New Member, New Duster

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C

Chris Hernandez

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Messages
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Location
Los Angeles,CA
Hello all,

Very happy to join this community! From what I have seen so far you guys are all amazing! Happy to say I have gotten my first classic car and it is a 74 duster with a slant 6.

The reason i am posting here is because i seem to be having an issue with the engine. (Bare with me as i know very little about engines.) Car seemed to be running fine the first day I got it. When I took it out yesterday with my dad, I floored the pedal and the engine was fine for a couple seconds then just died and turned off. After that the car will not idle, only holding down accelerator will keep car on, once you let go of pedal it will turn off. Also new battery dies very quickly. I have a new starter, cap and rotor, and alternator on order since these were the first items that i was going to replace either way. One thing i suspect is that the reason the car doesnt stay on is a carb/fuel delivery issue? what do you guys think? Any help is greatly appreciated!

car.jpg
 
Possibly a vacuum leak. Make sure choke not stuck closed. How much do you have to rev to keep it running? Check idle screw.

Likely something simple here...but hard to say from a computer

Congrats on the Duster- let the games begin!
 
crj1968 said:
Possibly a vacuum leak. Make sure choke not stuck closed. How much do you have to rev to keep it running? Check idle screw.

Likely something simple here...but hard to say from a computer

Congrats on the Duster- let the games begin!
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Thank you for your reply! How/where would i check choke not stuck closed? Again sorry not at all that knowledgeable with classics. Did mess with the idle screw but didnt do anything. For vacuum leak, one thing i saw was that i plugged most of the ones i saw open with plugs. only ones that didnt see had a vacuum hose was the one above the cleaner (dont know where it goes) and there are 2 that go to radiator? (CCEGR) that is broken and cannot find the part.
 
take off air cleaner and there should be a metal flap thing that stops air into carb. Possibly it has been removed.
When car is warm it should be open. Pulled by a rod...
Possibly the choke has been removed or wired open. Common

How much rev do you need to put into it to keep it running?

Power brakes? if so remove that hose and plug it also just to check if that's source of a vacuum leak

So it was running fine for 1 day and then the next day it just started acting up.
Guy who sold it to you have any ideas or advice? He likely was aware of something, maybe
 
As far as vacuum lines
The basics
a big one to power brake booster if applicable
a small one to distributor
A big one to EGR valve

Not sure what you mean one above the air cleaner?

take off air cleaner and zap a few pictures. People will be happy to help

You can plug all vacuum lines just to check for a difference.
 
Welcome aboard Chris

Sorry to hear of your pain... this is the place for answers to questions for sure. I'd suggest getting something over in the Ignition thread as well
 
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Also may be dying while at idle because alternator not working at low RPM...

My car was doing this- drive around and then pull into driveway and die.
Not so much the alternator but losing charge through ammeter. there is easy fix for this.

Does it feel like it loads up and then dies? You have a voltmeter?
 
crj1968 said:
take off air cleaner and there should be a metal flap thing that stops air into carb. Possibly it has been removed.
When car is warm it should be open. Pulled by a rod...
Possibly the choke has been removed or wired open. Common

How much rev do you need to put into it to keep it running?

Power brakes? if so remove that hose and plug it also just to check if that's source of a vacuum leak

So it was running fine for 1 day and then the next day it just started acting up.
Guy who sold it to you have any ideas or advice? He likely was aware of something, maybe
Click to expand...

Ok will check that on CARB.

wouldnt know exact rpm but not too much. the higher i keep the rev the better the engine sounds, the lower the rpm it starts acting like it is going to turn off then when pedal is off it just turns off.

OEM Drum brakes. where would that hose be sorry.

Pretty trustworthy guy. if anything it was prob because the car had been sitting too long. and rather than check it and make sure all is good i got excited and just driving it. Again i have a starter on order, as well as dist. cap and rotor, and alternator. Anything else you think i should add to the list?
 
crj1968 said:
Also may be dying while at idle because alternator not working at low RPM...

My car was doing this- drive around and then pull into driveway and die.
Not so much the alternator but losing charge through ammeter. there is easy fix for this.

Does it feel like it loads up and then dies? You have a voltmeter?
Click to expand...

Would be nice if it would drive around but now its at state where it wont idle on startup. When the car was running one thing i did notice was the amp gauge on dash was all the way up to i think +40?
 
Well it's not the starter, cap or rotor...bt that wont hurt to have around.
My guess is not charging up at idle...
 
Chris Hernandez said:
Would be nice if it would drive around but now its at state where it wont idle on startup. When the car was running one thing i did notice was the amp gauge on dash was all the way up to i think +40?
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Check out a thing called MADD bypass. This is common problem with Ammeter and likely your issue...
 
May have stirred up some crap in the carb when you floored it and/or the choke flap closed(as mentioned above) and stayed that way. Post photos of looking down at the carb and all the vacuum lines including the ones you plugged.
 
Got to jump in here and welcome our new member :thumbsup:
Welcome aboard from Northeast Arkansas.
Nizze looking Mopar sir, Dusters are very cool and yours looks in great shape sir.
 
Hello Chris, welcome to FABO great car to work with, liking the color. New used car issues...start with a good shop manual, they usually have a good trouble guide at the start of each chapter.
 
Yes, welcome. Do not start your life with an old car replacing parts just because they are old. Old cars can be very simple and reliable. You are in the right place. You will get a little education. Your solution will probably be simple.
 
Chris Hernandez said:
Thank you very much! That narrows it down to either the alt or carb right?
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Yeah, my guess is the battery had a decent charge when you bought it and now doesn't. A big issue with these cars, with age, is the big wire coming off the alternator goes through the firewall and then to the ammeter then the other side of the ammeter comes back out the firewall to the post on the solenoid tied into + side of battery. The ammeter is suspect and the connections at the firewall also can be bad.

Easiest thing to narrow it down is take your battery in to get tested. If it's good. Charge it up and see if the car will run
If it runs for a bit and then dies...likely bad alternator or wiring going back to battery from alternator.

Voltmeter- get one. It will be your friend for life. Can figure all this out pretty quick with one
 
New Battery going dead quickly, ammeter shows charging +40 amps. Chris, I would carefully inspect the wiring underhood & under dash for signs of trouble, and new battery may have an issue as well.
Welcome to FABO!
Pay attention to bulkhead connection through firewall, back of instrument cluster, connectors at steering column, and anywhere a wire could rub a sharp edge.
And as above, get a Voltmeter, peace!
 
Welcome to the group, Chris. I have a '74 as well. I'm no pro, but I have a good manual. I'm happy to send over some pics if you need something particular. Good luck!
 
Chris Hernandez said:
Hello all,

Very happy to join this community! From what I have seen so far you guys are all amazing! Happy to say I have gotten my first classic car and it is a 74 duster with a slant 6.

The reason i am posting here is because i seem to be having an issue with the engine. (Bare with me as i know very little about engines.) Car seemed to be running fine the first day I got it. When I took it out yesterday with my dad, I floored the pedal and the engine was fine for a couple seconds then just died and turned off. After that the car will not idle, only holding down accelerator will keep car on, once you let go of pedal it will turn off. Also new battery dies very quickly. I have a new starter, cap and rotor, and alternator on order since these were the first items that i was going to replace either way. One thing i suspect is that the reason the car doesnt stay on is a carb/fuel delivery issue? what do you guys think? Any help is greatly appreciated!

View attachment 1715988690
Click to expand...
Any progress with the stalling issue?
 
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