks.

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

I would just monitor the oil consumption.
My guess is you have dilution in the sump(moisture/unburnt fuel etc) and as you have just done a heap more work shifting you have burnt the dilution off(NORMAL).
Remeber,a holden 6 sump is marginal capacity wise in a Series and holden 6s always use oil.
As mentioned give her an oilchange and upgrade to a better spec oil,try Penrite HPR30 for winter,Penrite HPR50 for summer.
Look into the plug length,judging by the carbon on the threads they look to be too long,cant be too far from hitting the pistons
Andrew

Andrew, quite normal for spark plugs to show combustion deposits on the leading threads. Plugs don't seal on the threads like a taper pipe thread but by a washer or a taper seat at the top of the threaded section. They look pretty normal to me, usual ****ty black colour on the body as we expect from the poor quality unleaded motor spirit we are stuck with today, and a reasonably correct colour on the ceramic insulator.

As to red line, Holden sixes in good condition can operate continuously over 3,000 rpm. With a 2.78 diff, 3400 rpm equates to just over 80 mph which mud gutted heavy footed sales reps routinely cruised at in the days when we could do this on our less pest infested highways without getting your photo taken.

I raced an EH 149 in Showroom Stock class in the mid 60's and this used to turn 6200 rpm with hydraulic lifters and standard camshaft.

If doing this conversion, you need to do a thorough rebuild of the engine and carry out some modifications to make it more suitable. Horses for courses. Remember that a 202 won Bathurst in 1972 against 351 Ford Gt's, and came within a whisker of doing it again in 1973 except for Doug Chivas thinking he could go an extra lap before refuelling. These engines spent the entire 500 miles in the rev range 5,000 to 7,000.

I have no idea where banjo's oil is going. It does not appear to have been burnt going by the spark plug photos. One would think a large leak would be noticeable.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Andrew, quite normal for spark plugs to show combustion deposits on the leading threads. Plugs don't seal on the threads like a taper pipe thread but by a washer or a taper seat at the top of the threaded section. They look pretty normal to me, usual ****ty black colour on the body as we expect from the poor quality unleaded motor spirit we are stuck with today, and a reasonably correct colour on the ceramic insulator.

As to red line, Holden sixes in good condition can operate continuously over 3,000 rpm. With a 2.78 diff, 3400 rpm equates to just over 80 mph which mud gutted heavy footed sales reps routinely cruised at in the days when we could do this on our less pest infested highways without getting your photo taken.

I raced an EH 149 in Showroom Stock class in the mid 60's and this used to turn 6200 rpm with hydraulic lifters and standard camshaft.

If doing this conversion, you need to do a thorough rebuild of the engine and carry out some modifications to make it more suitable. Horses for courses. Remember that a 202 won Bathurst in 1972 against 351 Ford Gt's, and came within a whisker of doing it again in 1973 except for Doug Chivas thinking he could go an extra lap before refuelling. These engines spent the entire 500 miles in the rev range 5,000 to 7,000.

I have no idea where banjo's oil is going. It does not appear to have been burnt going by the spark plug photos. One would think a large leak would be noticeable.

Na no leak from the engine,Has normal gearbox & PTO leak.& theres no leak from bottum of the flywheel hole thingy on the bottom of the adapter.
& its just moist & Black in the tailpipe.

Hey went & checked the oil again today it was down some maybe a quarter off the full mark..Whats the diferance with the oil use say to get one was 30 & one was 50 we usualy just use the 25 to 50 i think thats it just your basic oil . going to get some of the oil use said this week on thursday should i do a change or just top up with the new stuff..full oil & filter change would be best hey..


THANKS
Jason & KAren..

Hey Jason,

Valve stem seals can be a culprit in the holden 6's - usually you get a little puff of smoke when you back off the accelerator. Your plugs look good, but without knowing what plug you are running its hard to say - if you have a hotter plug in there you may be burning that small amount of oil no problem, that is to say that it wont show on the plug - from memory you should have a BP6 type plug (NGK brand code) for the blue motor here in NSW.

Another issue could be the accelerator pump on the holley - if they are set up wrong they can put too much fuel in which washes out the bores and ends in oil consumption/smoking. If you are just doing short trips around town with lots of stop/start like traffic lights etc... this can be a killer because the accel pump is working much more.

Black and moist in the pipe suggests that something is going on - should be black and dry.

Cheers,

Adam

PS - whats the oil like? Thin and black, smells like petrol?

Originally Posted by akelly

Hey Jason,

Valve stem seals can be a culprit in the holden 6's - usually you get a little puff of smoke when you back off the accelerator. Your plugs look good, but without knowing what plug you are running its hard to say - if you have a hotter plug in there you may be burning that small amount of oil no problem, that is to say that it wont show on the plug - from memory you should have a BP6 type plug (NGK brand code) for the blue motor here in NSW.

Another issue could be the accelerator pump on the holley - if they are set up wrong they can put too much fuel in which washes out the bores and ends in oil consumption/smoking. If you are just doing short trips around town with lots of stop/start like traffic lights etc... this can be a killer because the accel pump is working much more.

Black and moist in the pipe suggests that something is going on - should be black and dry.

Cheers,

Adam

PS - whats the oil like? Thin and black, smells like petrol?

Hi Adam oil is thin & blackish but i have never taken any notice if it smell like petrol. I will have a look again in the morning as its a bit hard by torch light..I will also get the number off the plugs, Fatty picked them up & it said on the packet that they where for the blue holden 6cyl . I will try & get some better pics to... THANKS

Have someone follow you whilst you let the car run against the engine with a closed throttle downhill, preferably a longish stretch. If you have worn valve guides then a trail of smoke will be observed by the following car.

Hi Jason,

it may not be the case with your motor, depending on how the carby is set up, but I've found the 350 holley to be a bit much for the holden 6 unless there are some mods - bigger cam, more compression etc... I did few "de-conversions" for mates who had put 350s on their toranas, EHs and so on. The WW stromberg was a pretty good option (and standard on the 186s) as were 2x 1"3/4 SU carbs - these were a much better option unless the car was pretty well worked, although the SUs were much more expensive than the holley conversion - which seemed to be available at milk bars at one stage! Plus a holley sticker on the back window was instant street cred I built a mild 149 for a dudes EH then he went and stuck a 350 Holley on it - the donk lasted about 3 months before it was belching smoke!

Tuning the holley is about getting the right jets and power valve combo for your engine, then setting the accel pump right - you need a gas analyser, vacuum guage and plenty of patience. Unless you know someone who is a gun holley dude I'd try and get hold of a WW Stromberg and 186s manifold - they are on eBay all the time. Much easier to tune - just make sure you get the 6 cyl version as there was also one for V8s.

Anyway - thats all well and good, but not much help to you! Have a sniff of the oil, get the numbers (and brand) off the plugs and if you get a chance, see if you get a little puff of smoke when you back off the throttle. The usual stuff like a compression test will help too, if you have the gear to do it.

I run a "high mileage" oil in my 186, I think its 25W 60 - that keeps them nice and quiet too. Dont waste money on fancy oil for these babies - they just need something thick and slippery! The Penrite gear is good too.

Sorry for the long post - I'm bloody bored, sitting at home for 4 weeks and unable to do bugger all thanks to a busted leg.

cheers,

Adam