hello, all. great forum here. i recently replaced timing chain/gear and damper pully(replacement from junkyard) and had the head and valves checked out. also, a new distributor since the old one had chipped teeth.
i am nearly bald from tearing my hair out in frustration. the engine will fire and then die as soon as key returns from start to run positition. full tank of gas, new points cap, rotor and plugs I LOVE MY 69 DART! the 225 has been very very good to me! i'm ready to place dynamite under it and blow it skyward.
any suggestions? i may look for a tall tree, strong rope and a fast horse. i won't need th townfolk to hang me... i'll do it myself.

THANKS TO ALL!
robert

Replace the ballast resistor(aka chalk box) It should be on your firewall,Its a small white box about 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch,should solve your problem.I think the last one I bought was about 5.99.Most owners of older Mopars usually keep a spare in the glovebox.Hope this helps.
HyperValiant

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1960 Hyper-Pac Valiant(rolling test-bed)
1963 Valiant V2OO(Son's summer project,- he just turned 15 )
1972 Valiant 4dr(Daughter Kelly's repair in progress)
1974 Valiant (v8) daughter Kelly's work in progress

Absolutely. Ballast resistor. Had to drive my 63 Dart 20 mi. once with my hand on the key, holding it in just the right spot to keep yhe car running, but without grinding the starter and flywheel to pieces. Lotsa fun going around the 610 loop in Houston in 5:00 traffic.

Classic signs of a "blown" (open) ballast resistor. You can test this by jumping a wire accross the two poles. (or jam a wire into eace unplugged wire end) Don't run the car long with the ballast resistor "by-passed", that is bad for the coil.
DD

i replaced the balast resistor and no change in fire and die. thanks.
robert

This is odd and probably NOT it, but, you may have had electrical work done. I.E. your car may have been stolen at one point, ignition wires had to get re-connected, and you're experiencing them fall apart. Check all of the wires going from the ignition key, one of the wires(mines blue, but it's also a 74 and probably not similar) might be disconnected. If it's the right one that not connected then you will be able to start your car for a second only for it to die right off. Hope that helps, it certainly would be a lot nicer fix then tracking down an engine problem...

I had this problem before so it is possible you have it to.

oh, above is me if you have any questions. And if the problem is the one above you should sauter the wires together.

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

Check the connections in the junction block through the firewall. They get corrosion in them from time to time.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Will it keep running if you give it some gas? If so, it might be a vacuum leak.

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'68 Dodge Dart 4dr Sedan

Another test is to see if the engine will run with the choke flap part way closed.
If doing that helps, check for vacuunm leaks or a plugged idle circuit in the carb.
DD

ok. i've cleaned junction block, giving it gas is not a help. have tried chokwe closed, opened part way, opened all the way. could it be a carburetor malfunction...ie,accelerator pump or??? or is it elctrical? i've traced wiring everyware, coil new 2 months ago, new starter relay new dist. cap, rotor. i'm still baffled and thanks for suggestions but still no go.
regards,
robert

I think it would be worth trying another ballast resistor. You may have gotten a bad one.
Bob D

I think he's tried bypassing it to no avial(at least someone suggested it). This is a shot in the dust but look at the gear in your distributor. I really don't know if it could be the cause but it seems logical. You've checked to make sure all coil wires are in the correct place and in tight? I doubt if it's gas pump or carb since the car starts, it seems as if those weren't working right your car would start but have bad idle or stall a lot. It really seems like wiring to me since the starter can start the car. After this point the coil maintains the spark. Have your tried starting it from the starter(a couple of times when I couldn't get it to run it started this way), maybe an ignition switch problem? Either way, I think it's something related to the starting system.

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

My brother had that once with a 70 Challenger, wound up being a bad ignition switch in the column.

I second the switch idea. Put a test light on the positve coil terminal and see if the light goes out when you release the key. If so, it's either the ballast (already checked) or the switch, or the wires between them.