sputtering and shooting flames

[Rackne]

I'm cruising to work with my dashlights now working when I detect a miss in the engine. I'm doing 65 in a 70 and I'm not more than two miles from work not pushing it at all, it gets worse feels like I'm only firing on half the cylinders as I take my exit. I shift into neutral to keep the r.p.m.s up and it sputters real bad. I barely make it to my parking lot at about 5 mph. I install a MSD 6AL to replace the TRW module but it wouldn't start possibly due to the tach adapter not being available. So re-installing the TRW unit which is mysteriously full of sand and gooey stuff, it sputters to life and I have my girlfriend follow. It will only make it to about 30 mph and has serious problems with the hills when girlfriend starts flashing her lights. She tells me that flames are coming out of the exhaust so I park it in an out of the way town. Any ideas?
Oil pressure was 45 lbs. and temp stayed at 175. Headgasket?

[johan01]

Timing too retarded?

Also with your misfire, raw fuel could be dumped into your exhaust system.

Add a '(in) correctly timed' flame down the exhaust and boom! Afterburners are on.

With a retarded ignition, its possilbe that still burning fuel is pushed out of the combustion chamber and into the exhaust.

my guess,

[Rackne]

I haven't messed with the timing, would it retard on its own some how?

[Jim H]

A loose distributor hold-down bolt can allow it to fall back (retard) on its own.

A 'jumped' timing chain can also retard valves and spark timing.

Good luck

BCingU, Jim

[Aaron]

Hot damn!

Bring that baby to a classic American car show and light those tailpipes up!!

They'd get a kick out of that!

[Rackne]

Sure, like they'll be impressed by yet another car trailered in, that can barely move under its own power.

[Rackne]

But seriously is there any chance this is related to the TRW ignition box that is leaking goo and is packed with sand?
I've ordered a crane cams ignition and already have a MSD AL-6 and a Acel super coil to install. And its only going to take two days to get it to the plains of Kansas, if the river don't rise and the mules don't give em trouble.

[johan01]

Accel super-coil? Is that the yellow stock sized ignition coil?

In a previous project, I installed a Crane 'box and the Accel super-coil and the coil died after a week. Got too hot I think. A Crane coil (PS-92, I think) was installed quickly after that and I got very reliable service from the Crane.

Could be a fluke on my end, but FWIW, that's my story.

[Rackne]

Yes its the yellow one, at $32 it better function for years. I had my friend from the 2nd Kansas Light Artillery (Reenactment) unload the 1834 cast iron six pounder off his trailer and we loaded my 280SE
utilizing a power winch and my 85 BMW 325e. Dave insisted I drive the truck as the rear wheels of the car were about five inches from the rear of the trailer and he feared a catastrophe might occur in the 45 mile drive back home. But it all turned out well and its back home in the driveway. Tomorrow the diagnostics begin.

[Rackne]

Installed the Crane XR700, Acel Super coil, and the MSD 6-AL tonight. It fired right up, a little rough but I haven't played with the timing yet as the plug gaps need to be set to .050 to .060, and I'm sure that will have an affect on the timing. But its running and not sputtering, I'm so relieved.