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Basic Tuning Tools for a GM Car Engine

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    • Used spark plugsold spark plugs image by Rog999 from Fotolia.com

      Those who prefer to turn their own wrenches should have the basic tools on hand. These basic tools make tuning a GM car engine easier-if you do not use the proper tools, the job becomes difficult, and, depending on which wrong tool you are using, you could damage engine parts.

    Vacuum Gauge

    • An internal combustion engine operates on vacuum to draw air into the cylinders. Vacuum is measured in inches of mercury. An engine that is not experiencing problems should idle at 17 to 22 inches of mercury (shown on the vacuum gauge). When you snap the throttle, the vacuum drops to 3 inches of mercury, then rises to as high as 28 inches of mercury, before settling down to idle vacuum. If the rings on the pistons are bad, the engine works harder to suck air into the engine, and the vacuum measures at lower than 17 to 22 inches of mercury. How low depends on the condition of the rings or how many rings are bad (each piston in a GM engine has three rings).

      If a valve is bad, instead of idling steadily at 17 to 22 inches of vacuum, the vacuum gauge drops 4 inches of vacuum, then rises back up to normal idle vacuum. A burnt valve causes the vacuum gauge to drop about 6 inches of vacuum, then rise back up, to normal idle vacuum.

    Small Screwdrivers

    • GM car engines with carburetors have several adjustments on the carburetor. When tuning a GM engine with a carburetor, the adjustments must be made to the main mixture, idle mixture and idle speed screws. The mixture screws change the amount of fuel and air entering the engine. The optimal mixture is 14 parts air to 1 part fuel. The idle mixture screw only adjusts the mixture of air and fuel at an idle. The idle speed screw adjusts the RPM of the engine while the engine is at an idle.

    Spark Plug Sockets

    • Changing the spark plugs on a GM engine is part of the tune up. Special spark plug sockets that have rubber inside the socket grab the spark plug, so that it can be pulled out of the spark plug seat once it is unscrewed. It is important not to drop spark plugs, because this could change the position of the electrode. The position and color of the electrode tells the mechanic whether the mixture of air and fuel is too rich or too lean. Rich and lean conditions give the mechanic clues about how the engine is running, and, whether the engine needs more than a basic tune up.

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