340 has no balls
- Thread starter 17remfan
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dodgetkboy78
EDELBROCK HEADS SUCK!
If there is no difference, there is a possibility you have no vacuum, OR your needles are stuck up....... (Crud, whatever.....)
When you get around two turns from closed, on both screws, it should start to die.
When you get around two turns from closed, on both screws, it should start to die.
Sparky
Well-Known Member
Pop an Air Gap on that baby,it will like it. Mine sure does.
Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
340_833 dart
Well-Known Member
Check the timing before you start buying any parts.
Once you get the timing set properly, then you can start looking elsewhere if you are still experiencing problems.
A '69 340 should have plenty of power to keep you happy.
The LD4B is not a bad manifold for a 340 exhaling through stock exhaust manifolds.
Take it one step at a time.
Once you get the timing set properly, then you can start looking elsewhere if you are still experiencing problems.
A '69 340 should have plenty of power to keep you happy.
The LD4B is not a bad manifold for a 340 exhaling through stock exhaust manifolds.
Take it one step at a time.
pettybludart
Well-Known Member
I,d go with a Holley 650 or 750 with vacum secondaries.The 650 should be plenty and you,ll notice the difference!:read2:There,s books on Holley,s that you should read up on,it,s always good to know different jets,metering rods and tuning.If your gonna own one,it,s good to know how it works.2 centos
Dotchguy
Well-Known Member
Very good advice!
fourspeed
Well-Known Member
I said, "Assuming the engine is in good shape". Geez. If you don't know where you're at with the car, then you need to do some basic tuning.
Pull the carb, get a kit and rebuild it. Be careful setting the float levels. Get the timing adjusted. 10 degrees BTDC is whee I would start, then back timing out IF necessary. Every AFB I've had starts easy. A couple pumps and turn the key. I'll bet the idle mixture screws don't respond right because the float level is off. An AFB is a fine carb on a stock 340.
The shifting to third almost instantly is a kickdown issue. Make sure it's adjusted right and something's not loose. If it shifts WAY too early, that's your pinging problem AND a big part of the car being a pooch.
Pull the carb, get a kit and rebuild it. Be careful setting the float levels. Get the timing adjusted. 10 degrees BTDC is whee I would start, then back timing out IF necessary. Every AFB I've had starts easy. A couple pumps and turn the key. I'll bet the idle mixture screws don't respond right because the float level is off. An AFB is a fine carb on a stock 340.
The shifting to third almost instantly is a kickdown issue. Make sure it's adjusted right and something's not loose. If it shifts WAY too early, that's your pinging problem AND a big part of the car being a pooch.
65Vart
Well-Known Member
cubic inch/HP the X headed 340 is/was the finest SB ever produced my friend. BBblock guys have always feared them. I had a 68 340 in my 70 duster and it was the stongest mopar I've ever had (Ive owned some mild big blocks as well). Worst case it needs to be freshened up /bottom end rebuild spun bearing etc. Best case you have a timing problem, worn cam,floaty valves , vacume leak, wrong intake/carb combo for the heads etc. I would start with the timing.
69cuda340
Member
sounds like a timing issue if timing is off car will have no power possible bad timing chain
I'm running a 750 speed demon with the RPM and cast x heads. It's not too much carb. Remember the thermoquad was an 850 stock.
17remfan
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The engine has 60k on it doesnt seem to have any rod knocks or ticking sounds at all and doesnt smoke . I will take it slowly as suggested. Ill check the timing and check for vacume leaks with wd 40 spray.Ill also place a vacume gauge on the engine and check the reading.
451Cuda
Well-Known Member
Actually there were two sizes of thermoquads used on production cars. The smaller one with 1 3/8" primaries is roughly 800 cfm, and the bigger one with 1 1/2" primaries is about 850 cfm. 340s and 400's had either one depending on options. All 440's had the bigger one.
