car shutting off on freeway
March 6th, 2016, 04:02 PM
#81
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the resistor wire looks a little different from a normal wire. Dashed line? Woven appearance? stray insulation fibers sticking out at the end? It's been a while.
So, make a long jumper wire and keep it in the car.
When you catch it misbehaving, connect battery + to coil +. If that cures the problem, then the feed to the coil is the issue. This is what used to be called "hotwiring" the ignition. It bypasses the ign switch and whatnot.
Oh, be aware that this cannot be done unless the ign switch is also "on" for some models because they use the ign switch to ground the ign wire if it is "off" to discourage hotwiring.
So, make a long jumper wire and keep it in the car.
When you catch it misbehaving, connect battery + to coil +. If that cures the problem, then the feed to the coil is the issue. This is what used to be called "hotwiring" the ignition. It bypasses the ign switch and whatnot.
Oh, be aware that this cannot be done unless the ign switch is also "on" for some models because they use the ign switch to ground the ign wire if it is "off" to discourage hotwiring.
Railguy
March 6th, 2016, 04:13 PM
#82
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ill give that jump method a try next time she does this to me. the car died on me today while driving around town. long before i could try what OCT reccomended but it eventually started, the manner that it started in was a little different this time and sort of resembled an issue i had in a different car before. I cranked the car and it started sparking more and more the longer i held the ignition to the on position eventually being able to drop it back to the run setting and pumping the gas enough to get the rpms steady. last time this happened to me it was a bad catalytic converter, which i dont have. ANYWAY. ill give that jump method a try next time. i cant really test the whole ignition system atm as i am doing it by myself but i will get some help tomorrow and hopefully go through the whole system. also how would i get to the ignition switch? im assuming ill have to pull the steering wheel?
March 6th, 2016, 08:19 PM
#84
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March 7th, 2016, 11:34 AM
#85
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just a video showing the system. plugs look like they have normal wear on them. a bit black and wet on threads but otherwise normal. I have a really bad camera on my phone but the part where the point makes contact is very gray burnt looking. dist. looks newer. that wire that connects the coil to the distributor wiggles freely. i wasnt prying on the points just lightly pulling back to try and get a shot of the contact area
cold start. started right up.
cold start. started right up.
Last edited by Middian; March 7th, 2016 at 11:37 AM.
March 8th, 2016, 11:47 AM
#86
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Spark plug looks good maybe a little lean but I couldn't tell about anything else. Still say change the points and condenser.
If there was a problem with the 12 volt wire to the coil .when you started it there would be there would be no spark until you turned the key back to the run posistion. So when tried to start it it would not start until you let go of the key. Did you ever have that happen?
Railguy
If there was a problem with the 12 volt wire to the coil .when you started it there would be there would be no spark until you turned the key back to the run posistion. So when tried to start it it would not start until you let go of the key. Did you ever have that happen?
Railguy
March 8th, 2016, 12:35 PM
#88
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Spark plug looks good maybe a little lean but I couldn't tell about anything else. Still say change the points and condenser.
If there was a problem with the 12 volt wire to the coil .when you started it there would be there would be no spark until you turned the key back to the run posistion. So when tried to start it it would not start until you let go of the key. Did you ever have that happen?
Railguy
If there was a problem with the 12 volt wire to the coil .when you started it there would be there would be no spark until you turned the key back to the run posistion. So when tried to start it it would not start until you let go of the key. Did you ever have that happen?
Railguy
March 8th, 2016, 12:36 PM
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March 8th, 2016, 02:57 PM
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ill go ahead and take your advice and replace these puppies asap. I have had a few instances where the car would die on the road id crank it for a few seconds and just when i would let go of the on setting to the run setting the car would spark a little and i would lightly tap the gas and car would run dbut i think that might have been more of a coincidence than anything. Can i test the wire with a voltmeter? is there any way to troubleshoot this?
Railguy
March 8th, 2016, 03:00 PM
#93
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March 12th, 2016, 10:16 AM
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Just for grins you might hook up your tach/dwell and timing light and check what the current settings are now before you start to post here later. Install the points and condenser so that the wear strip of the points is sitting on the high point of the distributor cam lobe. You may have to bump the starter a few times to get there. I usually push down on the fan belt and move the engine carefully with the fan blade to fine tune the position. Tighten screws down. Adjust the point gap so that there is a open gap that you can slide a .016 feeler gauge in between the open points, this gap can be adjusted with the allen screw. Reinstall rotor and cap. loosen the bottom clamp bolt on the distributor just enough to allow it turn with some effort.
Hook up tach/dwell as per instructions and timing light. Disconnect and plug your vacuum advance tube. Start engine, you should see a dwell reading on the meter close to 30 degrees, adjust the points with the allan screw so read 30.
Now set the dwell meter to the tach position and adjust the idle speed on the carb to 1100 rpm and point the timing light at the timing tab on the front drivers side of the engine. Turn your distributor left or right so the line on the harmonic balancer is is lined up to the 8 degree mark on the tab for a 2v carb, or the 12 degree mark for a 4v carb. Readjust idle speed to 1100 and readjust timing if necessary. Tighten the distributor hold down bolt and then recheck. Get a helper to put the car in drive with the brake on, and then adjust the carb idle screw so the the meter reads around 600-650 rpm. Shift the trans back to park.
Next adjust each air/fuel mixture screw by first turning each clockwise until the engine starts to sputter and then turn counter clockwise until it smooths out. Then adjust each to attain the highest rpm on the tach meter. Readjust idle speed rpm as necessary back to what it was when you started. Make sure the 2 screws are an even amount of turns on each side and repeat adjustments until you've reached the highest rpm on the tach.
