Help! Stuck at the side of the road wont start

[Kerplunk]

Hey guys,
hope someone can get me going here, my car stalled on the final ride of the season,
she's stuck on the side of the road and I cant get it started, the motor will crank and fire but dies after a few seconds, only if I dont touch the gas pedal.
If I pump the pedal or put the pedal to the floor and hold it there it just keeps cranking! Ive tried a new coil and ballast resistor as thats what I had in the trunk but no luck.
Im also getting fuel out of the squirters


Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks!!

 

[YY1]

what car?

flooded?

hold the choke closed?

 

[Kerplunk]

what car?

flooded?

hold the choke closed?

Sorry that would help, it's a 67 belvedere 440.
I'dont have any power to the start circuit now, through the key anyways, so I'm going to have it towed and sort it out with fresh eyes tomorrow.

 

[YY1]

OK, good luck.

 

[Bear R.-]

"Ballast resistor".new one will prob.do it."the one out of the trunk is most likely dead",God Bless ya.let me know if that was it.Bear R.-

 

[PFG MOPAR]

Ecm !!!

Just went through the same damn thing !! :angryfire:

See My Dead/Revived 1973 Plymouth Satellite !! thread..

Still ain't right.

:angry1:

Mike..

Hey guys,
hope someone can get me going here, my car stalled on the final ride of the season,
she's stuck on the side of the road and I cant get it started, the motor will crank and fire but dies after a few seconds, only if I dont touch the gas pedal.
If I pump the pedal or put the pedal to the floor and hold it there it just keeps cranking! Ive tried a new coil and ballast resistor as thats what I had in the trunk but no luck.
Im also getting fuel out of the squirters


Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks!!

 

[Dako]

Hey guys,
hope someone can get me going here, my car stalled on the final ride of the season,
she's stuck on the side of the road and I cant get it started, the motor will crank and fire but dies after a few seconds, only if I dont touch the gas pedal.
If I pump the pedal or put the pedal to the floor and hold it there it just keeps cranking! Ive tried a new coil and ballast resistor as thats what I had in the trunk but no luck.
Im also getting fuel out of the squirters


Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks!!

It sounds like a fuel (lack of) by your description. Debries in the carb (jets) or in the fuel filter can allow enough fuel for the car to start, but not continue to run. I know...I have experienced both at different times.

Try some spray (carb cleaner or starting fluid) in the carb while attempting to start. If it runs on spray, but dies without, then you have a disruption in fuel (see above).

If it doesn't start/ run off spray, check the easy ignition stuff 1st...the contact points inside of the distributor cap for corrosion...ANY moisture is bad even what looks dry can be damp. Compressed air is always good. A timing light hooked up when cranking is an easy way to verify you are getting spark while cranking.

 

[70rr-brian]

Undo all the bulkhead connectors and reseat them.

 

[Kerplunk]

Update: so I do have power to the switch turns out when I was screwing around with it I hadn't fully put it back into park. So I'm back to a crank no start scenario. I did put a new ballast resistor in with no luck.

I put a timing light on it yesterday and it didn't light during cranking. But the odd thing is it will occasionally start for a second or two but it still didn't light up the timing gun. Which I find odd so I'm going to have to retest that tonight.

Thanks everyone for the replies, on the bright side I'll learn a bit more about roadside troubleshooting lol

 

[D575]

Undo all the bulkhead connectors and reseat them.

Been there done that. It sucks. top middle keeps losing connection. I've got new connectors but haven't got around to replacing them

 

[Dako]

Update: so I do have power to the switch turns out when I was screwing around with it I hadn't fully put it back into park. So I'm back to a crank no start scenario. I did put a new ballast resistor in with no luck.

I put a timing light on it yesterday and it didn't light during cranking. But the odd thing is it will occasionally start for a second or two but it still didn't light up the timing gun. Which I find odd so I'm going to have to retest that tonight.

Thanks everyone for the replies, on the bright side I'll learn a bit more about roadside troubleshooting lol

Silly question, but I have to ask...You were holding (depressing) the trigger while you were cranking the motor, correct?


As far as 'sometimes' lighting off...no luck with any spray down the carb? It shouldn't take but just a squirt to get light off...keep spraying once it has lit.

Not that this is your case, but the old mechanics saying is, "Most electrical problems are actually fuel related, while most fuel problems are electrical related." Either way, don't let it trick you.

 

[Kerplunk]

Good news, so I did as Dako suggested and hooked up the timing light and got nuthin, no light at all. so I pulled off the coil wire, had my wife crank it over and had good spark there.
by process of elimination it was the pickup in the distributor, I put a spare in and she fires right up.

Thanks to all for the help, I cant imagine trying to get advice troubelshooting this stuff, pre-interweb days.

 

[Dako]

Good news, so I did as Dako suggested and hooked up the timing light and got nuthin, no light at all. so I pulled off the coil wire, had my wife crank it over and had good spark there.
by process of elimination it was the pickup in the distributor, I put a spare in and she fires right up.

Thanks to all for the help, I cant imagine trying to get advice troubelshooting this stuff, pre-interweb days.

Ha-ha...yea, back then we actually had to 'read books' and go step-by-step through the proceedures. Knowing an older guy or two, that had probably experienced the same thing on another car didn't hurt either.