You learn something every day. I had one on my 340 duster. I just remember it being the size of a toilet bowl. I never had any issues with it despite all the horror stories about them warping.
moper
Well-Known Member
You need to tune it, as suggested. I would get the carb rebuild kit first. Carefully rebuild it or have it rebuilt. It may be very lean due to age and crud in the air bleeds. Also, the advance curve of the distributor needs to be tailored to the fuel we have today. That means more than sticking the Pertronix pickup assembly. It means setting the advance curve for best performance without pinging. Also, on the trans.. it is a surefire way to kill the transmission by driving it with a misadjusted kickdown linkage and manually shifting it. The reason it doesnt work is the aftermarket intake. So You may need to do a little tweaking to get it to work. It sounds like a simple case of lack of maintenance.
The best advice I received here on FABO was to relax and take it slow. I have run into soooo many problems with starting my car, but I tried to listen and understand all the help that was offered. And it worked.....:happy10:
I had never used a vacuum gauge before either, but it helped a bunch.
And just so you know......there is NOOOO such thing as a 340 without :bball: IMO
And listen to Moper.....very smart and helpful :toothy7:
waggin
moving on ain't easy if you drive a Ford :p
If your 340 has no balls then there is something wrong. go back to the basics starting with the intrmediate shaft that drives the distributor and work your way forward. moper makin some serious sense!
dodgetkboy78
EDELBROCK HEADS SUCK!
No size. Your AFB is fine, just fix it.
3404speed
Ancient Decrepit Member
i like the way this is heading, good advice8)
moper
Well-Known Member
17, if the engine in general is out of tune, and the other standard mechanical stuff is out of adjustment then no Holley or anything else will help it. It's typical on a car that was "restored" in the last say 5-6 years strickly for resale or possibly done by someone who knows no better. Manually shifting the Torqueflite makes the low/reverse band and the kickdon (2nd gear) bands interfere with each other and that causes much faster wear on the 2nd gear band. Not havin the proper kickdown setup means the entire transmission is running at a lower pressure than it was designed for... Also leading to premature wear and destruction. In fact, adding the Holley with the throttle lever adaptor might make the existing trans issue even worse. A brand new properly sized Holley would be a 600 or 650 4160 series vacuum secondary. But it will also need tuning to make the engine run right. The difference is you will spend the $350, plus the adaptor before you start tuning things. The basics will apply to the parts you have, and any new parts you buy. BTW, i think an original 340 car is a kick *** ride. They called them big bore hunters for a reason. They should not lack balls...lol
Beatnik
Well-Known Member
Diagnos and tune...dont throw new parts at it in hopes you shotgun hit the problem. Which you may never do. All good advice here. Check timing, get a vac gauge on it and check the readings. Couple other things maybe...
- Pull your plugs and read them! FBO has a good reference page. Lots can be told...
- Check the gap/heat range etc...a good replacement is Champion RN12YC for a more or less stock 340.
- Is your oil wick beneath your rotor been lubed lately? Good to check while your at it...give it a squirt with white lithium grease.
Let us know what you find out!
- Pull your plugs and read them! FBO has a good reference page. Lots can be told...
- Check the gap/heat range etc...a good replacement is Champion RN12YC for a more or less stock 340.
- Is your oil wick beneath your rotor been lubed lately? Good to check while your at it...give it a squirt with white lithium grease.
Let us know what you find out!
When I first read "petronix" I though of the advance... moper has it!!! you need a good tune up. That doesn't mean plugs and an air filter. You need to find a local GURU that "really knows" how to tune a carbed car ie...vacuum adcance , mechanical advance , total timing . jetting and what sequence to do each of these items.. It's not expensive or hard to do But you have to be able to wrap your mind around the whole process and visualize what's happening with each adjustment.
It's an art.....
17remfan
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Just a small update. Let me say thanks to everyone for the interest and the advice. I really like 340s and I will try my best to keep this matching engine Dart intact. Got home from work today and took a look at the engine . One thing I found out is that the air bleed screws on the Edelbrock carb are working ok . I turned them in and they did respond to that. I adjusted them back out to the smoothest point .I looked for any vacuum leaks / cracked hoses and couldnt find any.I need to get a hold of my old timing light and check that.Car seems to drive around ok and will be a great cruiser.I do have a concern about the mis matched ports on that ld4B intake and may very well change it to an performer RPM very soon.Ill post more when I can .
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