MoparDart68
Well-Known Member
So, about a month ago my Dart refused to start after running fine the day before. I assumed something may be wrong with the ignition. It has an aftermarket electronic ignition transplanted from my old duster. This is the type of ignition that has the magnetic sticky tape that goes around the rotor in the distributor. Kind of a hokey system, but it seems to work just fine. I checked for problems in the distributor, cleaned the rotor, etc--everything is as it should be. Furthermore, every spark plug was producing a good spark. Relieved that it wasn't a problem with the ignition, I moved on to the next possible candidate.
Since the car refused to start, even after pumping the accelerator numerous times, I decided to pour some fuel into the carburetor. The car starts, but runs kind of rough before warming up. Now, the assumption of my Dad and I is that the carb is probably dirty, perhaps a clogged jet. So, we take the carb apart, nothing is out of the ordinary, then put it back on the old 273. Car still doesn't start without pouring gas into the carb. We then discuss the possibility of a bad fuel filter, however, this checks out fine after replacing it. The next probable cause is the fuel pump. This is replaced the next day, and the car starts on the first crank. However, it is now running like crap. We mess around with the mixture trying to smooth out the idle, which we sort of eventually accomplish. Everything is in order it seems, so we call it a day. The next afternoon, I start it up, runs like garbage again--car can't hold an idle. Obviously, something is going on here when the car is cold. So, we (my Dad) take the carb apart again to see if we missed something. He mentioned something about a possible missing check-ball. However, the check-ball is where it is supposed to be, so no problem there. After re-installing the carb again, and letting the car sit for a day or two, we decide to try starting the car again. Same problem. So, we are now very confused as to why the car is still running like garbage. I kept saying to myself, it sounds like the ignition timing is off. But how could this be? We didn't touch the distributor, only the cap and rotor. Just for kicks, I decided to throw the timing light on it, and see where the timing was. What I found was surprising.
The timing was off the scale. I would say it was around 17-20 degrees after TDC. This is severely retarded timing, no wonder the car was running the way it was. The timing is supposed to be 2 1/2 degrees ATC at idle (650 rpm). So, my Dad get's out his socket set to loosen the distributor clamp so we can adjust it. I'm watching the timing with the light, he's adjusting the distributor. Well, it turns out, the bolt on the distributor clamp was loose. What the? Now it makes sense, eureka! I have no idea as to why the bolt was not tight. I didn't touch it, neither did my Dad. I guess when we were fooling around with the carb, we probably inadvertently nudged the distributor without knowing the bolt was loose. This is obviously harmless if the bolt is tight. Well, with a less than tight bolt, the distributor was free to do its own thing and mess with our heads. As we adjusted the timing back down, the engine immediately started sounding better, go figure.
It's amazing how something as simple as a bolt can throw you off. Through this entire endeavor, I was always thinking in the back of my mind that this sounds like a timing issue. However, since the car ran fine before replacing the fuel pump (which btw, was most likely bad), I couldn't see how timing could have been the problem. I only decided to act on this hunch after exhausting all other possibilities. It seems that troubleshooting every possibility is the only way for an amateur like myself to get something fixed. In the end, this fix only cost about $20 (cost of the fuel pump), but a lot of time was spent bending over the front fenders of the car-- my back is not happy. Well, the car runs great now, the bolt is tight, and it also starts up even better than before. I'm relieved, yet a little embarrassed. Thought I'd share this tale with all of you at FABO.
Since the car refused to start, even after pumping the accelerator numerous times, I decided to pour some fuel into the carburetor. The car starts, but runs kind of rough before warming up. Now, the assumption of my Dad and I is that the carb is probably dirty, perhaps a clogged jet. So, we take the carb apart, nothing is out of the ordinary, then put it back on the old 273. Car still doesn't start without pouring gas into the carb. We then discuss the possibility of a bad fuel filter, however, this checks out fine after replacing it. The next probable cause is the fuel pump. This is replaced the next day, and the car starts on the first crank. However, it is now running like crap. We mess around with the mixture trying to smooth out the idle, which we sort of eventually accomplish. Everything is in order it seems, so we call it a day. The next afternoon, I start it up, runs like garbage again--car can't hold an idle. Obviously, something is going on here when the car is cold. So, we (my Dad) take the carb apart again to see if we missed something. He mentioned something about a possible missing check-ball. However, the check-ball is where it is supposed to be, so no problem there. After re-installing the carb again, and letting the car sit for a day or two, we decide to try starting the car again. Same problem. So, we are now very confused as to why the car is still running like garbage. I kept saying to myself, it sounds like the ignition timing is off. But how could this be? We didn't touch the distributor, only the cap and rotor. Just for kicks, I decided to throw the timing light on it, and see where the timing was. What I found was surprising.
The timing was off the scale. I would say it was around 17-20 degrees after TDC. This is severely retarded timing, no wonder the car was running the way it was. The timing is supposed to be 2 1/2 degrees ATC at idle (650 rpm). So, my Dad get's out his socket set to loosen the distributor clamp so we can adjust it. I'm watching the timing with the light, he's adjusting the distributor. Well, it turns out, the bolt on the distributor clamp was loose. What the? Now it makes sense, eureka! I have no idea as to why the bolt was not tight. I didn't touch it, neither did my Dad. I guess when we were fooling around with the carb, we probably inadvertently nudged the distributor without knowing the bolt was loose. This is obviously harmless if the bolt is tight. Well, with a less than tight bolt, the distributor was free to do its own thing and mess with our heads. As we adjusted the timing back down, the engine immediately started sounding better, go figure.
It's amazing how something as simple as a bolt can throw you off. Through this entire endeavor, I was always thinking in the back of my mind that this sounds like a timing issue. However, since the car ran fine before replacing the fuel pump (which btw, was most likely bad), I couldn't see how timing could have been the problem. I only decided to act on this hunch after exhausting all other possibilities. It seems that troubleshooting every possibility is the only way for an amateur like myself to get something fixed. In the end, this fix only cost about $20 (cost of the fuel pump), but a lot of time was spent bending over the front fenders of the car-- my back is not happy. Well, the car runs great now, the bolt is tight, and it also starts up even better than before. I'm relieved, yet a little embarrassed. Thought I'd share this tale with all of you at FABO.
