1973 challenger 440 - dies when in drive or reverse

[josephqatarcarguy]

things ive done so far

1. check for vacuum leaks - not any i could find
2. bump the timing up to 18 degrees - idles well but again seems worse when put in gear... goes down to 500 rpm and then dies from 850-800rpm
3. change advance springs to 1 heavy silver and 1 light silver

the car seems to run a bit worse in drive with the timing bumped up ..... any leads guys??

 

[Outsider]

Runs "worse in drive with the timing bumped up," it's not "pinging" or pre-igniting is it?

Wondering about the overall health of the motor. Perhaps you should make a warm cranking compression check of all cyls to make sure you don't have something major like a couple of flat lobes on the cam. Is the timing ever steady when you check it with the timing light at idle or does it always jump around like a bad timing chain; should should show pretty steady mark when you gradually open throttle by hand in Park.

If compression is even, timing steady, and not pinging in drive, then try adding more initial advance up to say 30deg or so and do like was suggested in Post 58.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Hey guys , upgraded to a fitech efi system and that seems to solve the stalling problem, she runs good now


Any advice on settings for the fitech unit ?

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Anyone?

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

I can't say he is wrong, electronic on the fly adjustability is real nice and saves a ton of time. I have been happy with fi systems I have used.

Do you have a fitech unit ?

 

[4406bbl]

Do you have a fitech unit ?

No, I have a holley system. I thought fi tech self learned.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

No, I have a holley system. I thought fi tech self learned.

They are but you can manually change settings too

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

hey guys got a new fitech unit - 600 HP 30005- in tank fuel pump

she starts up great, idles great and runs great , the issue i cant figure out is that if i drive for extending period of time ( highway driver etc ) she stalls to stall while coming to a stop in gear , if i shift to neutral she picks up but if i come to a stop in gear she stalls ? any pointers on where to start ?

 

[4406bbl]

More timing at idle, a less duration cam, a manual transmission, or a custom ordered torque converter that does not drag the engine down so much at idle.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

More timing at idle, a less duration cam, a manual transmission, or a custom ordered torque converter that does not drag the engine down so much at idle.

crap, was hoping for something related to the tune , she runs real well now , no problems at all unless driven for an extended period of time

 

[4406bbl]

Is it possible your voltage drops enough at idle after a long drive and everything gets good and hot to cause this, maybe hook up a voltmeter and see.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Is it possible your voltage drops enough at idle after a long drive and everything gets good and hot to cause this, maybe hook up a voltmeter and see.

If I put the gear in neutral everything is alright.... just coming to a stop from a extended drive... I'm going to try bumping the idle a bit... idles at 850 now...

 

[Geoff 2]

Every cam has a minimum rpm at which the engine will keep running under load [ in the case of an auto, the tq conv ]. More cam needs more rpm, so increasing the idle rpm might be the answer.