HELP!! with my 75 Dart

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Beckers3405

Active Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Messages
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Location
Bellingham WA
So a couple weeks ago.. I was rearended while driving my dart. Some chick was on her phone..of course..and while i was stopped..waiting to turn..she rear ended the guy behind me doing about 45mph..causing him to run into me.. It pushed my dart a good 4 feet forward. It was quite a hit..luckily..being all steel..my dart sustained minimal body damage..the other 2 cars were totaled. However..it's running rough now. It was ruining amazing before the accident! She was fully covered insurance wise.. It covered the body damage but now I'm left trying to find a mechanic who's willing to explore the possibility that it's running rough due to the accident so i can get her fixed. So far..I've gone to one shop who proceeded to screw it up even worse and charged me 300 bucks to do nothing.. He said the needle valve in the carb was missing which is BS considering i drove the damn thing to their shop! This kid just won't man up and admit he lost it screwing with the carb.. HELP!!!
 
could the impact have jarred the engine forward and on the rearward motion cracked or loosened the distributor cap?
 
could the impact have jarred the engine forward and on the rearward motion cracked or loosened the distributor cap?
I looked at that as well.. Distributer looks fine.. Correct me if I'm wrong..the engine wouldn't run or stay running i should say..if a needle valve is missing? Right? It's the air adjustment valve..
 
I looked at that as well.. Distributer looks fine.. Correct me if I'm wrong..the engine wouldn't run or stay running i should say..if a needle valve is missing? Right? It's the air adjustment valve..

If you are talking about the air/fuel idle mixture needles, they can run without one of them a lot of times.
They will run like crap though.
I would be all over them for that ****.
For 300 bucks you would think they could find one.

Check or replace the distributor cap and see how it acts (but with the missing needle back in it):D
A hit like that can easily crack a cap.
 
If you are talking about the air/fuel idle mixture needles, they can run without one of them a lot of times.
They will run like crap though.
I would be all over them for that ****.
For 300 bucks you would think they could find one.

Check or replace the distributor cap and see how it acts (but with the missing needle back in it):D
A hit like that can easily crack a cap.
They did actually replace it however it took 9 turns to snug it! Then i did the turn and one half back to factory..she does have an rv cam so the adjustment would be slightly more but not 9 turns! Do you or any one know of a certified mechanic or is anyone reading this certified and in my area (Bellingham wa) who would be willing to take a look at her?
 
They did actually replace it however it took 9 turns to snug it! Then i did the turn and one half back to factory..she does have an rv cam so the adjustment would be slightly more but not 9 turns! Do you or any one know of a certified mechanic or is anyone reading this certified and in my area (Bellingham wa) who would be willing to take a look at her?

Well, the very first thing I would do is pull the needles out and blow out the passages with compressed air.
Junk settles in those passages and causes idle quality issue's.
A full pressure direct contact with the hole blast of 1/2 second or so in each.

Sorry, don't know anyone in that area except for Don Gould at 4secondsflat.com but he's in Oregon.
He is a really knowledgeable Mopar/racer and doesn't mind helping people.
 
Well, the very first thing I would do is pull the needles out and blow out the passages with compressed air.
Junk settles in those passages and causes idle quality issue's.
A full pressure direct contact with the hole blast of 1/2 second or so in each.

Sorry, don't know anyone in that area except for Don Gould at 4secondsflat.com but he's in Oregon.
He is a really knowledgeable Mopar/racer and doesn't mind helping people.
I really appreciate that.. thank you..i Will try that.. I'm also gonna try and get my 300 back from that shop! 300!!? For what!? To tell me my carb needs to be rebuilt!? I'd like to know what they did? Not a damn thing!! It's because I'm a woman I'm assuming and they think i don't know any better.. I'm not by any means an expert..but i have been wrenching on cars since i was a kid and i know more than most girls.. My dart Sat in my mom's garage for over a year due to a badly leaking transmission line..which i replaced myself.. This guy at the shop wasn't even a twinkle in his daddys eye when this car was built!! Grrrr
 
Sorry to hear of the issues. BTW, you don't necessarily need a certified mechanic... I know a few who can't tune a carb to save their lives. You need a 'competent' mechanic for older engines.

Is it running rough at idle, or when accelerating, or all the time? Can you describe this a bit more?

In what way did you look at the distributor? The term 'looks fine' is a bit vague. Would you want a couple of tests that you could easily do yourself?
 
Sorry to hear of the issues. BTW, you don't necessarily need a certified mechanic... I know a few who can't tune a carb to save their lives. You need a 'competent' mechanic for older engines.

Is it running rough at idle, or when accelerating, or all the time? Can you describe this a bit more?

