Car wont Run!

-
BJDEALER

BJDEALER

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
231
Reaction score
1
Location
New Mexico
I start up the car and it idles kinda rough. I let it warm up and then put it into gear and it dies. It will idle all day long but will die when put in gear. The only way i can keep it running is give it a lot of gas and peel out when i put it drive. The engine still sputters even then. I have a rebuilt 360 with a holley 4 barrel carb and electronic ignition. The engine was running fine one day and then this started. If you need more info just ask. Thanks
 
My best guess is a vacuum leak. Throttle linkage lifting the carb maybe ?
 
My wagon ran that way when I bought it. I changed the intake gasket figuring a vacuum leak and that solved the problem. Jayson
 
what happens to it at idle in neutral if you give it a little gas? a lot of gas?
 
Well thanks for the comments guys. The car does run the same in neutral that it does in park. It dies in Reverse and in forward gear. A vacuum leak is funny cause i just fixed some vacuum line problems i had. It ran fine for a couple months after i fixed that. Could it be vapor lock? It has been really hot down here lately and i was wondering if that could be the problem? Could not be the carb? Possibly an ignition prob? Timing or distributor? just need some good troubleshooting techniques so i dont replace the wrong things.
 
Holly carburetors - teaching people to swear 60 years!

Pull the top off of the air cleaner. Grab your flashlight.

Start the engine, and warm it up to idle. Is the Choke all the way open at warm curb idle? If not, correct the choke setting before proceeding.

Now, with the engine idling, look down the primaries at the throttle plates. The plates, and the boosters should be DRY.

If you see fuel on the plates, or fuel dripping from the boosters in the center of the bore - this is the problem.

There are several causes of this sort of issue with a Holley. Bad float valve / level, crud in the metering block, or a blown power valve.

You said the car ran ok recently. Did you park it for a couple of weeks? When you started it recently have you had a loud backfire through the carburetor?

B.
 
I am thinking its the carb too. When i bought the motor the carb was on it. THe motor had been sitting for about a year in a wrecked truck. They started it up for me when i bought it but i have always been worried about the carb being bad. I also did not replace the fuel sending unit in my gas tank before i started running the engine in my car. My tank definitly had some crap in it since my car sat a few years. One thing i have noticed is that when i turn the adjustment screws on each side of the carb nothing happens. In the past wheni did that the motor would die.
 
BJDEALER said:
I am thinking its the carb too. One thing i have noticed is that when i turn the adjustment screws on each side of the carb nothing happens. In the past wheni did that the motor would die.
Click to expand...

THAT is a classic sign of a very rich Holley. If you can (gently) bottom out one or both of the idle screws - and it will still idle you need to get into the carb.

Which Holley do you have? There will be a number stamped into the air horn that is 4 digits, perhaps with a - and some more numbers. like "3310-6" That will tell us which unit you actually have.

A complete rebuild kit with a new power valve and all the gaskets is less than 50 bucks. Buy a genuine Holley kit - most of the chain stores will have one.

B.
 
bohica2xo said:
THAT is a classic sign of a very rich Holley. If you can (gently) bottom out one or both of the idle screws - and it will still idle you need to get into the carb.

Which Holley do you have? There will be a number stamped into the air horn that is 4 digits, perhaps with a - and some more numbers. like "3310-6" That will tell us which unit you actually have.

A complete rebuild kit with a new power valve and all the gaskets is less than 50 bucks. Buy a genuine Holley kit - most of the chain stores will have one.

B.
Click to expand...
Yup.....Holleyitis.....take one Carter and call me in the morning.....
 
I bet its running rich too. Might also check the float level, a high float will ruin rich. Just after shutdown, crack the sight plug and see if gas weeps out (catch it before you have a fire). Should be just at the bottom of the site. Holley tells you to adjust float level when the car is running but for the life of me, I cant understand how you do that without fuel spewing out from under the set screw!
 
Yup he s right take that holley off and throw it as far as possible! I use edelbrock with no problems since 1992!!!!!!!
 
bohica2xo said:
Holly carburetors - teaching people to swear 60 years!

Pull the top off of the air cleaner. Grab your flashlight.

Start the engine, and warm it up to idle. Is the Choke all the way open at warm curb idle? If not, correct the choke setting before proceeding.

Now, with the engine idling, look down the primaries at the throttle plates. The plates, and the boosters should be DRY.

If you see fuel on the plates, or fuel dripping from the boosters in the center of the bore - this is the problem.

