Intrepolicious
Well-Known Member
All good stuff AJ! You're helping a lot more than you think. Just gives me more to think about. It might very well be that I'm having multiple issues.
I've tried this and it really had no effect. I've actually tried it a couple times on different occasions when it's been acting up (priming the carb) and it has never helped get it started.If you have the 2bbl you can unscrew the cover on the top of it and dump fuel directly into the float bowls. I did that when my fuel pump failed, it would start up and run fine for a few seconds, and for as long as I kept putting gas in the bowl directly that way. Just don't overfill it. It isn't much bigger than a shot glass. Next time it dies on you you could try that and verify if you have a fuel delivery to the carb problem.
From my experience it sounds to me like you may have a flooding problem. Do you notice a strong smell of fuel when these episodes occur? Do you notice large amounts of black, foul-smelling exhaust when your engine dies? Or even when it's running? If these symptoms exists, I'd bet the needle is jammed in/out of its seat due to foreign matter of some sort.
I DO have a strong gas smell when she's acting up
I installed new plugs about a week agoHave you pulled any of the spark plugs to see what they look like? If flooding/too much fuel is the issue, the plugs might be able to help you figure it out. Regardless if that is the issue or not, seeing the condition of the plugs may help.
I've tried that.Leave the gas cap loose, allowing air to escape............
I think the old plugs are still out in the garage somewhere. I'll see if I can get a pic.I installed new plugs about a week ago
I figured they'd help somehowYour videos were most helpful to me.
Bud said:1. Crank time.
First of all, you can crank the starter for longer than you are – which I think will help the hard to start problem, a lot. These cars generally need to be cranked a bit more than you have been, to fire off.
You can crank for up to 30 seconds – but if you do crank that long, you need to allow starter to cool, before trying again (a min or so). 30 seconds is a long time and something else needs to be fixed if it generally takes that long.
I suspect only giving a second to crank, is too short to start car.
Thanks for the pics! With the lean burn setup removed, there's all kinds of things plugged off on the carburetor. The PCV and the dist vacuum advance hoses are there. Everything else looks like it's plugged off, although I am hearing a whistle when I rev it.Bud said:2. Missing vacuum lines
I didn't see any vacuum hoses at all, except for one going to brake booster(?)
Attached is copies from my '77 Wagon and '86 5th Ave. Both are 318 2-bbls.
The '77 would be more correct – and even then, not all needs to be re-attached.
The port going to Temp Sensor (on Air Cleaner) can be plugged (in Florida).
The PCV valve hose and hose going to distributor vacuum advance are both a must.
The OSAC valve can be bypassed (the '77 diagram could come with or without a OSAC valve and both are listed – which is confusing).
The EGR, CCEGR (either), CCEV, Vacuum Solenoid Valve*, Vacuum Amplifier* and Vacuum Reservoir* hoses (and part themselves) can be left undone – as long as ports on carburetor have been plugged. (* means I suspect these parts have already been discarded).
I had been playing with the idle screw while troubleshooting the stall/no start issue.Bud said:3. Idle Speed
Idle speed is a bit lot – but that might be fixed once vacuum hose dilemma has been fixed.
Bud said:4. Service Manual
The older service manuals are split into two books. One for electrical and everything else. Go to your table of contents and see if it has group 14 (fuel) and 25 (emissions) – or does it only show group 8 (electrical)?
BudW
Thanks for the input. Everything that's unplugged seems to be unplugged because of the lean burn removal. The car was running great last night... I have a hunch that another member here nailed it right off the bat. Let's hope it continues to run great today.Couple things I noticed from your video. 1. Too many unplugged vacuum ports, and 2. The pump shot seems weak. So rule out flooding. But still, something is causing a restriction in fuel flow. Or, perhaps, an interruption in the spark such as a faulty ballast resistor. However, a short in the ignition system usually results in a backfire and loud exhaust pop. With a fuel shortage, the engine simply quietly dies. So your issue lies within your fuel system.