Introduction; TIII fuel smell and valvetrain nois

[BaxterStockman]

Hi all! First, let me introduce myself: my name is Matt, and I am the proud new owner of a 1992 Dodge Spirit R/T. I owned a 1991 Spirit R/T a few years back; I remember her fondly as the "Flying Turd" because she was fast but a piece of... well, you know. Anyway, my new car is in much better shape - she should be, because much of the mods and work she got under a previous owner (yogurtslinger on turbododge.com; don't know if he's on this forum) was done by Jackson, who I understand is something of a TIII guru. Thanks, Jackson - she runs great!

That is, runs great overall; which brings me to the second part of this post. There are a few slight issues with the car:

(1) There's a scent of fuel coming from somewhere, especially after the car has been running for a while. I haven't been able to track it down accurately yet. However, there is a yellowish-brownish stain on the intake manifold under the AFPR- gas? I have heard that some AFPR units must be shimmed in order to prevent gouging of the O-Ring, and have seen a number of posts recommending the use of two washers in order to space the unit properly. If this turns out to be the problem, does anyone know (a) what the proper size washers are, and (2) where I can obtain a replacement o-ring?

(2) There's a noise coming from the valvetrain on the exhaust side. It sounds like the infamous "lifter tick." Now, I have read numerous posts on ticking lifters, so I won't ask for a recap on fixing the problem. If it does turn out that I've got a bum lifter, I will buy a new set from FWDPerformance and just replace the whole lot. My questions are: (a) are there any easily-visible means of telling whether the problem is a bum lifter? If I take the valve cover off, should I be able to see the problem, or do I have to pull the rocker assembly and closely inspect each lifter? And (b) has anybody figured out some trick whereby one person can remove the rocker assembly without dropping those pesky bits of plastic into the engine?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. Glad to be on the forums!

[RJ138]

The fuel leak could be from the fitting the screws into the fpr and the fuel line attaches to. Some fittings that are used the threads are not correct. I ran into this issue.

As far as the lifters you could put some kind of putty or tape to try and keep the lifters together when you remove the rocker arms. Keep an eye on the lifters that are missing the plastic end caps as the metal tip is just waiting to fall into the head. Make sure all your shims are there and don't lose them.

Congrats on the new purchase!

[BaxterStockman]

Thanks for the tips! I think I've figured out the problem with the fuel smell - the nut which tightens the feed line to the AFPR was so loose I could turn it easily by hand! I'm going to take the car for a spin and see if that fixes it.

I'll try the tape/putty trick when I check the lifters. Not looking forward to paying $429 for a new set (should that turn out to be necessary) but I guess there's no price for peace of mind.

[440dart]

Most common fuel leaks on any TD is the rubber lines that connects to the fuel rail just fire the car up and let it idle and look around i know i would be definitly checking around as it could be a bad situation if you dont find it quick.

Buy a ebay frontmount intercooler fwd cal and some +40s http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-Inlet-Outlet-Universal-Tube-Fin-Intercooler-25x12x3-/250828994943?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a6692b97f My cooler looks just like this one not sure if its the same size or not but the intercooler woke my car up a ton that setup and some slicks i see some high 12s low 13s

[BaxterStockman]

Thanks again for the replies - I've already got +40s, an FMIC, and a Stage IV cal, and this Spirit definitely pulls a lot faster than my last one!

Turns out the AFPR fitting was not the issue - after tightening it, I took the car out for a while. When I got out to inspect, the smell was strongest on the passenger side toward the rear. I took a look underneath, and sure enough there was some fuel leakage at the back of the tank - not a whole lot, but enough to notice a wet spot. So, guess I better get the tank fixed or replaced. Kinda disappointing, seeing as I had been told by the seller that he would trust the car to drive anywhere...

[RJ138]

Thanks again for the replies - I've already got +40s, an FMIC, and a Stage IV cal, and this Spirit definitely pulls a lot faster than my last one!

Turns out the AFPR fitting was not the issue - after tightening it, I took the car out for a while. When I got out to inspect, the smell was strongest on the passenger side toward the rear. I took a look underneath, and sure enough there was some fuel leakage at the back of the tank - not a whole lot, but enough to notice a wet spot. So, guess I better get the tank fixed or replaced. Kinda disappointing, seeing as I had been told by the seller that he would trust the car to drive anywhere...

Check the quick connect fittings and hoses on the tanks sending unit. It could also be the seal from the tank to fuel pump housing/sending unit. Its a 20 year old car stuffs going to come up, just roll with the punches.

[BaxterStockman]

Check the quick connect fittings and hoses on the tanks sending unit. It could also be the seal from the tank to fuel pump housing/sending unit. Its a 20 year old car stuffs going to come up, just roll with the punches.

Okay, I'll check those things out. And - believe me - after owning my last Spirit, I am more than aware of the need to roll with the punches. The fuel leak as such is not what disappoints me; it's the disconnect between the seller's representation as to the condition of the car, and the car's actual condition. I just hope I can get everything fixed soon - which will probably be even sooner with all your help. So, thanks again! :)

[shackwrrr]

Probably not the sellers fault. The seller was clearly getting bored with it if he sold it so it probably didn't get beat on as much. Now that you have it the new power is new and exciting so WOT gets used a little more and problems arise. Same thing I found when I got my new phone, the battery life sucked but it was only that I was using I non stop.

[BaxterStockman]

Probably not the sellers fault. The seller was clearly getting bored with it if he sold it so it probably didn't get beat on as much. Now that you have it the new power is new and exciting so WOT gets used a little more and problems arise. Same thing I found when I got my new phone, the battery life sucked but it was only that I was using I non stop.

