My '73 duster with a 225 started stalling In January. I just got it last year. I thought it was running pretty good. It had never stalled on me before. The weekend before it started stalling I drove it a few hundred miles on a trip up to the mountains w/o any troubles.

Then on the following Monday I took it out on the freeway for 10-15 miles and after I got off at my exit ramp it stalled at the light and has been been stalling when hot and at idle(especially in Drive, it'll idle rough but run most of the time in N & P) or slowing down preparing to stop or turn ever since. It always starts right back up. It seems to run OK when cruising or accelerating and I don't think I hear any really bad sounding noises coming from the engine.

I can only keep it running at a stop in drive by using both pedals.

It doesn't stall when first started, only after it's warmed up.

I've got a different car for my daily driving, so I've just been not driving it and tinkering every once in a while, but I can't figure out what's wrong with the duster.


Since the oil pressure light started coming on as it stalled, at first I thought that oil pressure might be related to the problem, but when I opened up the oil filler cap I could see some oil in there. I got an oil pressure tester but I can't get the pressure sensor out. I got oil pressure sensor socket but it must be stripped because I still can't get it out. Then I was thinking that the light was probably only coming on b/c the idle RPMs were dropping really low before it stalled.

I tried adjusting the carb idle mixture and speed screws but it would still stall even with the idle speed turned up way to high.

I thought is was the carb so I tried rebuilding it. It was my first try at rebuilding a carb and I used a cheap AutoZone kit... but I had my Dad help me out. I soaked it in one of those carb cleaner buckets and blew out the passages with an air compressor. It didn't look to be damaged or even very dirty though.

Even after rebuilding the carb and replacing the carb bowl gasket it does apper to have leaked a little bit of fuel onto the top of the intake manifold at some time. Maybe I better do the fuel line mod? You don't think Vapor lock could cause it to stall this much or regularly, do you? It probably wouldn't restart so easily if that was the problem either.

I Also changed the Fuel filter, and checked the fuel pressure.

I've also replaced the Ignition box, coil, ballast resistor and spark plugs since then.

I think I had adjusted the valves sometime late last year. Should I check that again?

I had looked at and tried plugging some of the vacuum hoses/ports to see if that made a difference. I tried spraying some starting fluid to check for vacuum leaks but the idle is rough and inconsistent so it's hard for me to tell if it's making a difference. I changed out the pcv valve. I also replaced the intake manifold gasket, because I thought it was leaking.

I probably should've asked for advice on here a long time ago.

It doens't seem to overheat... the temp guage is pretty much in the middle if not a little cold. I had to replace a leaking freeze plug recently and there is a pinhole size leak in the top corner of the radiator. That wouldn't be a potential cause would it?

I was thinking I should replace all the vacuum hoses next...
where should I look for new ones?

Vacuum reads steady around 20 in. hg. when first started, drops slightly with the idle as it warms up(to 19 maybe 18 in hg), and then drops pretty much all of a sudden to around 15 when it starts running rough, and the needle starts floating around back and forth maybe around 1 in. hg. sorta randomly back and forth as the engine stumbles.

I tried checking the compression, but I forgot to warm up the car first. It read 120 consistently on all cylinders cold though( well it was almost 100 outside so maybe not COLD, but the engine was not up to running temp). Should I try it again with it warmed up? I was trying to check it by myself.. so I could only see the reading after I cranked the engine over for a few seconds. I couldn't see how quickly they built up the pressure.

I've got a timing light, but... I had trouble seeing the marks and It won't idle smoothly once warmed up, so I'm not to sure if the timing is set correctly. Any tips on setting the timing for a noob?

I'm not real sure how to interpret the results from the vacuum/compression tests. I just got those diagnostic tools to try to figure out this problem. I'm not real knowledgable or exprienced with auto repair(especially engines). That was the first time I've tried to check an engine's compression.

What should I do? Let me know if you need more info.

I'd really like some suggestions as far as what's wrong, or how to figure out what's wrong...

Help me out... I'm starting to think I may have to give up and take it to a pro.

Thanks
TheFatWorm

are the plugs a pale white, like the full moon? or a lightly browned color like a perfect marshmallow? i'm wondering if perhaps when the engine warms up something expands and causes an air leak or something along those lines. when it restarts after the warm stall does it still run rough and want to stall again right away? or does it run ok for a while before showing symptoms again? is the choke working correctly and coming off when it should?

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In progress: '64 Dart Vert

I think when I put fresh plugs in there and checked 'em after only less than a few hundred miles they were showing white.... but after they were in for longer they turned (flat i think)black. sorry, but, yes well, both, :shrug: I'm not really sure. Unfortunately, I haven't ever seen them really look good and brown though. Maybe I should try to run it for a while and check again.

Once warmed up it continues to stall right after restarting.

The choke does open.

I think even after the choke fully opens, it doesn't start stalling immediately. I think it takes a little while longer.

try the valve adjustments. set them hot with the engine running. do a search on here about how to do it....its not as messy as it sounds, and will give the proper lash.

sb

When I adjusted the valves last time(late last year I think)... I warmed it up and then adjusted them with it off. I had never done valve adjustment before and it took me a while, though. I wasn't sure that I got it right, but it sounded a lot better and quieter, and ran good for some time afterwards. Do you guys think I messed it up? How often do they need to be readjusted?

