Okay guys you are going to have to bear with me. I am only 17 and I still have a lot to learn but hey thats what you guys are for right? Okay so I pulled my 71 demon outta the shed yesterday and it started up great. I drove it the 10 miles home parked it outside and shut it off. Now today it will not start for me. It cranks and turns over and seems like its gonna start but dies a second or two afterwards. I do not really know where to even start. I do know that it is getting fuel so its not that. Can anybody help me out? (Its got a 225 slant six in it)
Need help with my slant six
- Thread starter woody_3
- Start date
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nm9stheham
Well-Known Member
Hey guy,
Well good for you for such a young start! actually we are here to have fun, but helping can be fun....it's the old guys kibitzing around the garage thing....
So, what symptom are you seeing that makes you believe it is getting fuel? Have you taken the line off of the output of the fuel pump and put it in a qaurt sized metal can and seen how much is pumped out in 2-3 seconds of cranking? Be careful if you do this; don't do it inside, disconnect the spark plug wirre form the center of the distributor cap, and have someone older around to montitor and help.
How old is the gas and how long was the car siting? Is the fuel regular grade fuel?? What does it smell like out of the fuel pump? Like gas out of the pump or does it have a bitter, acrid smell?
When you say it wants to start but dies in 1-2 seconds, does this occur immediately when you let off of the key when cranking?
Test for good spark; I do this by taking one plug wire of of a plug, putting a screwdriver in the now open spark plug end of the wire, and lay it on the valve cover so that the metal blade of rhe screwdriver is apporx 1/4" from a bare bolt head or metal. Have someone crank the engine, and you should see a nice fat, blueish spark, not a wimpey yellow one.
Answer these basic question and test the spark and then we have a better baseline of info to help out. Let us see if you have a good spark first and then check the fuel delivery; it is llikely either bad/no spark, or old fuel, or bad fuel delivery due to a plugged tank or fuel filter or carb problem.
Well good for you for such a young start! actually we are here to have fun, but helping can be fun....it's the old guys kibitzing around the garage thing....
So, what symptom are you seeing that makes you believe it is getting fuel? Have you taken the line off of the output of the fuel pump and put it in a qaurt sized metal can and seen how much is pumped out in 2-3 seconds of cranking? Be careful if you do this; don't do it inside, disconnect the spark plug wirre form the center of the distributor cap, and have someone older around to montitor and help.
How old is the gas and how long was the car siting? Is the fuel regular grade fuel?? What does it smell like out of the fuel pump? Like gas out of the pump or does it have a bitter, acrid smell?
When you say it wants to start but dies in 1-2 seconds, does this occur immediately when you let off of the key when cranking?
Test for good spark; I do this by taking one plug wire of of a plug, putting a screwdriver in the now open spark plug end of the wire, and lay it on the valve cover so that the metal blade of rhe screwdriver is apporx 1/4" from a bare bolt head or metal. Have someone crank the engine, and you should see a nice fat, blueish spark, not a wimpey yellow one.
Answer these basic question and test the spark and then we have a better baseline of info to help out. Let us see if you have a good spark first and then check the fuel delivery; it is llikely either bad/no spark, or old fuel, or bad fuel delivery due to a plugged tank or fuel filter or carb problem.
Sounds like a bad ballast resistor. Do you have a factory service manual for your car?
The gas is not all that old. I put it in the shed just for the winter probably around November. I have already taken the fuel line off and cranked it and it pumps plenty of gas out so that is why I believe it is getting fuel. The gas smells normal and just like it usually does. I have not checked the spark yet I'll do that first thing tomorrow and see if that is it. Thanks for the help!
nm9stheham
Well-Known Member
OK, good deal; sound slike you are on top of things! One thing to know is that during cranking the ballast resistor gets bypassed and 12v goes direct to the coil +. So it can have good spark when cranking but none when in the RUN position if the ballast is bad; the ballast is in series with the coil in RUN. BTW, 6 month old regular can be a bit sketchy these days but if it smells OK, it is probably OK. I have gotten into the habit of using premium if any thing will be sitting for a while.
805moparkid
Slant and AFX Guy
take the air cleaner off and hit the throttle, the choke should set and you should see a squirt of fuel.
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