Alright, I recently acquired a 1981 Lebaron off a friend. It's never ran that well, but I got it for cheap so I figured it would be a worth a little bit of time and money. It had an EGR system, and it has a Holley 6145. I'm pretty sure everything is/was stock.

So far this is what I've done to it:
new radiator
new dist cap, rotor, plugs and wires, coil
rebuilt/cleaned carb
new air cleaner
oil/trans fluid change
disabled EGR pump system (the line going to the head was already cut when I got it)
catalytic converter was also removed some time ago

The alternator was put on a couple months ago. It's a remanufactured model.

The car idles great, and starts on the first few cranks, even in the Michigan winter. I can give it full throttle at idle and aside from a tiny bit of black smoke out of the tail pipe, it runs fine. There is a little bit of black stuff dripping from the tailpipe, but it has been sitting, and the old plugs were shot, so I'm waiting to see if that clears up after some normal driving. It's when you put it into gear that the problem starts. When you push the peddle halfway down, there is a dead zone in the throttle. The car will bog and if you're going slow enough it will stall. It gets worse as the car gets up to normal temperature. If you feather the throttle very lightly you can get up to speed, and at 20-25 there is still a dead zone, but it pushes through it. Also, once your up to speed you can mash the peddle down and it will downshift and go with adequate power. The choke is functioning properly as far as I know, and gas is getting to the carb no problem. I haven't touched the timing yet, but does anyone have any other suggestions?

thanks!

Which carb do you have? Carter/Holley? Did you check the accelerator pump? Also check the vacuum advance unit on the distributor.

_________________
50 chrysler,54 Plymouth, 64 Valiant conv 4 speed, 66 Valiant V8 wagon, 70 Challenger R/T 440+6 conv 4 speed,80 Colt, 98 Neon ACR,84 Honda V45 Magna
Taking care of 57 300C conv,48 T&C conv. Missing my 67 GTX and 36 Ply coupe

He has a Holley 6145 which is the electric version of the 1945. Sounds like your accelerator pump shot is not too healthy and does not give you the quick pump shot you need to get going or your timing is off. You can check it to see if the accelerator pump is working. With the engine off pull the air cleaner off and look down the throat with a flash light and quickly pull on the accelerator cable or have some one step on the gas peddle and see how much full squirts in the throat. If its cold, pry open the choke flap so you can look down the throat. If the squirt is weak, that is your problem. You can adjust the linkage to take out the slop first to see if that helps. If not, clean out the squirt hole the carb. Sometimes they might get a small piece in there which partial blocks the hole. You can use a small guitar string to fish down it and try pumping to flush it out. If that doesn't work you may need to rebuild the carb. What ever you do, don't trade it off for a rebuilt.....they are junk!

Is this one a LeanBurn computer system or the older style electronic ignition with a MOPAR ECU?
The SL6 likes lots of initial timing.....at least 10 degrees or more. Measure at 750 rpm after the car is warmed up with the vacuum advance unplugged if you have one....
Hopefully you don't have any vacuum leaks.......they can make your car act up like this too..double check the carb hold down bolts to see if they are snug......

Let us know.

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

Could be:
Partially plugged fuel filter.
Plugged fuel pickup in tank.
Bad vacuum advance.
Bad vacuum advance hose between canister and carb.
Frozen advance weights in distributor.
Should be easy to eliminate these items.

I'll check out the accelerator pump tomorrow and see if it is giving a healthy amount of gas. It's definitely getting gas, but I didn't look to see how much. I rebuilt the carb today, and it really wasn't in that bad of shape. I cleaned it up and got everything moving smoothly.

It doesn't have Leanburn. It has the electronic ignition with the orange box on the firewall. There are also two other boxes that look like the orange box but are white on the firewall. There is a module on the passenger fender as well. I'm not positive on what all of these do yet.

I've never adjusted timing before, so one day this week I'll get someone to help me out with that. I'm guessing it hasn't been touched in a while, and probably will need some adjustment.

At idle I can't hear any apparent vacuum leaks, but there might be a minor leak somewhere. I'm still on the lookout. The EGR system is a mess of vacuum lines.

I'll also be sure to check the fuel filter. I didn't even think of that, and i'm sure it hasn't been changed. Hopefully the fuel pickup is good. How would I go about checking that?

thanks for the suggestions

First of all: Welcome to the forum, skurdnin and NucSub!

Skurdnin, you write that there is a disabled EGR system, and refer to a pump. That is not the EGR, but probably an air injection pump that was used on some models, it pumps air into the intake runners in the cylinder head, and is part of the anti pollution pack.

The vacuum operated EGR system with hoses all over the place, runs exhaust back into the engines intake manifold to cut NOx. The system is OK to have if it works, it doesn't steal power. The problem is that it very often doesn't work, and if that is the case - and it is legal to remove it in your state - get rid of it. In addition to removing a lot of stuff, it also means you have to get an EGR block-off plate (or make one from a piece of flat iron bar with two holes in it) to replace the EGR-valve in the manifold.

First of all, you should get a manual for the car, there you find diagrams that show which components that belong to the EGR system and what they do. Work slow and methodically, and as NucSub says, eliminate one problem at the time, and soon your car will run like a dream.

See the FAQ at the beginning of the engine section, on how to adjust your valves.

Can you post a picture of the parts you describe bolted to the firewall? (there is a recipe on how to do it in the forum index)

Olaf.

_________________
Aspenized

well, today I took out the in-line fuel filter and ran it for a moment to see if it helped, and it didn't make a difference. It really does feel like a fuel issue, although I've been wrong with every other assumption I've had about this car. None of the lines looked dented or smashed. I did read in the shop manual that the filter/vapor separator is supposed to be changed every 30,000 miles, and I'm sure if my car has one it's never been changed.

here are some pictures of the electrical stuff. I've been reading up the electrical in the shop manual, but it's kind of like reading a foreign language to me.




or if the embed doesn't work,
http://cid-7fecfcb5809caa1f.office.live ... 050858.JPG

and

http://cid-7fecfcb5809caa1f.office.live ... 050857.JPG