So, since the alternator fiasco, the Trooper has been running a little weird. While I was messing with it, I also replaced the distributor with a used unit I got from a friend (my distributor had an internal oil leak). Since I put in the new distributor, the engine has seemed really flat. It bogs a little after I shift, and it seems to have some strange surging, like higher rpm missing, but it is not jerky, the power just seems to really fluctuate, and overall it is running weak. With this occuring, I figured I would seafoam it, what could it hurt. When I popped the hood, I noticed a red glow coming from down low on the driver's side of the engine. Much to my dismay, my exhaust manifold was glowing red!! I am assuming that this has to be a timing related issue. My fear is that I have burned a valve, or multiple valves. I set the timing when I put the distributor in, and it is right at twelve, or at least fluctuated around that point. Has anyone had a distributor go bad, and this type of thing happen? I am going to pick up a different distributor tomorrow, and see if it makes a difference. I am wondering if the encoder has gone bad in this new distributor and it is not sending a good signal to the computer? I would get the old one back, but I put it in his Trooper, that he has now donated to the kidney foundation. And the real irony of the whole thing, his distributor has a worse internal leak than mine did (yes it is internal, the o-ring is new). Prior to the different distributor, everything worked fine, except for my cold high idle. Ironically, now it idles at cold better, but I am sure that a glowing red manifold will quickly be the death of the little rig. The temperature gauge is running in the same place it always has. I am not seeing elevated coolant temperatures. I don't know if there is anything besides timing that could cause this. I wonder if a plugged cat would do this as well, not letting the hot gases escape. It is an '88 with the 2.6 and a 5 spd.

The 2.6 engine is notorious for having the harmonic balencer slip on itself. So what you think you set to 12 degrees very well may not be. Get the #4 cylinder up to top dead center and see where your timing marks are.

I bet they are off. The symtoms you describe sound like timing issues.

Joe

Timing was my thought as well. I will check the balancer, it is only a year and half old, but that probably doesn't mean anything. I know the bolt is tight, I check that on a regular basis, since the last one came loose. There was no problem until the new dizzy. I am guessing that something has gone wrong with the encoder or the sending unit on the dizzy. I am just afraid with the manifold as hot as it was, I have done irreparable damage to the head and the valves. I am not saying it is not the balancer, but it seems odd that it only surfaced with the new dizzy. I am going to be bummed if I have killed the head. If the balancer has slipped, then the bond between the inner and outer rings has failed. Isn't it inevitable that the outer ring will now slip off at some point? What are the odds the valves and the head survived this? My only hope is since the coolant temp did not get up, the head was kept cool. I have never had something like this happen, so I really don't know if an aluminum head can even survive this??!

My Trooper has the same problem. I have searched the Internet, and what I have found is that perhaps the Harmonic Dampener may have slipped. This was a problem with the 2.6. At the moment, I am having my Trooper dissected (blown head gasket). The whole damn thing is being checked over. This is going to cost me a bundle, but I think the ol' Troop is worth it!

Not ruling out the slipped balancer(I've seen this happen on lots of S-10 4cyl), but the lose of high rpm and glowing manifold are almost always restricted exhaust.You can remove O2 sensor to see if rpm's are better. I would thick that if timing was out far enough for exhaust temp to fire up manifold it would not run. Never had converter problem on Isuzu but lots of GM's,especialy after poor peforming ignition system.
HTH