There are several causes of this sort of issue with a Holley. Bad float valve / level, crud in the metering block, or a blown power valve.

You said the car ran ok recently. Did you park it for a couple of weeks? When you started it recently have you had a loud backfire through the carburetor?

B.
Click to expand...


I feel sorry for guys who have trouble with holley -- that ***** simple, you got your jets and your bowl and your choke and throttle plate..... You want FUUUUU!!! $%^ @#$@ # @!!! ??

Quadrajet. Now that's one complex beast. Best carbs ever made, but most obnoxious **** to tune ever.
 
I vote for vacuum leak.

My carb opinion...if you like to race and love to work on carburetors, get a Holley. If you want to drive without problems, and could care less about squeezing out every tenth in the quarter, buy a Carter.
 
GaryS said:
I vote for vacuum leak.

My carb opinion...if you like to race and love to work on carburetors, get a Holley. If you want to drive without problems, and could care less about squeezing out every tenth in the quarter, buy a Carter.
Click to expand...


:thumrigh:
 
Asktoro said:
Quadrajet. Now that's one complex beast. Best carbs ever made, but most obnoxious **** to tune ever.
Click to expand...

QJs are no more complex than an AFB/ AVS, or a Thermojunk. Biggest problem with a QJ is the float bowl is too small.
 
Asktoro said:
I feel sorry for guys who have trouble with holley -- that ***** simple, you got your jets and your bowl and your choke and throttle plate..... You want FUUUUU!!! $%^ @#$@ # @!!! ??

Quadrajet. Now that's one complex beast. Best carbs ever made, but most obnoxious **** to tune ever.
Click to expand...


AMEN, cant stand carter/elebrock design. I can rebuild my holley with a quick kit for $25 bucks in about 15 mins and she's back to new. Change the Jets in 5, their not that hard, but it does help to have a good teacher who knows the tricks on them!

It does sound like it is a car problem, however, a bad Torque Converter can cause the engine to die when putting in gear. Just a little FYI in case the carb turns out to not be the problem.
 
cudamark said:
Yup.....Holleyitis.....take one Carter and call me in the morning.....
Click to expand...

True, true true.

But I took 2 carters and put them on a 340, motor idles better, smoother steadier throttle response (got it direct 1 to 1 and no air valve in the front carb) and as much if not a bit more power than any 750 holley or demon I ever tried--and fussed with, wire drills, little brass inserts, I had it all.

Now the car can sit all week, start right up, runs smooth, week after week, got around 5,000 miles in the past 2--3 years. They were nos 500 carters made in the mid 90's

Holley is cheaper but you gotta fuss with them more it seems. I was getting many months of use of it, you just never knew--sucks, 2 times in the 20 years I had them, it stalled right at a red light--stuck float needle. Freaken traffic backed up over a 1/4 mile, got the hood up, check acc pump, dry, pull needle out, shake, re-install, pump back acc pump, get in and take off after gunning the heck out of it for 10 seconds...loads of fun, hear horns, people yelling..do i miss my holleys:laughing:
 
streetdak said:
AMEN, cant stand carter/elebrock design. I can rebuild my holley with a quick kit for $25 bucks in about 15 mins and she's back to new. Change the Jets in 5, their not that hard, but it does help to have a good teacher who knows the tricks on them!

It does sound like it is a car problem, however, a bad Torque Converter can cause the engine to die when putting in gear. Just a little FYI in case the carb turns out to not be the problem.
Click to expand...


Not always, those metering block gaskets can leak air between the passages. Won't leak fuel but gives a rough idle--like a super hot cam, then step on the gas all is fine. The carbs need to be milled flat so the gaskets will seal. Might leak for a while and stop, might be fine for months and then leak, just never know, lots of times new gaskets cure it--for while

then you got the power valve timing problem, its either on or off. The rods design is smoother.

I tried one 800 eddy and it was awful. Tried one 500 before the swap, drove it all week. Motor ran fine but was down roughly 50 HP over the 750 hp dp it had. Did the swap, surprise how not so hard to adjust 2 carbs for idle, primaries jetted close the right on, secondaries way too rich, went from mid .090's to .077 jets in back... woke it right up..then out goes the front carb air valve so it kick open like a dp, got no bog at all, (I recall now the holley bog when it wasn't happy)

I loved my holley's/ demons till I tried and got 2 carters tuned right on, just my 2 cents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top