alright. I'll try and make this short and quick but if more info is needed I can do. over a period of a few weeks sometimes my slant would'nt start (even when cold.) I would try for a bit and get no start. Starter cranks. If I come back it starts up. Once I came back about 3 or 4 hours later and it started, this was after it actually died on me while driving. did it a few other times while cold. I got off work, would'nt start. came back next day, starts. Well I replaced the ignition coil and rotor, started right up. worked fine for a few days until one day i kept trying to start it. It actually started up for like a second, then died. Did this a few times in a row, and then would never start back up at all the next month. I did'nt really test the old coil before replacing it but did test the new one recently. Its getting power, but the coil is not giving spark. Could it be dead? What the &#@% if it is dead?
What is the ballast resistor and how do I know if it is dead?

If the ballast resistor's dead, the engine will fire and start, but quit as soon as you release the key from "Start" to "Run"...each and every time. This isn't a "sometimes" thing. It sounds to me as if you've got a problem in your ignition switch and/or ignition primary wiring, or if this is an electronic ignition system, it could be a faulty distributor pickup coil or control module.

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

&#@%. well its a 73, so its got electronic ignition. um...lets see, I did replace the ignition switch about a year ago. Damn "distributor pickup coil or control module." I don't anything about those. I did look over wires to see if something looked bad. I might need to look more.

where is the control module and pickup coil at? because the distributor is'nt even getting power at all.

OK, the ignition module is over on the driver's side of the car, on or near the firewall. It looks like this:



The pickup coil is inside the distributor.

A '73 with electronic ignition has a dual ballast resistor, so the resistor could indeed be causing your problem if the module-power portion of it is failing. Not a common problem, but it's possible. Not quite sure what you mean by "distributor not getting power". Do you mean you're not seeing any voltage across the coil's primary terminals?

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

what I mean is my car is &#@% up in the most non-sense sort of way (yet always works without much effort to get it to)! Well, let me put it this way. I tested it today, damn saw the arc from the spark wire!!!! Well, the ignition coil is giving spark! and, I pumped the throttle on the carb, saw no gas coming out, poured some gas in the carb...started up fine! came to find, whats it called, the accelerator pump arm? its, well, broken......

Hmmm. Accelerator pump wouldn't have made it quit while you were driving it. Isn't that one of the symptoms you described? About the only way I can think of that an accel pump could make a running engine stall is if it causes a lean flameout under a low-rpm takeoff or throttle change situation like accelerating out of a slow curve, as in going around a street corner. I could be wrong however. I often am. In any case the accel pump needs to be fixed. If an engine starts after you dash fuel in the carburetor where it wouldn't start before, that's a huge clue...it's a fuel problem most likely. Davey

yeah, the accelerator pump arm is little yellow arm thing on my Holley 1920 carb on the firewalll side of it....? connects to my throttle linkage? yeah, little plastic piece. When it broke it stays in. Just pulled it out and it drives. But yes, it drives low rpm when I start to accelerate from a stop. And when it died on me that one time while driving, I was making a stop, almost completly stoped at a light.

that is the accelerator pump arm right? &#@%. I don't know where else I can replace it besides pulling one off a carb that does'nt exist in a junkyard that has a slant six (like all slant six's in junkyards I swear have all the carbs pulled!) Anyways, does anyone have a shop manual? a part number if a manual contains it? I can't go down to schucks or even napa and get this $#!+, I highly doubt it. I'm about to just super glue it back together. Does a rebuild kit contain this part? I can't even get a rebuild kit for a Holley 1920 at schucks, I doubt i could get this piece there. assholes.

You cannot buy this part at a parts store, and it's a good thing that Schuck's won't sell you a "rebuilt" carburetor (they're junk). The piece you need is still manufactured. It's a Walker 85-155. Don't know who'll order it for you locally, but you can call Walker on 323-232-3359 and ask. They also have the float (100-14 or 100-86, can't recall which one's still in production) and the rebuild kit (15519A). They will probably direct you to a source such as CarbsOnly to purchase the parts.

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

Oh, get a correct linkage made or get another from junk carb when you obtain new lever.

That's paper clip.

Cheers, Wizard

Something else you may want to check to see if gas is leaking back from the pump to the tank after it sits for a period. That will cause a lot of churning to start it. If the needle valve in the carb has a rubber seat, and the car sits alot sometime the needle valve will hang up-I've had both happen. Replaced the rubber lines, and rebuilt the carb to solve those problems. Mike

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Good gun control is hitting your target repeatedly

alright. thanks everyone.

-James