I'd rather not do it running. It idles like $%*#. It might not even stay running. It's not just the mess I'm worried about. I'm not real comfortable working in the engine bay while the engine is running because of the proximity to the fan blades and the other moving parts. Is it really that important or better to do it with it the engine running?

flat black is pretty rich, check that your choke is coming off when the engine is hot. other than the stalling hot idle, how does it run? feel sort of boggy and sluggish from a start or when you get on the gas? running through gas faster than normal?

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In progress: '64 Dart Vert

The choke comes off.

I noticed when I rebuilt the carb, the jet was a sixty-something er other, and I thought that seemed a bit big. That might explain the black plugs/rich mixture.

It could still be too lean at idle though couldn't it?

Do you think I should put some fresh one's in and just let it idle and then check them... or isn't there a better way to figure out what kind of A/F mixture I'm getting?


It doesn't seem any more sluggish than usual , other than when trying to stop or idle.

I'm not sure about the fuel consumption, I haven't really been driving it.
I never really figured out what kind of fuel economy it was consistently getting before anyway. I'd only had it about 6 months when it developed this problem and I don't really keep track.

whats the last thing you did before the problem occurred? have you ran a compression test?

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In progress: '64 Dart Vert

see original post

I Just drove it before the problem occured...nothing really.



I tried to do the compression test but(incorrectly with the engine cold ) see original post. It's near the end, sorry if it's hard to find/read/so long. Should I do it again?

Run it till it stalls, then pull the air cleaner off
pump the throttle a few time to see if your getting
a squrt of full in the carb, if weak or none,
your getting fuel line blockage
(could also be vapor lock, but I'm thinking fuel line could be
partly blockage- fuel line is not full blocked, but will not let enough
fuel pass to resupply system needs, after some driving
the fuel line runs out of enough to keep the engine running,
let it set for 30mins and it will pull enough to refill the line
from the tank--- partly plugged pickup tube sock is also possable)........
If you pull the fuel filter off, does any thing come out other
than fuel from the 'supply' side?
Sounds like this may be the problem to me
and I have had it happen more than once.
Worth a check....

If it is this the problem, then dropping the tank, cleaning it out and back flushing the fuel
line from the fuel pump hose (off pump) with compressed air is in order.


Then again after rereading, maybe a vacuum leak...
almost sounds like how mine was running before
I found that the egr valve was leaking air .....????

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62 D100 225 3sp lwb
64 D100 A318 727pb custom lwb
66 D100 A318 4sp lwb
68 D100 B383 727 swb
65 Belveder A318 727 4d
65 Dart GT LA273 2bbl 904
73 Scamp 225 2bbl 4spOD
Old iron or no iron

If the fuel is OK , check the ballast resistor.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Thanks for the help everyone.




It pumps fuel into the carb through the accelerator pump when I pull the throttle. I can see the fuel filter is full of fuel too. I also checked the fuel pressure and it was OK. It always starts right back up immediately after it dies. I think enough fuel is getting at least to the float bowl.




I installed a new ballast resistor once already, think I should try a third one?

>>>Then again after rereading, maybe a vacuum leak...
>>>almost sounds like how mine was running before
>>>I found that the egr valve was leaking air .....????

I keep thinking it has to be a vacuum leak also.


How can I check the EGR?

Good diagnostics. You probably haven't got a fuel supply problem, but you may still want to do the fuel line mod, which just fixed a stalling problem for another board user.

No, because the problem isn't (couldn't be) your ballast resistor. The problem you're experiencing is not caused by a bad ballast resistor.

Likewise, oil pressure is not related to your problem. I agree with your guess that the oil pressure light is coming on due to the too-low idle speed immediately before stallout. The radiator isn't the problem. It's a good idea to inspect all the vacuum hoses, find any spongy/soft or cracked ones, and replace them with hose purchased from the parts store.

Compression test should be done with the engine warmed to operating temperature, all six spark plugs removed, and the choke and throttle blocked fully open (disconnect the choke pushrod from the carb, and disconnect the throttle return spring so the throttle can hang open). But, low compression isn't causing your problem.

Improper ignition timing could be contributing to the problem, as could faulty ignition components (ECU/ignition module). If you are having trouble seeing the timing marks, clean the indicator and the crank pulley notch with some brake cleaner, then apply some White-Out to the marks so they "jump out" at you in the flash of the timing light.

Go right now and order all three books described in this thread if you haven't got them already!

From your careful description of the problem, I think you've probably got carburetor issues. Do you know the history of this carburetor? Is it a high-miles original unit? Was it bought (by you or some previous owner) as a "remanufactured" unit from a parts store at some point in the past? Even though you rebuilt it, the carb on your '73 is of a design that has a tendency to simply stop working right after a lot of miles/years.

The EGR valve leak idea is a good one to check on, too. If the EGR valve is open when it should not be, either because it's not hooked up correctly or because it is jammed open by a piece of carbon, it'll let exhaust into the intake manifold at idle, causing trouble like you're experiencing. If the EGR valve gasket is leaking air into the intake manifold, that's a vacuum leak, but vacuum leaks that aren't enormous can generally be masked by adjusting the idle screw, while exhaust leaks cannot. When it's idling roughly, does the idle quality change at all if you apply strong vacuum to the EGR valve?

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

I'll try checking the timing.

I have the Stockel and Peterson books. But I still haven't gotten the
FSM(s?). I've got a Chilton book. :tsk: I know. I know. I'll try looking around some more.
I don't really know the history. I just got the car last year and that's the carb it came with when I bought it. It worked OK for a while. Do you think I should start searching the junkyards for a super six setup?
I'll check. Should I connect it to one of the vacuum hoses? Or is there a better way to apply vacuum to the EGR?