Hi All.. recently bought a 71 p1800 injected model and only started playing with it..ive got it running ok, bit lumpy...blocked off a half opening air valve, srewed out the idle screw 4 turns as it was screwed right in! but while doing it at night ive noticed the manifold and downpipe glowing red at idle .. coolant temp sits well under half!... is this the norm for a b20e??
Sugestions?

What rpm's is it idling at when it goes red?
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Three 164's, Two 144's, One 142 & a partridge in a pear tree.

Ive just noticed my flame trap is missing and someone has just connected the hose straight to the metal outlet!!.... could this be an issue with hihg idle ?

Most definitely not normal. And running it as such will put you in the market for a new manifold in pretty short order, and gasket, etc. Also keep in mind, if it's red (we're talking 800-1300 degrees F), it's beyond flash point for many materials. Significant fire hazard.

Timing and valve clearances first. Hopefully one or both will solve the problem, as well as the 'lumpy' running issue.

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-Matt I ♥ my ♂

Timing set at 10 deg
Valve clearences all ok.... still the same! Grrrr

Your advance/retard mechanism could still be stuck or sticking anywhere up to full advance. Rotor should snap back to its static position if you twist it and let it go. Should move 10-15 degrees.

I think Derek uk and DELOC are on the right trail. Retarded timing will cause the manifold to overheat. 10 degrees advance will be ok at idle but not enough advance at speed. Check as suggested at the distributor--and with a timing light--you should at least see total advance of 25 degrees or so and up to 35 or so.
As another poster mentioned--the sooner you fix this the better--as these manifolds are relatively fragile. -- Dave

Check your timing.

Hi,
Several years ago I had a similar situation on a B20. In this case the distributor breaker plate had come loose or broken, don't remember which, and messed up the timing severly. I also had to replace the exhaust manifold as it had cracked. Bottom line, check the advance/retard mechanisms in your distributor.
Deloc