I'm not blaming the seller for the condition. However, I don't think it's right or accurate to say that you trust a car to drive everywhere if, as you hypothesize, he hadn't been driving it much. Also, haven't been to WOT yet (I've been getting used to how the car drives before really opening it up) - but I'm looking forward to it!

In any case, my real frustration is not with the seller for mistakenly representing the car's condition (whether intentionally or not - my guess is the latter), it's with the simple fact that the representation doesn't match with reality. I had really wanted to get out on the road! but that seems a bit dicey as things stand.

Anyway, thanks to all who have responded with tips; I will see what I can do tomorrow. Maybe I'll have it at WOT soon!

[440dart]

Now just keep an eye out for a cheap he351 turbo and your good to go :) good luck with your fuel leak if you can put a 225 pump in it if it dont already have one just sayin since you gotta lower it anyway

[ScottD]

It probably wouldn't hurt to put all new fuel hoses on the car. Make sure you use fuel injection hose and fuel injection clamps.

[turbovanman²]

Use high pressure fuel injection hose, the regular stuff is good for around 50psi, we can hit over 100 psi.

When my lifters were noisey, I found that you can move the rocker arm up and down as the lifter collapses, so there is play. You can also use a stethoscope to track the noise to what valve or cylinder.

[BaxterStockman]

Now just keep an eye out for a cheap he351 turbo and your good to go :) good luck with your fuel leak if you can put a 225 pump in it if it dont already have one just sayin since you gotta lower it anyway

Haha, yeah - he351 all the way! I'm a bit intimidated by the fab work required, though - although I know there are some folks on this board who can build a DP, I've never touched a welder in my life, so fabbing up a new WG mount would have to be farmed out too. Then there's the bobble strut mount, shifter cable bracket, etc. - correct? That's a bit much for little ol' me - but I'd certainly love to get some suggestions!

As for the fuel problem - looks like it is the gasket between the filler tube and the gas tank. It's pretty badly worn, and after taking the car for a drive today (eesh, felt a bit apprehensive doing that!) there was gas leaking down from that area. The problem must be getting worse, as I've been watching the underside religiously, and today was the first time I actually saw gas dripping down. Also, while I was peering under the car, I noticed that there is only one strap on the fuel tank! The second is gone; there's not even a stud for the strap's nut. Wonder where it all went?

I'll probably check the fuel line anyway, although I think most of the lines are fairly new, maybe from when the Walbro pump was installed (this is all before I got the car).

I'll try testing the rockers for play; I think I've narrowed the tick down to the exhaust side. It was also suggested to me to check whether there is oil coming from all the bleed holes on the rockers.

Thanks again for all the advice!

[tsiconquest88]

trust it to drive anywhere eh? i dont trust some of those td dudes worth a ----. Jackson is the man and im sure anything he did was good. But man some people over there on that site are shady mo fo's. Idk much about yogurtslinger per say but i dont put anything past people over there. Man i have seen some of the worst advice known to man over there!

[ScottD]

The stud probably snapped off when the nut was rusted on there and someone tried to take the tank down and put some torque on the nut. On those, I always soak them in PB Blaster for a day or two before even touching them. You will need to drill the broken stud out and put a new bolt in. You'll need to drop the tank anyway to put the new filler tube seal in. The filler tube seal may still be available through the dealer. You can get new straps from Rock Auto for $16.

[BaxterStockman]

The stud probably snapped off when the nut was rusted on there and someone tried to take the tank down and put some torque on the nut.

Yeah - that's what I figured, too. On the other hand - and I can't confirm, because I haven't looked closely enough - I seem to recall that the recess where the stud mounts was empty. Perhaps the nut had rusted to the stud, but the stud hadn't rusted to the recess, so when whoever removed the strap torqued on the nut, the stud came out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that's what happened, cause I don't relish drilling out the remains of a stud, even if the tank is dropped and out of the way.

On that note: any tips for storing a large amount of gasoline?

[Lotashelbys]

What I usually do to fix a broken tank strap stud is get an m8x1.25x like 40-50mm full legth thread and weld it to the area where the stud used to be.

[turbovanman²]

Yeah - that's what I figured, too. On the other hand - and I can't confirm, because I haven't looked closely enough - I seem to recall that the recess where the stud mounts was empty. Perhaps the nut had rusted to the stud, but the stud hadn't rusted to the recess, so when whoever removed the strap torqued on the nut, the stud came out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that's what happened, cause I don't relish drilling out the remains of a stud, even if the tank is dropped and out of the way.

On that note: any tips for storing a large amount of gasoline?

Get some 20L oil pails, they work for temp storage.


What I usually do to fix a broken tank strap stud is get an m8x1.25x like 40-50mm full legth thread and weld it to the area where the stud used to be.

Yep, if you have a welder, :eyebrows:

[BaxterStockman]

Yep, if you have a welder, :eyebrows:

Haha, yeah - not sure I'll be able to get that purchase past the little lady. Maybe someday. Also, I'll probably learn how to do it away from an area that may have residual gas fumes! I just don't trust myself enough not to burn my eyebrows/face off.

[turbovanman²]

Haha, yeah - not sure I'll be able to get that purchase past the little lady. Maybe someday. Also, I'll probably learn how to do it away from an area that may have residual gas fumes! I just don't trust myself enough not to burn my eyebrows/face off.

Once you remove the tank, cap off the fuel lines, your fine to weld.