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440 with no power.

9K views 70 replies 7 participants last post by  maachine 
#1 ·
Hey guys, my 440 engine seems to have no power. I have 33 inch tires, and I'm not sure what axle ratio. I think it might also be straight piped because she is really loud. When I straight piped my gsxr motorcycle, she had no acceleration and no power. So when I bought a new exhaust system for it, it felt like a new bike. Any ideas on whats going on with my motor?
 
#2 ·
that backfiring issue you mentioned in the other thread could be the issue. my truck had no power and i changed the distributor. the old distributor was the computer controlled one. once i swapped that out and put a new HEI dizzy in it, it ran like a top. my power output probably doubled.

i doubt the exhaust would be the issue.
 
#4 ·
it does, but only during certain RPM ranges. on a v-8 its less likely that the exhaust would effect the performance as compared to a motorcycle.

HEI stands for high energy ignition. its what chevy and gmc started using back when dodge was still using the ignition module. its a different set up is all. much simpler and less wires required. HEI needs just one 12v wire. where the dodge system has like 10 wires to complete the ignition circuit.

and ya switching that setup to HEI is easy. like i said, all it requires i one 12v wire to the coil, coil wires up to the distributor. done.
 
#5 ·
but you need to buy a whole new distributor that is set up as HEI. for a good one it costs around 100$. but there is a write up on how to buy just the HEI module and wire it into your current distributor. its a sticky thread on this forum
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
a lot of people here will argue that the dodge setup works just fine. which is true. but i liked the simplicity of the HEI distributors. swapping to a HEI set up eliminates a lot of components.....wires....ignition module....ect.
 
#12 ·
Oh and another thing that may be linked to loss of power, is I get garbage gas milage. I know it's a 7.2L, but I get roughly 1.2 km/L. So like 1m/L. It's ridiculous, I have an 80L tank I believe, and I can travel not much more than 80km on a tank of gas :(
 
#13 ·
After getting your ignition repaired/replaced and timing set, you could tune your carb, replace/re-gap plugs, and check for vacuum leaks. That should get your engine running a little more efficiently.

However... These big blocks aren't known for mileage. Expect anywhere from 8-12 mpg, and you would have to be DAMN lucky to get 12 mpg.

My carb is running insanely rich, I haven't checked my timing yet, and I believe I'm averaging somewhere around 5 with my city driving...
 
#14 ·
I will try everything mentioned above to get more power and milage. If I can't get more power out of this big block, I am going to switch to a 360... No point on keeping a 440 if it weighs way more with no advantage in power. But, I will try to fix her.
 
#15 ·
my 318 gets around 10 miles per gallon. fairly common for these old engines to get crappy gas mileage
 
#17 ·
I don't think there's much advantage in power for a 360 over a 440... Sure you can build a 360, but to put the same amount of effort into a 440 there is no comparison...

As for weight difference; it's a truck, not a ferrari. Especially with a 4x4, weight has it's advantages in snow... ;)
 
#18 ·
Good point with the weight. Power wise, I mean if I can't get the power from the 440 with the mentioned ways, I will swap to a 360. I have a good running 360 already that gets way better gas milage lol. Not too sure on how the 360 would handle 4lo though?
 
#19 ·
why would anyone want to replace a 440 with a small block? long ago i had a friend with a 92000 mile charger r/t with a 440 that was one of the sweetest running motors i ever heard. she would run 14's all day and top out over 150. fuel mileage be damned. there's nothing like a big block for exciting the senses. check your carb and make sure its set right, check your timing and give her a tune up, and check for vacuum leaks. check the kickdown for proper alignment. maachine probably had me in mind when he said some of us here prefer stock chrysler ignition. millions of miles and thousands of cars and trucks can't be wrong.
 
#20 ·
hey i have seen a few threads with issues like this one where the ignition module was to blame. unfortunately the testing procedure doesnt really tell you if its good or bad in some cases.

make sure the truck is tuned properly. like i said, my little 318 had no power when i first got it. after changing out the bad distributor, the thing ran so well i broke the crankshaft. something is not tuned right on your engine, something is amiss.
 
#22 ·
yep, i think you can 'borrow' them from autoparts stores if you need one
 
#23 ·
A guy from work has one, I will just use his. Man you guys are so helpful. So what exactly do I do to check the timing? I'm sure the guy with the gun knows, but to tell you the truth, I trust you guys way more than him.
 
#24 ·
hook the light up to the battery, the other cable will clip onto your number one spark plug wire. which should be drivers side closest to the front of the vehicle. you'll loosen the distributor enough to turn it. advancing the timing will show as BTDC (before top dead center) and retarding the timing will show as ATDC (after top dead center). not sure what a 440's timing should be set at to be honest.

now you'll shine the light onto the timing marks on your timing chain cover. it will show numbers BTDC and ATDC. there will be a mark on the harmonic balancer that will line up with those numbers. you'll turn the distributor to align that mark up with the proper number. timing on these old motors are always set to BTDC.

do all this with the engine warmed up and idling.

damn i shouldve just found a youtube video that would show you this instead of all this typing.

google stuff son and start reading/ watch videos. lots of good knowledge found online
 
#26 ·
...as for a 360 being able to handle 4-lo...I hope it can!!!

You could probly put a honda civic motor in your truck, and it will still move it in 4-lo!

4-lo is a gear reduction between your transmission and differentials. If 2 or 4-hi is 1:1, then 4-lo will be somewheres around 3:1 or 2:1 depending on the t-case. Some of the more serious wheelers prefer 4:1 or greater...or dual t-cases...

Gear reduction (also called gear ratio) is a formula determining how many revolutions the input will make compared to the output. 1:1 means they both spin the same. 2:1 means the transmission output shaft will spin 2 times to make the transfercase output shaft spin one time. Just like gears on a bicycle. The lower the gear, the slower you go, and the easier it is to climb a hill.

Your transmission has it's own gear ratio for every gear (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, OD, reverse). 1st gear is low, so it will be like 6.5:1 if you have a manual granny gear. 3rd or 4th (depending on what transmission you have) is final gear, 1:1. Overdrive is like an opposite of reduction, they can be around 0.8:1 or so...

Your axles have gear ratios also. These are KEY to a powerful truck. I don't know what your pickup has, probably something like 3.55's (3.55:1). This means that the driveshaft turns 3.55 times before the tires make one full turn.

The higher the number, the "lower" the gearing. Old Jeeps can be found with a 2.79:1 first gear, 2.46:1 4-lo, and optional 6.48:1 axle gears. That's why an old Jeep with a 60 hp 4 cylinder motor can crawl up the side of a mountain.

Hope this clarifies your questions about 4-lo... ;)
 
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