In what way did you look at the distributor? The term 'looks fine' is a bit vague. Would you want a couple of tests that you could easily do yourself?
It starts up..runs but wants to die when i put it in gear after it's warmed up.. Like its on choke still.. It's sluggish to get up to speed but then seems to go fine.. It was back firing.. Seems like the timing May be off. I took the cap off..there's no visual cracks..minute pitting.. It's getting plenty of fuel. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! As i was saying..this all started after the accident. I can tell they messed with the Distributer because there's a Mark where it clearly had been sitting before.
 
knock a vacuum line off or misplaced by the shop? accelerator pump squirting correctly?
It's squirting gas fine as far as i can tell..as far as vacuum lines..i dunno.. Wish i was more knowledgeable..i like the carburated engines because it's basically process of elimination.. Air..fuel and spark.. Vs fuel injection..and sensors.. But there can be so many contributing factors to any of those issues.. I mainly need a competent mechanic who would be willing to entertain the possibility that the accident is the reason for these issues. As i said before..she was running amazing before hand..in fact..i took her to her first car show ever..this summer and won.. After i took it to this shop..i specifically told them.. I need an estimate for repair..i was just in an accident..her insurance is going to pay..i cannot afford any out of pocket expense! They then..4 days later..told me.." They couldn't in all honesty..say it was running rough due to the accident..because they had never seen the car prior to the accident"!!!! Really?? Why the F#*% would I have brought it to them if..1.it was running fine..and 2. For a post accident estimate? I'm so bummed!!
 
It's squirting gas fine as far as i can tell..as far as vacuum lines..i dunno.. Wish i was more knowledgeable..i like the carburated engines because it's basically process of elimination.. Air..fuel and spark.. Vs fuel injection..and sensors.. But there can be so many contributing factors to any of those issues.. I mainly need a competent mechanic who would be willing to entertain the possibility that the accident is the reason for these issues. As i said before..she was running amazing before hand..in fact..i took her to her first car show ever..this summer and won.. After i took it to this shop..i specifically told them.. I need an estimate for repair..i was just in an accident..her insurance is going to pay..i cannot afford any out of pocket expense! They then..4 days later..told me.." They couldn't in all honesty..say it was running rough due to the accident..because they had never seen the car prior to the accident"!!!! Really?? Why the F#*% would I have brought it to them if..1.it was running fine..and 2. For a post accident estimate? I'm so bummed!!

Put the distributor back where it was if you feel thy moved it for no reason and it was running good before.
Hang in there, we have members in WA that could see this.
Or better yet, put up a help add for members is WA.
 
Put the distributor back where it was if you feel thy moved it for no reason and it was running good before.
Hang in there, we have members in WA that could see this.
Or better yet, put up a help add for members is WA.
Thank you.. I Will do that. I love car people!! ❤
 
Thank you.. I Will do that. I love car people!! ❤
20190911_110351.jpg
 
Yeah, it may not make sense as you KNOW the reality, but they truly have no way to attest to the car running good or not before. You just gotta let that go for now.

Running rough after warmup possibly indicates excess richness, and so messing with the carb does make some sense.

If you want to run a quick check of the spark system's strength, then do this:
- Pull the spark wire off of the center tower of the distributor, pull back the boot, and place it so that the metal tip is right at 3/8" from metal (like a valve cover or inner fender)
- Have someone crank the engine and look for a bright spark to jump that gap as the engine cranks.
- If it does, then the spark components look to be good. That still leaves timing and something messed up around the rotor and cap. A timing light is needed and the knowledge of how it works, so yes, you are needing someone competent to run through that.
 
Yeah..i Will do that..i mean..she fires right up..I'm also aware of the running it in the dark trick..to see if there's any sparks jumping around by the wires..i would assume if there's a crack in the Distributer..that would be the case there as well.. All great advice..thank you!
 
If carb hasnt been touched until recently, i would say its likely in need of a good cleaning. Never mentioned what engine it has and if its a 2 barrel Or 4 barrel carb.
Had one this spring that all it needed was a good cleaning and it ran perfect after.
Another trick is to pull air cleaner, rev engine a little and push choke plate closed,as plate closes snap throttle.sometimes this dislodges the dirt that is fouling the jets.
 
I had a nylon coated timing gear jump a tooth on me after hitting the brakes too hard (because of an idiot driver) might want to check the timing.
 
First off, welcome to FABO. I second the motion to call 4secondsflat at 541-942-5920. They are in Oregon, but raced all over the NW. They may know of someone in your area that can assist you. Don't fear help is on the way in one form or another.
 
If carb hasnt been touched until recently, i would say its likely in need of a good cleaning. Never mentioned what engine it has and if its a 2 barrel Or 4 barrel carb.
Had one this spring that all it needed was a good cleaning and it ran perfect after.
Another trick is to pull air cleaner, rev engine a little and push choke plate closed,as plate closes snap throttle.sometimes this dislodges the dirt that is fouling the jets.
So..As far as cleaning the carb.. Are you suggesting i remove it and clean it or simply use a cleaner like seafoam or? I'm not sure I'm comfortable removing it..I've seen it done and I'm sure i could do it with a few pointers..just don't wanna mess anything up...
 
Dam holleys...not my favorite. But i can almost guarantee there are a dozen videos on how to rebuild/repair/adjust...
 
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