Torque Converter Problems?

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EmersonC

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I have been dealing with some issues for a while with my 66 Dart 273 automatic. I have rebuilt the carb, new fuel pump/filters, Found TDC and adjusted the timming. All of this seems to make the engine run better which is great but I am still having the following issues...

PROBLEMS:
  • Car starts great and idles great in park or neutral
  • Drives fine for the first 5-10 minutes
  • After 10 minutes when I come to a stop the idle is real low and often the car will stall. I can avoid this by putting it into neutral. When in neutral the RPM goes back up and everything seems fine.
  • Last week after driving on the highway for about 20 minutes when I would come to a stop and put the car in neutral it still died on me unless pressed down the accelerator.
  • I have some engine shaking/shuddering at just above idle. But this is if in P,N or D. I can get past the shaking if I accelerate fast.
  • Loss of top end power
  • Poor mileage
I have been reading about it but there seems to be some conflicting information out there.

Any ideas?
 
Doesn't sound like a torque converter issue to me. Sounds like a fuel delivery problem, or maybe even something worse such as burned valves. When you adjusted the idle mixture screws how did you do it? The best way is to do it with the car in drive. Loading the engine down, such as what happens when you drop it in gear, changes the idle mixture requirements a little so the adjustment should always be done with the car fully warmed up and in drive. Loss of top end power and engine shakiness is also an indicator that it's an engine problem, not anything to do with the trans. With no load on the engine (when in neutral or park) any misfire is far less likely to cause shakiness. Loading the engine down makes those issues really show up.

Have you checked compression on the engine lately? Have you put a vacuum gauge on it to see how much idle vacuum it has and if the needle stays pretty still or jumps all around?
 
Normally i adjust thr carb with the engine fully warmed and in P. I can readjust the carb with the car in D but like I said the engine seems great its just when I come to a stop after driving the engine feels like it's being held up and just dies.

I will check the compression, its been on my list of things to do. Maybe the vacume advance mechanism on the dist is getting caught up and not returning to where it should be?
 
Maybe just try a different carb. Perhaps the base is warped or perhaps the functional parts are just wore out. I can't think of anything in the motor that will cause it to run fine then die other times. Bad compression, bad cam, bad anything internal will run consistently bad. Oh, we are all assuming your plugs, plug wires,points, dist. cap, are all in proper working order.
 
ill try this,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you have changed the cam its not pulling enouf vacuum..you will have to put a biger vac tank on.it could bee 500 difernt thing you have to tell us the history of the motor or what you have dun to it Artie ps.and you will get a faster anser if you sign in to the welcome wagin................:thumblef::thumblef:
 
bought it two years ago so I don't know if it's the stock cam. I rebuilt the carb (600 eddy) two weeks ago
I checked for vacuum leaks a month ago, no noticanle leaks, but we all know those can be tricky. If I had access to another 4bbl carb I would switch it out.
when o get home I'll post a write up in the welcome wagon and let ya all know
 
Eddy carb? Another shot in the dark but also make sure the float level isn't set too high. If you see fuel dripping from the boosters at idle it's flooding internally.
 
EmersonC said:
Normally i adjust thr carb with the engine fully warmed and in P. I can readjust the carb with the car in D but like I said the engine seems great its just when I come to a stop after driving the engine feels like it's being held up and just dies.

I will check the compression, its been on my list of things to do. Maybe the vacume advance mechanism on the dist is getting caught up and not returning to where it should be?
Click to expand...

I understand what you said in the original post and answered accordingly. I don't believe you understood me when I said they should always be adjusted in gear, not park or neutral because when in gear it loads the engine down which generally requires enriching the fuel mixture. An engine can sound great idling at 15 to 1 A/F mixture in neutral or park but as soon as you drop it in gear and try to drive it won't want to idle at stop signs because the fuel mixture is too lean. If it's running lean (not getting enough fuel) at idle it'll act exactly like you described. Never saw a vacuum advance get hung up and not return, but anything's possible. Most of the time vacuum advance mechanisms go bad it's due to a hole in the diaphragm and they just cease to work and cause a small vacuum leak. Wouldn't hurt to check it though.

Checking the float levels as 70Duster mentioned isn't a bad idea either. I've rebuilt a few Eddy carbs that were never touched after leaving the factory and most of them had the float levels adjusted wrong. I set the float level with a 7/16" drill bit.
 
fishy68 said:
I don't believe you understood me when I said they should always be adjusted in gear, not park or neutral because when in gear it loads the engine down which generally requires enriching the fuel mixture.
Click to expand...

Fishy, thanks for the advice, I will check it out. It makes sense to me, to adjust the carb while it is in D as this is where the car is most of the time and where I am having troubles. What about adjusting the timing, there shouldnt be a difference if it is in P or D right?


On a side note. There are two floats in the eddy carb, does one feed the primary and the other the secondary or is it all the same resivour?
 
EmersonC said:
Fishy, thanks for the advice, I will check it out. It makes sense to me, to adjust the carb while it is in D as this is where the car is most of the time and where I am having troubles. What about adjusting the timing, there shouldnt be a difference if it is in P or D right?


On a side note. There are two floats in the eddy carb, does one feed the primary and the other the secondary or is it all the same resivour?
Click to expand...
and use a vac gadge if you have one..........
 
When was the last time you changed the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, checked the PCV, compression test, essentially a tune-up ?

Kinda eliminate the obvious first,, then go looking for obscure stuff (converter) ..
 
EmersonC said:
Fishy, thanks for the advice, I will check it out. It makes sense to me, to adjust the carb while it is in D as this is where the car is most of the time and where I am having troubles. What about adjusting the timing, there shouldnt be a difference if it is in P or D right?


On a side note. There are two floats in the eddy carb, does one feed the primary and the other the secondary or is it all the same resivour?
Click to expand...

Your welcome Emerson. Shouldn't be a difference in timing in park or drive but I always check it in neutral or park with the vacuum advance disconnected and line plugged.

Each float controls the fuel level in the reservoir for primary and secondary on that side of the carb.
 
Retarded ignition timing. It happens as the timing chain and gears wear.
 
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