I think I am leaning towards the converter problem! The timing mark was dead on! That was my thought also, about the timing being able to light up the manifold. I did not even think it could run with the timing that far out. I have seen headers glowing before, but this is the first time I have a seen a cast manifold glowing. Maybe the converter has just gotten bad enough to exhibit symptoms. I am swapping the dizzy right now. At the very least, I now have one to take apart, so I can replace the seal in the bottom of the housing. I have yet to see a Gen1 I-Tec Trooper dizzy where this seal does not leak. If your Trooper has been overheated, even once, I'll bet this seal is as hard as a rock, and there is probably a lovely groove in the shaft. I think many people who think they have a bad o-ring might have the internal seal leaking, if not a combination of the two.
The cat is not the original. The PO actually replaced the cat with a much smaller unit than the original. I know it is a no-no, but I live in a part of Utah where they do not check emissions. I might just cut that cat right out! A short piece of pipe might just take up residence in the cat's place. Oddly enough the exhaust at the rear seems to have plenty of pressure, but it might just be blocked enough to retain too much heat! Is there any way, besides the glowing manifold to diagnose the plugged converter?

You can use a IR non touch thermometer. Check the temps before and after the cat. And check the cat temp as well. This is of course after a good drive.

I wish I had an IR thermometer, because it is still glowing with a different dizzy. Oddly enough, it seems to get hotter if I try to drive it easy. I drove it to work this morning, and took it pretty easy on it for the first 20 miles or so. I stopped to check the color, it was even brighter red than before, and went closer to the head! I noticed that it seemed to run a little better once I got above 3k, so I just tryed to keep her wound up. I checked it again when I got to work, and it was only dull red, and only down at the bottom near the collector. It seems odd that the collector and the exhaust are not red, only the manifold is glowing. I can't think of anything else this could be, unless I have a computer problem. I wonder if the dying alternator did something bad to the computer?? No codes or anything, I am really surprized I have not had the CE light come on, I am sure the O2 is fried! I guess the cat will be the next step. The exhaust shop that put my last muffler on was kind enough to put their flare going towards the cat, so I think I can grind off the weld, and then the cat still has bolts upstream, so I can drop it out, clean it out (with a blunt metal object) and reinstall. It will still look like I have a cat, but it will be free flow! I really hope the CE light does not come on with an O2 fault, I really don't think I will be able to get it out. As hot as this manifold is, I think the O2 is likely welded to the manifold.

A little update on what I have found. The cat is not clogged, I had the exhaust pressure tested at a muffler shop! I am apparently getting unburned fuel in the exhaust, which is ingniting in the manifold. As far as the power goes. before when I said it did not have top end power, and had a high rpm miss, I really wasn't getting much over 2800-3000rpm. I have since discovered that the top end is good, 3000 rpm and up, it seems to run okay, and if I drive it like I stole it, I can keep the manifold from glowing. I have replaced the plug wires, the cap, and the rotor and the distributor as well. Since the distributor was really the only changed variable besides the alternator, I attributed the change to the distributor. The damper has not slipped, and the timing is set to recommended degree. So now I have no idea what is wrong?? Could a vacuum leak cause this, could a bad warm up valve or something like that cause this?? Could this be bad injectors?? I have noticed that power is not too good off the bottom either, and it has a surging missing feeling up to 3000 rpm. This all started after the alternator problems. I know it had not done it prior, because the manifold and the O2 sensor were not discolored. I check oil every time I fill up, and I would have noticed the manifold glowing. Is is possible that the computer or some other component in the fuel system was damaged by the alternator failing?? I certainly can't drive it with a glowing manifold, and it really isn't feasible to drive around above 3 grand all the time either. I am at a loss. It does act like it is getting extra air from somewhere, especially at idle. It used to idle at 900-1000 rpm, and now it consistently idles around 1500 and I cannot get it to drop. I don't hear a vacuum leak, but I will get out the propane and see what I can find. I really don't want to take it to a mechanic, but I am reaching the end of my rope, and apparently my abilities!

If you have unburned fuel in the exhaust, you might have a leaky injector. Or you have a cylinder that isn't firing.

I would suspect a fuel problem though. Ussually, an ignition problem will get worse with a load (not necessarily rpm). Since it runs good at high rpm, I think it is loading up with fuel at low rpms-thus, the unburned fuel in the exhaust.

A vacuum leak would have the opposite effect.

I don't know if I explained myself very well; but hopefully this helps.