I had a slight overheating problem yesterday on my way home from work. This was apparently caused by the gaskets, or rather lack there of, between the water pump and the engine block. Wish I knew where they went too.. guess things like that just go bad sometimes. Anyway, I spent all day yesterday replacing what was left of the old gaskets, flushed the cooling system, and replaced the antifreeze. Walla.. no more leaks or overheating... problem solved right?

Wrong..

Now I'm experiencing a loss in power at higher speeds (30-60+), and accelerating from a stop results in a slight sputtering. I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion as to where i should start looking for my lost power.

I love my vette, but I'm getting passed by all the little old ladies now! :(

Make sure the throttle cable is fully opening the carburetor. Another thing to check is the timing, especially the centrifugal advance. The weights may be stuck (gummed up advance plate).

Make sure the throttle cable is fully opening the carburetor. Another thing to check is the timing, especially the centrifugal advance. The weights may be stuck (gummed up advance plate).



Lubing the centrifical advance mechanism is part of a normal (former) 10,000 mile tune-up. Remove the rotor, then put 2 drops of 30 weight oil in the center of the shaft where the centrifical advance weights pivot. And then check the weights for free movement. Many distributors had a small felt pad in the center of the distributor shaft to help retain the oil, but I don't think V8 Chevrolets ever had them. Also while you're into the distributor, check the vacuum advance diaphragm by sucking on it's hose and seeing if it holds vacuum. Also check for free movement of the breaker plate while you're sucking on the hose. And like Big_G said, check the timing while you're at it.

Is the engine missing during that loss of power? If so, then it could be a bad spark plug wire or a fouled spark plug. The wires can easily be checked for an internal open with an ohm meter. They should each have around 25,000 ohms resistance. If one has zero resistance, the core is burned out.

Ok, I checked the throttle cable, everything checked out. Then I checked the centrifugal advance wieghts, everything was clean and dry, but still moving smoothly. I lubed them as suggested. Checked the vacuum advance while I was in there, everything felt fine. (Just glad no one saw me sucking on car parts lol)

The engine isn't missing durring the loss of power, but I did check all the spark plugs and wires yesterday. Everything was fine there too.

The only thing left to check is the timing, but it'll be tomorrow before I can make it back into town to pick up a timing light. I'll keep you guys posted and Thanks a ton for the help!

Your ignition timing is probably ok, but it sure doesn't hurt to check it. You may have a fuel starvation problem, so I suggest checking your fuel pump's output (1- 1/2 pints in 30 seconds) and check your fuel filter(s). ESPECIALLY the fuel filter in the carburator's inlet. Because they are so small, they plug up easily.

And sucking on most car parts IS socially acceptable, but NEVER suck on the tail pipe.