Looks like mine is way too rich. So if it’s leaned out more it won’t help my issue. Although at first when these were installed my tune was crap for a few hundred miles and my initial advance was set at 10-12. Later with same plugs it got the advance dialed in and no more rich fuel smell before these were swapped for the other plugs trying to help with my detonation issue.
Yep you got some work to do! Run some new plugs for a bit and then do the same check. FWIW I usually buy an extra plug or two when I get new ones since they're still cheap. I do have an A/F meter as well but there's no substitute for a good plug read..they never lie!
If I have a bad tune and run the car like I did for a while and then tune it nice and run it some more, will the plug read change as the soot burns away with the new tune or will the initial bad tune leave my plugs looking like above even if it gets dialed in over time?
Convert it to E85. $2 a gallon at the pump and is 110+ octane. Octane is resistance to detonation.I am getting some knock/detonation at WOT. Went one colder plug down didn't help. I am trying various timing and plug combinations to see if I can get it to run well without detonating.
Set up:
Car: 1970 Sat with a A904 and 271 rear
Engine: 1973 340 with an unknown aggressive cam and unknown compression with stock steel heads.
Set up: Have it a running a little rich right now and will get an actual A/F reading later in the week.
Variables and Combinations:
Fresh clean gas
Current set up is base timing 19 with a mechanical advance of limit of 14 via a new bushing. Total timing 33. All in at 2500 or so.
Went from 66 to 65 Autolite's. Still detonates.
In the next day or so when I get time to play with the car again I will try lowering the timing to 17/31 to see if it goes away. Not sure I want to retard it much more than that.
Looking for some reasonable suggestions. Slapping on the new Trickflow's is not reasonable unless you want to purchase them for meLowering compression via thicker gaskets etc is what I am looking for input wise.
I know nothing about E85. Can a carburetor set up be easily modified for this?
Yes. Buy a kit from quickfuel for $300 to convert a Holley. Or you can just buy a E85 carb. E85 is 85% alcohol so the jets need to be bigger and the gasket material needs to hold up in the carb. E85 conversion kits come with alcohol gaskets and special E85 metering blocks. You also need metal fuel filter and alcohol compatible fuel lines. HotRod has good articles about this online.
Is E85 a high ethanol mix?
85% ethonol.
110 octane sounds delicious. I will look into this thanks!
EVERYTHING that E85 touches is going to have to be ethanol compatible, and that still doesn't keep it from absorbing water, condensation, atmospheric, any form, like a sponge.
Mine is running 12:1 TRWs and the cam has a long duration. I bought it like this and was trying to use it without a complete rebuild.
Interesting your saying alcohol is hydroscopic?
I'm saying when E15 up to E85 is used as a fuel, any form of water that comes into contact with it gets absorbed and mixed in.
HyGROscopic is a more valid term for "readily absorbs water" but it refers more to a solid or dissolved solid or element in a solution, but you get the idea
Not a huge problem our typical humidity is 10% it rains 10 times a year here lol
