hard starting and bogging problem on my 73 roadrunner 318+2

[adk-roadrunner]

As far as the.timing light goes I still haven't figured that on out yet definitely clipped on #1 cylinder farthest forward on the drivers side but couldn't see the mark at all. I'll give it a try when I get the carb back together I wanna make sure I get the float height right.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Well Carb is back together and on car also put new fuel filter in. Fired her up and she seems to idle very high and the idle screw isn't even touching so I'm not sure to turn it down. I did finally get the timing mark to come into view it was off a bit I set that to 10° btdc but then later realized that I forgot to unhook the vacuum line from the distributor and plug it when setting so I'll prolly have to redo that tomorrow. I took the car for a ride seems to run a bit better but is still bogging at take off sometimes to the point it almost dies. This thing is starting to irritate me lol and I'm really not sure how to turn the idle down I'll have to take another look tomorrow. I need to adjust idle mixture screws as well I tried with vacuum gauge but doesnt seem to be working the way I want it to.

 

[YY1]

Too much advance increases idle speed.

The "book" calls for 0* for my 73 318.

It's right too. Any more and it pings.

Is the choke totally open?

 

[adk-roadrunner]

0 degrees with advance hose unhooked or with it hooked up the chiltons I was reading says 10 degrees. I will give it a try. I just rechecked book and I must have read it wrong it just says TDC which I'm guessing means 0

 

[WileE]

The heat riser pushes the exhaust heat under carb and warms the choke spring to release the choke and make the car driveable cold
LA intakes plug up all the time so you do not get choke heat so choke stays on and runs rich until enough engine heat comes up to take choke off

Yep... he's right. I remember doing more than a few jobs back in the 70's, I'd have to pull the intake to clean the caked-up crossover, I'd rebuild the Carter,slap 'em back in & voila !

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Timing set to TDC with vacuum advance plugged still bogging on occasion and driving me crazy I also replaced a bunch of old vacuum lines. If someone has a vacuum line diagram for this 73 318 I would really appreciate it as I don't think they are hooked up the way they are supposed to be. I am wondering if maybe the linkage isn't right going to the accelerator pump as there are a few options for connecting the linkage maybe I'll try messing with that I put it the way it was when I got it but not sure if it was right. There is no bogging in the mid range of the throttle its only when you first crack the throttle you get that hesitation.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Tried to go to a ride last night after letting her sit for a while and only warming for a few minutes ran like absolute crap and even stalled twice every time I try and give it gas it wants to stall and if I feather the gas it will go. Very very irritating I noticed when. I have the vac gauge hooked up I have over 20 inches but it seems to bounce a lot at idle.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Ok so the carb has been rebuilt, floats set to 1/4 inch, new fuel filter, timing set to TDC with advance line to distributor plugged and I even put on a new choke pull off as the other would not hold vacuum but problem will not go away. I even sat and watched the choke open plate fully after just a few minutes but I still have to let it run for 15 to 20 minutes or no joy when trying to drive she just wants to keep stalling. I am ready to throw in the towel on this and my neighbor hates me now as well. the day before yesterday I went out started car as I was gonna go out for a cruise and was messing around with my boat waiting for it to be ready when she comes walking up to me in my yard and asks if I can shut my car off as she's trying to eat dinner in her garden. I told her I will be leaving in 5 minutes and tried to explain that I need to let it warm up for a bout 15 minutes before I can leave and she got all pissed off stating I'm being inconsiderate and that the other day ( the day I was working on it and setting timing ) she had to listen to it run for over an hour through her whole dinner. it is driving me crazy every time I go somewhere if im there for more than an hour or so I gotta sit in the car while it idles before I can go anywhere or if I say haey I gotta run to the store I gotta go out like its winter time to warm her up when its 80 out.

 

[Coronet 14]

I had same problems with mine. Found Carb was leaking fuel around throttle shaft and vacuum leaks with carb and intake leak at front. Behind all the ac stuff. Took forever to figure out. Also throttle cable wasn't far enough forward. I got a 4 bbl intake and carb setup from Summit with electric choke.

