ok, I give up, tuning this pig is turning out to be tougher than I thought. So.... I am looking for a mechanic who will come to my house in Seattle and help do a full tune (timing, carb jetting, full tune up). I will have all parts ready, will buy lunch and will pay for your time (shop rate plus travel is fine with me). If anyone know of a good mobile mechanic, a HAMB'r who needs to make some money or the name of someone I should get in touch with, let me know. I really don't want to tow it somewhere if I don't have to. Its a small block chevy, Eddelbrock 600, mallory elect ign. Nothing fancy.... but I thought I had her dialed in, took it out for a drive today and when going up a hill.... it felt like it ran out of gas, Then I had to limp it home as it would not stay running unless my foot was buried in the pedal (lots of burnouts all the way home Now that its in my driveway, I have f'ed with it to the point that I have no idea where my baseline was. Now I need someone who knows what the hell they are doing, because obviously I don't Let me know and thanks! Eric (Evobuilder)
Eric Slow down. Take a couple of deep breaths. Maybe even have a beer or coke while sitting in the sunshine. Stop thinking about all this for a bit. Then, start again. First thing....did this engine ever run properly? Think back to what was done just before it caused all these problems. Do you have any of the parts before these mods you list? Maybe another carb? That MAY be the source of the problem, but it is impossible to properly diagnose what it may be without being there, Go slow. Do not give up!! Thimk!! (an old IBM slogan) Again I ask, did this engine ever run properly before any mods? Please reply. You sound do desperate that I am worried about you doing bodily harm to yourself. (still smiling) It's just a stupid lump of metal. You ARE smarter, aren't you? Once more, keep us updated.
Don't feel bad, sometimes these things can drive you nuts. I'm more of a builder than a troubleshooter/mechanic, and have felt like you sometimes when chasing a problem. If you don't find someone, here is what I would do: 1) Start right at the fuel tank and make sure your pickup is not obstructed. Sometimes a small piece of debris can block the outlet. Also make sure the tank has some vent, either via a separate vent or a vented cap. A car will run fine until the tank become air locked and fuel can't flow after that. 2) Follow the line to the fuel pump. Is your pump mechanical or electric ? If electric, especially, you need a good filter before the pump and it has to be one for an electric pump. Regular paper element filters can be sucked out of shape by an electric pump. 3) Make sure your fuel line is away from heat, like exhaust parts or the engine block. I had a vapor lock situation one time and all it took was pulling the metal line an inch further away from the block to cure it. 4) Is your carb new or used ? Just for giggles, borrow one like it and try it. Weird things can happen inside carburetors and even a small piece of dirt can make them act goofy. 5) Try a different coil. There are coils for point ignition and coils for electronic ignitions. We had a problem when we first got my Sons rpu running where it would run great for a few miles then start spewing black smoke and start missing. We kept thinking vapor lock, but it turned out we had the wrong coil and had also mounted it horizontally. As soon as we replaced it with the right one the problem went away and has never returned. 6) Try a different distributor. You could have some component in yours that breaks down when it gets hot, or some other problem. One good thing for you is sbc parts are available cheap and used, so you can borrow or buy some replacements to test without breaking the bank. Good luck. Don PS, I see the comments about Edelbrock carbs, and my experience is exactly the opposite. They are about the most troublefree one on the market. Between my Sons and myself we are running 6 of them and they never need anything done whatsoever.
ha..... YES, it ran fine (in my driveway) but never had it out for longer than a couple blocks. I bought a couple months back.... the car had a TON of issues that I have worked through since buying. Now I went out today for a maiden voyage and after longer than I had ever gone before.... BAM.... the ugly problem showed up. So no, there is not really anything I can go back and change.... just need some help dialing her in. Timing, carb jetting, etc. I did notice the fuel line was resting on the block and I have since moved it away from the block..... but no idea if that was the initial culprit because now it is soo far out of tune, I can't say if that is why it ran out of fuel in the first place.... also... brand new fuel pump, and I am getting fuel to the carb. Also, the previous owner said the car vapor locked on him when he put it away 8 years ago, so I am thinking that issues (whatever it may actually be) is rearing its ugly head. When I have done my short trips (a couple blocks) she runs AWESOME. Now after doing a longer trip, she is running aweful. Even cold, can't get her to idle (but again, I have twisted, and turned the air/fuel and idle on the carb and not sure where the timing is, compared to where it was. Yes, I am considering gettting a new carb, but figured I'd get some pro help first before throwing out what may be a perfectly good carb, for another of the same variety. and yes, I am in Seattle.... and today it was sunny!!! probably the only reason I was able to find out the car is running bad HAHA!
Two other questions. Have you ever done a compression test? and, what do the plugs look like when you look them over ? Don
Check the air bleeds in the carb ,Edelbrocks are famous for them getting plugged and going dead rich.
