Ever feel like you want to push your car off a cliff?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

The parts house gave you one for the RB engine 413,426,440.  If you said 383 or 400, they would have given you the shorter one.  When you said 400 or 440, you made him make a choice for you

Are you sure that you are even losing spark?
Ignition and fuel problems are so easy for me that I never get stuck for very long. I wish I could help you get it going because it sounds like an easy fix.

Rob

      

Cody,

   Is your electronic ignition system the one Mopar sells? The only way I can see you burning up coils is if you are applying 12 volts to it. The current goes thru the ballast resistor to drop the voltage down to around 10 volts going to the "+" side of the coil. Maybe you can turn the key to the "on" position and measure the voltage on the coil to see what you have there now. Of course, if the coil is shot, your measurements could be wrong. 


  Mike

[Bullitt-]

At a recent meeting of the mopar club here a member described an ECU problem where it read good at a ambient temps but went bad as the heat built up in just a few miles.    but as cheep as ballast resitors are I'd replace that 1st.

[Cuda Cody]

Well, I've replaced everything I could.... Distributor, cap and rotor, Coil, Electronic Control Unit and ballaster.

It runs now, but exactly like it did before I replaced anything..... just doesn't want to run.  I can't seem to get the timing right nor will the engine idle under 1,300 RPMs.  If you give it gas it has a huge miss and hesitation.  I tried to drive it and it bucked and shook and wanted to die.  I made it about 70 feet! 

It must be a carb tuning thing.  The wierd thing is that both carbs (Holley and Carter) both run exactly the same..... ?  I think it time to give it up and let a PRO take over.

[Grancoupe]

Did you check the ignition timing? Make sure that any of the wires are not crossed? Have you checked the cam? I'm curious if you lost a lobe.

[moper]

Well, I've replaced everything I could.... Distributor, cap and rotor, Coil, Electronic Control Unit and ballaster.


It must be a carb tuning thing.  The wierd thing is that both carbs (Holley and Carter) both run exactly the same..... ?  I think it time to give it up and let a PRO take over.

Um...the intake is still leaking...Could it be it doesnt fit properly? Do you know how to tell? Oil doesnt come out if it's sealed. You've replaced all this other stuff. It made no difference. So, logically, it's something you are not looking at yet. I'm puting my money on an intake that doesnt fit properly. With no gasket, and surfaces clean, you should be able to lay the intake in place, and look thru every bolt hole. The holes int eh heads should be visible towards the top of the hole in the intake. If they are biased at all towards the bottom, when the valley pan is in place, the iontake wont line up. If you have to pry, or use tools to start the threads on any bolts, you have a problem. Enlarging the intake's holes is a shade tree way to make it fit, because you havent corrected anything, you've just got the bolts in place. The ports and flanges arent aligned or parallel. In your case, the intake is a hair too wide, leaving the lower parts of the ports open and the gasket not under enough load, and the oil leaking in is the only thing helping it run.

[Bullitt-]

read about low voltage to the ignition on older systems caused by a myriad of things, I know you have new wiring BUT have you taken a voltage reading at the point the power enters the ignition system? coming into the ballast resistor sb upwards of 12v on both sides(if you have the dbl setup) . Many here have traced electrical bugs down by jumping straight from the battery to the power-in wire thus eliminating all else so if the problem is before the ignition they can eliminate that.

[Challenger73318]

If you're sure the carb is working, I would check 1) the fuel pump, and 2) the fuel filter.  After that, I'd look at spark.  What do the plugs look like?  Are the spark plug wires correct?  Any breaks?  Coil wire?  Distributor? etc... work backwards, it's more difficult to skip over something.  Finally, if it's running, but uneven, I'd check timing, and make sure that's dead on.  Your situation almost sounds like a couple of problems, so chasing your tail is going to get you nowhere.  One fix at a time!  Also, I agree with Moper, if the intake seals correctly, oil doesn't get in there.  Could there be a cracked seating surface somewhere?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

If it won't idle under 1300 RPM, that is a BIG red flag. Maybe the vacuum leak is still there with the intake?  If this is a timing issue, you would have to be waaay off, and I don't believe that because your car would be a bear to try to start. As was suggested, what do your spark plugs look like?

Cody,

   This is killing me. I would love 5 minutes with your engine... 


  Mike

[Challenger73318]

If it won't idle under 1300 RPM, that is a BIG red flag. Maybe the vacuum leak is still there with the intake?  If this is a timing issue, you would have to be waaay off, and I don't believe that because your car would be a bear to try to start. As was suggested, what do your spark plugs look like?

Cody,

   This is killing me. I would love 5 minutes with your engine... 


  Mike

A little candlelight, a little wine, and 5 minutes, that engine would be purring  
 

Just kidding Mike, just the way you phrased that...

[440Charger]

I'll bring the wine (or beer) if I can watch you guys tune it.

 

[Grancoupe]

The thing about the car not idling under 1300rpm might be a carb tuning issue. If you open the primary idle screw too much, you end up opening into the transfer slot. Thats why some guys end up drilling a small hole into the primary throttle plates. I tried it and it worked great. It all depends on the profile of the cam your running. But if your setup was running ok before then I guess this is not something that would suddenly occurr.

[Chryco Psycho]

1300 rpm is approx where the fuel starts to be pulled from the boosters so if it will idle below that it would seem to be an idle circuit problem , now why both carb would do that ?? 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

1300 rpm is approx where the fuel starts to be pulled from the boosters so if it will idle below that it would seem to be an idle circuit problem , now why both carb would do that ?? 

   

  I agree, but since both carbs do that, that is why I still wondered about a vacuum leak somewhere. 


   Mike

[Chryco Psycho]

does it have power brakes ? could be leaking through the booster ?
 I think Cody told me he had disconnetced EVERY vacumm draw from the carb & intake though

[Cuda Cody]

OK, here's where I'm at....

I have replaced EVERYTHING (electrical).  It runs and can be driven.  It still needs the carb to be tuned, but it runs!  It will idle at about 1,100, but starts to get rough under that number now.

I used some new MSD plug wires (per Neil) and put new plugs in it (that helped).  I set the carb to run a little leaner and everthing seems to be working ok now.  I still might have a small vacuum leak because it still has a slight hesitation with fast throttle responce.  It also runs much better without the vacuum advance on the distributor.  What does that usally mean?

I think it's time to let a pro tune it for me and then drive the WHEELS off it!

Thanks for all the help everyone and Mike you can have as much time as you want with my car.  Just clean her off when you're done.