 

[rsd859]

Thats what I would do, switch intakes and upgrade to a 4bbl, maybe look on craigs. I just found a small block intake for 60 bucks in my neck of the woods on craigs while i was "working". cheap deals are out there.

- - - Updated - - -

http://springfield.craigslist.org/pts/3754490925.html

 

[Coronet 14]

If that car has an EGR valve that's bad could that cause a problem. Mine didn't have one. Just shot in the dark.

 

[krowbar]

Sounds like vacuum leak to me..check the throttle shaft,being that old it's bound to have some play in it.
Spray carb cleaner around it.see if idle picks up.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

I'll check the shaft. I'm building a new 440 for the car right now so putting any kind of big money in it isn't an option was kinda hoping it is something simple to get it running good so I can drive it till my new engine is ready to swap in.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Still dealing with the problem just was to irritated to deal with it for a while. Today I ordered an egr and intake gaskets last ditch effort on getting it running decent to make it last till I drop the 440 in.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Well this problem won't seem to go away. In the last 3 days I pulled intake cleaned it all out put on new gaskets and sealed it all up, I also replaced egr valve and more vacuum lines. I actually even replaced my valve seals as they were shot and replaced spark plugs as they were caked with nasty crap. Thought it would be gone but not so lucky still stalling all the time until it really warm and even then it stumbles sometimes. I read somewhere that a person had a similar problem because of a bad coil and I still need one for the 440 so maybe I'll just buy one now and give it a whirl.

 

[rsd859]

With a new coil, and that orange box the bad exhaust smell should go away, mine was doing that as well. I got an accel super stock coil.

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Well ecu made no difference gonna get a coil when I can and try that all I know is it is so damn embarrassing stalling all the time lol.

 

[Jonnyuma]

Don't give up! I've had, and am still having, some of the exact drivability issues as you...right up to and including the snooty neighbor (my exhaust is pretty loud). If I felt like it was a "sensitive" time of day ie: 6am or after 10pm, I would warm it up for just a couple of minutes and then idle the thing down the street for a while.
Not necessarily for this particular issue, but here's what I've done: new AirGap intake, new Summit 600 cfm carb, converted to HEI, new plugs ( the HEI let's me gap em at .045"), new 3" exhaust w hi-flow cat and Magnaflow muff, new pulleys and brackets to eliminate the non-functioning a/c, and so on and so on, but those are the big strokes.
And yet...even at operating temp (180*), I get an off-idle stumble which eventually goes away, buuut...still.
It started this behavior when I set the idle mix for max vacuum. The timing was good, but I need to recheck/reset it. This car has recently been pressed into service as a daily driver, Almost 40 mi per day. So the days of ignoring these kinds of drivability issues are over.
Also, I have a bizarre, rhythmic vibration that comes on at 45 mph/1900 rpm which, naturally, is how I spend 90% of my daily commute: a two-lane 45 mph road for about 15 miles...rrruuummm rruuuummm, rrruuummm, rruuuummm...like driving over grooves cut perpendicular to the road. Give it a little gas and it speeds up, lift and it slows down. It speeds up and slows down not in proportion to wheel speed or engine rpm tho. Weird. Checked the tq converter bolts yesterday hoping to find one loose or missing but all there and tight. Anybody had something similar?

 

[adk-roadrunner]

Just got back from advance auto with new msd blaster 2 coil installed no change still wants to stall every time I stop or slow down to take a corner as soon as I touch the throttle. The only way I can keep it from stalling is if I really give it the gas only problem is I look like a douche who has to peel out every time he takes off lol. I think I'm about ready to throw in the towel on this POS LOL I hate giving up but damn it sucks when the work makes no noticeable difference. The valve seals helped with burning oil but if you can't drive it your not burning much anyways.

 

[WileE]

did you clean out the crossover ?