Compression check. Timing! Need to figure this out. Then carb. Sounds like a flouding issue. Possibably, maybe inginition. How are your pluggs? Do the basics and narrow it down.
The more I think about it the more I lean toward the carb, and NOT because it is an Edelbrock. Sounds like something is hanging up like a float or some debris in it. Crap can float around in the bowl and then be sucked into a one of the little holes. Edelbrocks are very easy to remove the top of so you can get a peek inside the bowls. Turn the screws each out two turns as a starting point. Don
Don pretty much covered it, Eric. Running fine for only a short jaunt is a good clue that's it's probably a fuel flow issue or maybe the coil. Crap in the bowl can clog the jets after a bit, then fall away from them when the engine isn't running...then clog them again after running it. Coils can start failing when they get hot. Concerning the fuel mixture screws, just turn them in until they seat, (easy there...don't tighten them too much, you can damage the needle) then turn them out about 2 1/2 turns. That'll get 'er close enough to run as long as the fuel is flowing as it should. Since it runs good for a short time, I doubt it's an ignition problem...short of the coil. You might also check the spark...pull a plug wire and hold it near the spark plug...it should be blue and snappy, not pinkish or orange. Check the timing with a timing gun if you have one, but if you don't, adjust it by ear. I'm sure you can get 'er close by turning the distributor back and forth and finding the sweet spot. All this is just to get it close so it'll run. Then you can fine tune. I think you've got dirt in the carb. Good luck.
Hi Eric, If you can get to Taskar garage, he will do it right and at a fair price. His address is : <table class="ts intrlu" height="85" width="583"><tbody><tr><td style="width:28px;padding-top:1px" valign="top"> </td><td style="color:#222;line-height:1.24" valign="top">7501 15th Ave NW Seattle, WA 98117 <nobr>(206) 297-6066 </nobr></td></tr></tbody></table> He is a great mechanic and will not BS you. Hope this helps, Brett
I'd do as Don suggested with the carb but strongly suggest that you take it off the engine and work on it on the bench. That old baking pan with the half inch lip on it that your lady says isn't good enough to use in the kitchen anymore works great to set under a carb when you are working on it on the bench or table. Not only does it catch any residual gas but you can set the screws and small pieces on it and they stay there. I think I would check/change the fuel filters first though as today's new gas in a tank that has been setting for 8 years may loosen up the crud left in the tank and the lines and you may have a plugged up fuel filter and not a lot more issues. On my 51 Merc that sat from 1965 to 1979 or 80 before I got another engine in it I plugged up several filters before I finally got things cleared out and that was after I finally pulled the tank and cleaned the junk out of it. Also if you just put a shiny new gas cap on the car make damned sure that it is vented as that will cause run out of gas issues after a couple of miles.
That's what I was thinking. After having sat for 8 years there could have been corrosion on the gas tank walls. Putting gas in and the debris starts breaking loose and plugging up lines, jets, etc.
Contrary to the norm, the weather in the Northwest has been awesome this weekend. Great for sitting in the sun and drinking beer! I'm on the Washington coast and even this far west it had to be near 80° this weekend!
ok.... this has been some very god advice. First, I just ordered a new carb (thanks Ebay!) I wanted a 600 with electric choke anyway, so it was a great excuse to buy a new one. Now I can eliminate carb issues (for the most part).... it will be here Wednesday. Tomorrow.... I am off to the auto parts store for a new coil, plugs, wires, rotor, etc. Then I can rule out those components. I am going to buy a timing light too... then I can know where my timing actual is. I am going to buy a NEW fuel filter too, just in case I just had to pull up my big boy pants and yes (step away from it for a couple hours). Once I get all the new parts, I will keep the gas cap loose too (however, if it was a venting issue, it probably wouldn't run at all, not just at idle). I have had this happen with my Harleys before. Still, can't hurt to look into. We'll see where I am next weekend, once I have done all of this.... and then I am sure it will rain!
If it sat for 8 years (especially with ethanol in Seattle), I'd clean the gas tank. But you've probably already done that.
Take the old filter and tap the inlet end on something solid and check to see if some crud falls out on the surface of what you tapped it on. I've had to clear inline filters out that way on the side of the road to get home before. That should tell you if you had a bunch of crud in the tank.
Don't forget to get condenser with all the new tune up parts. It's often attached to the new points though.
Wish I was a little closer. I'd come over and help ya. I would change fuel filter first, and then the carb. With all the info these guys gave you, I think you'll have a good base line to get you going. Mike
It's great to read a thread where everyone is so helpful .You guys are awesome!Best of luck EVOBUILDER
I wanted to get a new carb, this was a good excuse. I will do a new inline fuel filter too, with the new fuel pump I just did, it will help me rule out fuel delivery issues (yes, the tank is clean and the fuel lines are flowing as they should. Next weekend, with all the new stuff, it will be much easier to rule out issues and identify culprits (maybe
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