car not running just right yet

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trudysduster

trudysduster

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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I took the Dart out for a spin yesterday and it ran like crap. It was surging and kinda missing and didn't have the power I thought it should have. Messed with the carb all day. jetted it down some. changed the metering rods, springs and still didn't get it where I wanted it. So I got up this morning and swapped the carb off my Duster ( Thunder Series 650 cfm) and it seemed to run a little better but still not right. But I knew this carb was new and had to start somewhere. Ran it about 20 miles and the further I went, the worse it ran. It seemed like maybe the vacuum advance may be off affecting the dist. The ballast resistor was pretty hot. I just replaced that along with the ECM before we started it. got to looking at the terminals and Tyler had turned one of the connectors around and it wasn't fitting in the little hole. I ran it and it was much better. BUT, it still isn't just right. It doesn't seem to have the power in first gear. The surging has quit but I am not happy with it yet. My question is: is the ballast resistor supposed to get hot while it is running. It is almost hot enough that you don't want to keep your hand on it. I am not convinced that the dist.is functioning properly either. This is a stock 1978 360 engine in it right now. I don't know if the vacuum on the dist. is working right but the lack of power in first gear has me wondering. It doesn't run too bad in the rest of the gears. I don't expect too much out of this stock motor but It seems like it ran much better when the automatic was in it and we have not changed anything since doing this work on it. I put new plugs and wires on it. Any suggestions.
 
Yeah Bill, the ballast will get too hot to the touch.

Where's your initial timing at? Did you run with the XE268?
 
I have a nice dizzy out of a 68 340 with electronic conversion, all dialed in for you 75 shipped with new cap, 20 initial, 34 total and 54 withvacume. Let me no its plug and play time.
 
you know the story Bruce. the vacuum advance line was hooked to the wrong port on the carb. Tyler read the manual and both the ports on the front said they was for the dist but one is for emission controlled engines and the other one is for non emission controlled engines and he hooked them to the wrong port. You know what that word assume means. Its my fault, I should have checked it. The only problem I have now is a ticking noise on the right side. Not sure if it is a exhaust leak or a lifter collapsing. It kind comes and goes. I am betting on a lifter. Now that I know what the problem was, I am going to swap those carbs and put the new one back on my Duster. The little **** isn't going to get my new carb.
 
Wow, that little change made all the difference? Did you advance the timing a smidge?
 
I am going to wait till I put the 750 carb back on there to fine tune that because the 650 was tuned to the Duster but it runs good now. I didn't was to get too aggressive till I get the ticking noise corrected. I should have replaced them when I had the chance but I didn't.
 
Probably moved the vacuum advance hose from ported vacuum to full time vacuum....

put a timing light on the engine and remove that hose...probably the lose a bunch of advance....

you are just masking the problem...with it plugged into the full time vacuum....

the engine wants more initial advance...
 
cant use a timing light with this damper. There are only 3 marks on it and we tried the light. I am going to take care of that problem when the new heads go on next winter.
 
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