ha ha, don't have one, would not know where to hook it and what I would be looking at.
She fire up just as desinged when could, choke works, bla bla, just once hot, do I get my issues. I am going with the, to me, pretty good air leak with the carb gasket. That is a easy fix, then go fro there.

 

Have you looked at the spark plugs?.
Something I would do when stumped as to why an engine ran badly, they would at least give me an idea of how the engine was running, sooty plugs, or oil fouled plugs, or cracked ceramic insulators, I might have an idea of where to look next.
It will cost nothing to have a look, if they are sooty or wet with gas then you have an overfueling problem, if they are clean probably a lack of fuel. Worth a shot, you will be no further backwards if it tells you nothing.

Roger.

 

I guess I can pull some and see.

 

what are a good set up plugs to put in my stock motor? Brand, type?

 

The ones your engine calls for, A/C Delco, Autolite, NGK are all good.

 

I think this is on my car, up by the Tstat housing, I wonder if it has gone bad?

http://automotivemileposts.com/autob...trolvalve.html

 

"The three ports at the other end are for vacuum connections. One goes to manifold vacuum, another to carburetor vacuum, and the third goes to the vacuum advance on the distributor. At normal engine temperatures, the distributor gets ported vacuum, which is 0 psi at idle. During extended idling on a hot day in bumper to bumper traffic, the engine temperature can start to rise pretty fast, especially with air conditioning on. That's when this little device goes to work. When engine temperatures reach about 225 degrees, this switch changes the distributor vacuum advance source from ported to manifold vacuum, which is high at idle. This advances the timing and engine rpm increases."


My issues seem to kick in when the car is HOT. When this thing should be doing its work.

 

with my change of Tstat the thing is changing the timing to a point that it wont run rill cooled off?

 

I think you will find most of us here have eliminated most of these parts when swapping intakes etc. You will have to start pinching off the lines to see what is causing your problem I would think. Give your EGR a tap with a hammer and see if it knocks some carbon off when running etc. Or just start disconnecting the parts and plugging them off. Then reset your carb and tune to the changes.
I hope this helps a bit.
Eric

 

NGK XR45 or XR5 spark plugs. Almost all the vacuum hoses are emissions related. Only the vacuum advance is really necessary in nice weather driving. I would buy a whole bunch of new hose and replace it all.

 

You can bypass the valve and run manifold vacuum to the distributor and see if that corrects your issue.

 

In my serv man it say that the Tstat should be facing correctly forward to the radiator. The Tstat I took out had it stamped on it which way it is to face, my new one did not and I imagine all of the new ones are that way.
Does that matter with new ones these days? The only way I could match it to the old one was that they both had identical numbers on them so I matched it that way. Does it matter. Serverice man said something about that if it is facing the wrong way it cannot open properly and cause overheating issues??

 

That applies to the old-style OEM thermostats that had a flap that opened and had to point in the right direction.

A regular modern one shouldn't matter, especially if it has no arrow.

- Eric

 

well I went and put another 180 tstat in it and replaced all the vac lines and the one plastic T in that stuff.
Fired it up, let it got hot and it petered out and stopped running would not start back up.
then I plugged the EGR line and started it back up. Again letting it just sit and run. It did not shut down. So I put the EGR vac back on at the EGR and shut down again after it was hot. I disconnected it and got it started back up and thus far it is running.

 

well with the egr plugged the car ran for q bit and did not shut down when it would have been of late.

 

I think I will just plug the line then hook it to thew EGR so it LOOKS like it is working and call it a day.
So what is happening when that EGR is hooked up?

 

Just hit the top of EGR with a hammer a few times when it starts to run ruff, you'll hear it run better almost immediately then leave it plugged in if you like. Or put a screw in the port of the EGR and connect the hose back up either way will work.
Good to hear you found the problem now you can put your 195 tstat back in and enjoy better heat !!
Put-r-ther
Eric

 

I am not messing with the tstat again, too f'g messing. ha ha ha
So is the EGR messed up, what is it not doing to cause this? Would a new one fix my issue. Also the vac line from the egr to the carb, midway there is a small golf ball sized thing that is inline. What is that, could it be broke?

 

well I drove it today. After a hard start, had to use starting fluid, it ran well, like it always has (maybe a little more pep since EGR is blocked) and stopped put gas in it, started back up fine, got home let it run for a bit, no stall. When I got it home after a HWY, back roads drive I did notice that I could squeeze the rad hoses upper and lower and it seemed that they did not have much fluid in them. Is that my 180 tstat causing that? I was getting good heat from the heater. Before i drove it the rad was full.

 

In a properly operating cooling system with a 16psi cap, the hoses should be essentially rock hard when fully warned up.

There's something not holding pressure in your cooling system.

First thing to check is the radiator cap.

A good pressure tester pump is great for finding tough leaks.

- Eric

 

The cap does look old. I will replace it. MAYBE that is why I was having the recent running issues though it appears I have cleared that issue. The car is not over heating, no dummy light (it works when you first hit the key to start) for it. They have some presure to them but I can squeeze them pretty easy.

