Few little issues need some guidance on.

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360Duster75

360Duster75

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So ive finally pieced my 74 Duster 318/904 together from a box and car full of parts. I have it to where its running and driving now. But now for my issues:

Takes a while to start turns over fine and will finally kick over and start about 6 or so tries.

Transmission is leaking out of the bellhousing while its sitting

Leaking coolant from the small J hose from the water pump (Clamp is off just a enough to leak under pressure easy fix)

Oil Pressure Dummy light flickers every once in a while.

After car is hot nt to start very easily and seems like its binding before it will finally start after a couple of pumps of the gas pedal. (2bb carb)

Transmission doesnt want to shift until o let off of gas when driving. (Kick down needs adjusted?)

Reverse lights dont work all the time but will come on every once in a while

Brake lights dont work at all but tail lights do

Keeps blowing the #7 20A fuse for some reason.

Horn constantly stays on even with switch disconnected.

That is all the issues i have seen so far and im working on making this my daily driver for around base due to my Hellcat drinking gas faster than a dual quad at wide open haha. Any one have any ideas about what could be the causes for any of these that i have no already found by looking for the leaks?
 
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Are we supposed to just guess what engine is in it? Transmission? How the engine is equipped? Could be a Chevy transplant for all we know. Can you help us out?
 
RustyRatRod said:
Are we supposed to just guess what engine is in it? Transmission? How the engine is equipped? Could be a Chevy transplant for all we know. Can you help us out?
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@360Duster75 , you can disagree all you want, but your information was not included with your original post. And before you say it was, your post edit shows up.
 
360Duster75 said:
After car is hot nt to start very easily and seems like its binding before it will finally start after a couple of pumps of the gas pedal. (2bb carb)
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check the reluctor gap in the distributor to be .007"/.008" with brass feeler gauge..

Also check your timing...
 
360Duster75 said:
If you dont have some help dont comment
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You still haven't told us how the engine is equipped. It's a 318 904 in a duster. With a 2 barrel. Do you have any idea how many different 2 barrel carburetors there are? Whether you realize it or not, I'm trying to help. The more information you give us, the more accurate information you'll get in return. Don't you understand that? So how bout we turn this around? If YOU don't have more information to give, then YOU don't comment. How's that?
 
Try the Dodge Dakota mini starters, it will spin it over much faster and the new electronics in them don't rob ignition power like the big old heavy starters do.

So it will start much easier.

One problem down, Check !
 
A lot of mopar automatic transmissions leak at the front seal or vent area. Try running the fluid level down at the add mark on the stick about a pint low. Then they don't leak out so much when the converter drains back when sitting.

Remember to check your auto trans fluid idling in neutral warmed up.

Make sure the dip stick tube is sealed to the case with the proper O- Ring and I use black form-a-gasket sealer on them too. Lots of trannys leak here too and run down.

If it is pouring out trans fluid then you are going to have to put in a front trans seal, check the neck on the converter seal surface, check the front pump bearing sleeve that the converter slides into.

Item #2 Check !
 
If the tranny front seal is leaking.

You can loosen the 4 converter bolts and with a breaker bar on the harmonic balancer bolt, crank the engine over a couple of turns an then tighten them backup.
 
Screw an oil pressure gauge in to the oil pressure port and see what the oil pressure is really running at vs the idiot light.

Flickering oil pressure light means low oil pressure.

If it is an original 318, good chance the timing chain is way loose because the upper plastic gear is wearing bad and the chips are falling into the oil pan and getting picked up and stuck in the oil pickup screen and reducing your oil pressure when it has run for a bit.

Quick fix, new oil pump and clean out screened pickup tube, and a new timing chain and gear set behind the water pump. Then it will start better too eith the timimg chain corrected.

Item #3, Check !
 
George Jets said:
Try the Dodge Dakota mini starters, it will spin it over much faster and the new electronics in them don't rob ignition power like the big old heavy starters do.

So it will start much easier.

One problem down, Check !
Click to expand...

Ive heard ablut those and definitely need one.
 
so just a guess - since your oil light flickers (I'll bet it does it at idle in gear ) it may just be that the idle speed is too low. Once you bump it up it might be easier to start.

Regarding
360Duster75 said:
Leaking coolant from the small J hose from the water pump
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do not let this go!!! I can still remember passing a car on a 2 lane road, having the damned bypass hose blow off, shoot anti freeze through the radiator out the front where it sprayed up and all over the windshield at 60 mph and blinded me. (year was 1978 and yes I'm still driving the car but only through pure luck).
 
As for the hard starts, as in long cranking periods;
the first thing to do is to check the compression. And the second is to do what you can to improve "suction" during cranking. If the engine don't suck right, it will b hard to get the fuel in there to light it off. And yes, you can have good compression and it still won't suck right.
And if the compression and suction are right, then
the third thing to do, is to make sure the fuel is fresh, the plugs are clean, and that the stinking choke is working.

If one and two are bad, and You start at #3, then after a few hours, of chasing your tail, you might figure out to start over, hopefully at #1,lol.
Or you can do what a lotta guys do; which is; just throw parts at it in the misguided hope that something cures it. Which hardly ever happens.

PS, my 1-finger typing is so clumsy, I have to do a lot of editing, to get rid of all the red wavy lines. Sometimes I miss words, double up words, or the sentence structure is just plane poor. So, you will hardly ever not see the edit flag at the bottom.
But if the editing is serious, as in changes the meaning of the post, or part of it, or would reflect poorly(see note 1) on me as a decent human being,lol;
Then I do this;lol;

Edit; (note 1)
I effed up, I meant to say ; and then I state the change made, like;
the Pre-flood giants, also called Nephylim, were cloud-eaters. The post-flood giants, called Rephaim, or "dead ones" were much shorter, probably less than 20ft for the most part. I mean if you believe in that sort of stuff....
 
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