Hook up tach/dwell as per instructions and timing light. Disconnect and plug your vacuum advance tube. Start engine, you should see a dwell reading on the meter close to 30 degrees, adjust the points with the allan screw so read 30.
Now set the dwell meter to the tach position and adjust the idle speed on the carb to 1100 rpm and point the timing light at the timing tab on the front drivers side of the engine. Turn your distributor left or right so the line on the harmonic balancer is is lined up to the 8 degree mark on the tab for a 2v carb, or the 12 degree mark for a 4v carb. Readjust idle speed to 1100 and readjust timing if necessary. Tighten the distributor hold down bolt and then recheck. Get a helper to put the car in drive with the brake on, and then adjust the carb idle screw so the the meter reads around 600-650 rpm. Shift the trans back to park.
Next adjust each air/fuel mixture screw by first turning each clockwise until the engine starts to sputter and then turn counter clockwise until it smooths out. Then adjust each to attain the highest rpm on the tach meter. Readjust idle speed rpm as necessary back to what it was when you started. Make sure the 2 screws are an even amount of turns on each side and repeat adjustments until you've reached the highest rpm on the tach.
March 12th, 2016, 02:03 PM
#100
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btw im doing this alone so i dont know if ill be able to do this part
Get a helper to put the car in drive with the brake on, and then adjust the carb idle screw so the the meter reads around 600-650 rpm. Shift the trans back to park.
Get a helper to put the car in drive with the brake on, and then adjust the carb idle screw so the the meter reads around 600-650 rpm. Shift the trans back to park.
March 12th, 2016, 03:10 PM
#102
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READ your Chassis Service Manual.
READ IT!
READ IT!
Read Chapter 6C: "Emission Control Adjustments and Engine Tune-Up".
It has all of the information that poor Eric has been typing up from memory.
After you read it, ask us questions.
Also, if you set the idle with the car on the parking brake, DON'T rev it, especially if it's right up against the back of the garage.
- Eric
March 12th, 2016, 03:46 PM
#104
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MD is ,telling you the most important advice. Before anything,read it, then take the book to the car,, take the air cleaner off, and read it again looking at the parts as you do so. Also as Eric the other said, hook up your meter and light learn how they work and see what they tell you before changing anything.
March 20th, 2016, 01:38 PM
#105
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points have been set and dwell is at 30-31 im on to adjusting the timing. are you asking me to set the driver side idle screw to 1100 so that i can properly set the timing then reset to 650 in drive or are you asking me to set fast idle screw at 1100 the driver side idle to 650?
March 20th, 2016, 02:53 PM
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You saying driver side idle concerns me?What kind of carb do you have? I don't know anything about carter but I do know about holleys and if you have a holley there's a idle jet adjustment on each side I hope your not using those to adjust the idle speed.
Railguy
Railguy
March 20th, 2016, 03:23 PM
#108
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points have been set and dwell is at 30-31 im on to adjusting the timing. are you asking me to set the driver side idle screw to 1100 so that i can properly set the timing then reset to 650 in drive or are you asking me to set fast idle screw at 1100 the driver side idle to 650?
Timing can be done in park, looking at the gun and the tach, and moving the throttle linkage with your hand.
Idle screws are in drive, when the engine is warm, and there are two of them.
Fast idle I forget off the top of my head, I think it's just a cam the linkage sits on.
March 20th, 2016, 03:27 PM
#109
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The idle speed adjustment screw is on the linkage not the ones on the carb base. Yes, set the idle speed with car warmed and the choke disengaged to 1100 rpms. Adjust timing, the idle will increase or decrease when adjusting the timing so readjust the idle speed and recheck timing accordingly until its right. Then adjust your idle speed back to 650 in gear.
March 21st, 2016, 07:26 PM
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I didn't think of it till now but FYI ,I remember back in the day I saw it happen a few times where the condenser would work fine until it warmed up then short out ,
cool down work fine.
Railguy
cool down work fine.
Railguy
March 21st, 2016, 07:32 PM
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March 30th, 2016, 10:04 AM
#117
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March 30th, 2016, 10:09 AM
#118
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OK GUYS im still having issues with this car. Its so aggravating to me that i still am stalling out on the road. Its especially not fun in Los Angeles with a row of cars always behind you honking at you to move out of the way. I replaced my points, set the gap, and then fine tuned them with the dwell meter to 30. I have adjusted my timing as well. The idle speed screw is set to 625 in drive but the car is still shutting off on me. It drove very well for the first few days after tuning the car but its back to shutting off on me. WHAT THE HELL COULD BE WRONG HERE? after the car shut off on me today i hooked up the dwell meter and it still read 30.... 
March 30th, 2016, 10:10 AM
#119
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btw these are the points i threw in there
http://www.autozone.com/external-eng...117481_0_5957/
http://www.autozone.com/external-eng...117481_0_5957/
March 30th, 2016, 10:40 AM
#120
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So, we're back to the basics: When it stops, do you have a spark? Do you have fuel?
Work it back from there.
After basic assessment, you need to get more specific. Don't forget to check the new points early on - make sure that they are working properly and haven't burned - modern Chinesium crap is often bad out of the box, and a crappy new integral condenser could cause the problem you describe.
You likely have ONE thing wrong. Once you fix it, you'll be fine.
The trick is to find that ONE thing.
- Eric
Work it back from there.
After basic assessment, you need to get more specific. Don't forget to check the new points early on - make sure that they are working properly and haven't burned - modern Chinesium crap is often bad out of the box, and a crappy new integral condenser could cause the problem you describe.
You likely have ONE thing wrong. Once you fix it, you'll be fine.
The trick is to find that ONE thing.
- Eric
