Hello all, i was enjoying my "new" 83 dodge miser 225, 4spd od, having a nice time, and all of a sudden i slid out in some ice and hit a pole. Not too much body damage occurred, but the problem is, it doesn't want to idle. The rpms are low when it does idle, and it wants to die when going slow in 1st/reverse, but when driving faster than 10 or 15 or so, it seems to operate the same as before. when i start it cold, it dies without unless i press a little on the gas pedal, but when it warms up, it does idle for a minute or so. First i guestimated it was the choke pulloff, but then i suspected it could be ignition related when the lights got dim when i was driving slow in 1st, though that could also be the low rpms?

What part of your truck hit the pole? (believe it or not, it matters!)

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

left front, just between the wheelwell and the door

Drat, there goes that theory (if it had been the RF corner I would've guessed at a crunched vapor cannister that was creating a vacuum leak).

How long since the carb's had attention?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

unknown, it has 63000 miles, i was told it's done a lot of sitting around, which brings to mind that the gas pedal has a lot of resistance when you initially press it

Sounds to me like you need to focus in on the carburetor. Is this truck equipped with the feedback emission control system (Oxygen sensor screwed into the rear wall of the centre collector area of the exhaust manifold)?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

The inertia incurred by what you may perceive to be a minor accident may have been enough to work something loose. As said above, check with the carb first. Make sure that it is bolted down enough and that no vacuum lines worked there way loose.

Russ

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1968 Valiant 100 4 door 225/6

i replaced the spark plug wires which made it run a little better, and took it to a mechanic, who richened the mixture, checked the timing, etc, which also made it run a little better, but it died a few times in the parking lot when i was coming home from work tonight. i noticed in neutral, when i press the clutch the lights get a little brighter.

It is possible that your accident caused crud in the fuel tank to get stirred up and sucked into the carb, where it is now setting in the bottom of the fuel bowl.

(My old Valiant did this once after bouncing over a back road... couldn't idle and kept dying at idle until I took the carb apart and cleaned it, ran great as long as you had your foot on the gas).

-Mac

how did the debris get past the fuel filter? speaking of fuel filters, the one i got at Napa has three hose connections, the one in my truck has two, what's up with that?

the third connection, the smaller one is for a return to the fuel tank. If your's was a normal inline filter, you should exchange it.

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If ya haven't been there, you just wouldn't understand.....
My friends and I spent a LOT of money in the eighties to get me this way!!!!

thanks, i'm glad i read this before i put the filter in, sounds like i would have needed a bucket



about the clutch depression making the lights brighter, does that sound like a bad clutch or input shaft bearing?

Just for the heck of it, spray WD40 around the throttle plate rods--the things the throttle plates turn on. If your idle speed goes up, it means that there is a vacuum leak. I've personally gone through four different rebuilt Carter BBDs with this problem.

Sure sounds like a vacuum leak,

Joe

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Joe Hoppe

71 D100 225 Super Six 727 AT on 2008 Crown Vic CopCar frame

64 Valiant Wagon 225 904 AT 3:23 8.75"

I think your alternator is not putting out enough voltage, or the wires between the battary and the alt have high resistance. Maybe the ground strap got broken loose, or is hanging by a couple fo threads of wire. See if you can keep it running long enough to put a VOM on the wires to the battery from the alternator. The alt should be putting out about 13.5, and the battery should see close to that. No more that a .5 volt drop is permissable. If the alt is only putting out 12 volts or even less, then that is your problem.
Sam

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i had a carb rebuild done, and my truck has been running good since i picked it up today, so i'm crossing my fingers, the lights do get dim at low rpm however, and a service manual is on the way.