At low rpms and cruising speed, it acts fine. Not as much low-end torque as I'd like, but the real problem comes when I hit the throttle and I get major popping. More like WAAAAP WAPWAPWAPWAP. The engine seems to hesitate and lose power at the same time. If I back out of it and gradually ease into the throttle, then I can accelerate fine without the popping and without loss of power. No tach, so I can't say exactly what rpm this takes place at.
I'm confident in my break-in, so I'm pretty sure it's not the cam. I went over the ignition a billion times and indexed the distributor when I put the engine back together. I have a new fuel pump, new filter and new fuel lines, though I haven't yet checked the fuel pressure. I replaced the throttle position sensor and relocated the crank position sensor using the Advance kit. The temporary exhaust is a Cherry Bomb, no cat, but those pop on decel, not acceleration. I installed an adjustable MAP, but haven't yet tweaked it.
There is some slight ticking from one of the lifters toward the rear of the engine, which goes away after the engine warms up. Oil pressure seems to be good. My gauges aren't entirely accurate, but they're in the ballpark and show about 50psi on startup. Engine vacuum at idle is right around 12-13. And I'm aware that I only have about 50 km on this engine, so things could still be tight.
So I'm at a loss.
Does this sound familiar? If so, what's the problem, and how do I fix it?thanks,
dan