 

The TEMP light is not what you want to look at. If you are concerned about actual temperature, you need a temperature gauge.
There is no alternative.

The pressure in the system will not affect temperature (under normal conditions), or running, but it will affect how well the actual combustion chambers are cooled, especially under high-load conditions, and will affect engine life.

Since caps are cheap, that's an easy fix, so long as the cap is really the bad part of the system.
It's easy enough to check it out.

- Eric

 

ok, put new cap on it. Still no pressure. Still able to drive it around town, on hwy, then let idle again for a bit and it SHUT DOWN AGAIN then won't start, VERY HARD start with even the aid of starting fluid.
I don't get what is cooling the car if there is no pressure on the system. Is the rad fluid still moving around? I get heat, I let the car sit with hood open and the car motor is not putting off more heat then another car sitting.
I realize I need to pressure check the system now. Prob the radiator now that EVERYTHING else in the heating and cooing system is replaced from heater core, WP, to 180 tstat.
I know there is the 3 station (what ever you call it) vacuum plug ins thing that plugs into top of intake left of the tstat and works off water temps or intake temp??. Is that getting wrong heat temps readings and is acting up (or is bad, when does that thing actually operate?) and shutting the car off as one of the lines from it goes to the distrib and another to the carb I think.
I guess I kinda understand the pressure issue, I suspect the radiator is in need of recoring, hints of very very small leaks.
What is the lack of pressure causing, air bubble at the high point where the tstat and the few temp driven devices are located.
The car is driving like it has since I got it a year ago till it shuts down like it is and that only started right after I did the WP and Tstat a few weeks back.

 

So it's not starting when hot? Now I'm thinking it's an electrical problem. Like possibly the ignition module overheating. It's common with HEI.

You can test that theory by removing the module from the distributor but connecting four wire leads to it and mounting it in a cool location under the hood. Just make sure it's grounded well.

 

This is a straight up points car. Got tuned up about 3500 mile ago. No HEI stuff here. Coil appears orig.

 

I don't feel it is spark related. When it shuts down as has been explained in this thread if I use starting fluid and cranking it, keep my foot in the gas and pump it it will eventually start running then.
This is the 3 station vacuum thing I speak of that I have on my car, looks dead on this. Is it bad? What does it do.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/381024225743...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

When it is sitting there running idle and the shut down happens you can hear it coming over about a 10 to 20 second or so time, the motor will just start slowing down then STOP, no sputter or roughness, just rpms down to ZERO.

 

I saw 74 Delta and just assumed it was HEI. My bad.

The ported vacuum switch directs vacuum depending on temperature. It will open the EGR valve only while under part throttle and not at idle. If stuck it can keep the EGR valve open at all times which could explain your problems.

 

and it cranks over like a raped ape when hot, no drag start at all.

 

per advice in this thread I blocked off the vac line to the EGR. Once I did that I thought that stalling was gone, but it came back tonight.
This must have to do with the pressure issue in the cooling system and or that 3 port switch has gone bad. Perhaps the motor is getting to hot for that old orig carb and the carb is boiling the gas???
So many directions to go with this one. ARG.
Fromwhat I am researching I could just run the vac to the advance on the distrib right off the carb? which at that point WHICH port. This **** is above my pay grade. ha ha

 

If lack of fuel is the problem, it should start quickly with starting fluid, not a very hard start as mentioned. You may be losing spark as the heat builds due to a bad ignition coil, coil wire or ignition condenser. Have had each one of these give these symptoms.

Try to get a spark checker and see how strong the spark is when it will run and then compare it a no start condition. If it is weak during a no start condition, replace the condenser first, coil wire next and then the coil. It is best if you can replace the parts one at a time with parts that are known to be good versus new. Do you still have the old condenser to try?

Good luck!!!

 

I had a 195 tstat and it would stall out and run like crap MUCH faster. After I put the 180 tstat in it it has taken longer to stall out. I think it is heating up and the old carb is letting the gas boil off or burn off or something and with the starting fluid it tries to start and will after a few tries.
I have to think that TVS thingy (the 3 outlet vacum thing) is acting up do to heat issues. Then throw in the no pressure colling system, there may be a air pocket or the like up there at that device causing to to malfunction. I don't feel it is electrical because when I get it going again on starting fluid it run fine till it gets hot again.
If it were electric when it gets hot and it just slows down to a no run that is gas. If it were electric it would stop right away, backfire, sputter, something I would think if it was fire it was not getting.

 

remember when it stops running, it wil sit and idle for 5 minutes or so then when it shuts down it will just starting running slow to a stop. Again no sputter, but missing, not bucking, kicking, ignition issues, just like the rpm's drop to 0.

 

Just for giggles, when you start your engine, see if your distributor vacuum advance has vacuum at idle? Then when you restart it after it quits check again. I'm wondering if maybe your temperature activated vacuum switch is hooked up backwards.

 

I can check that but I did not mess with the vac lines to it other then change them out for new ones and did them ONE at a time so I would not cross them. I will check my service manual and make sure they are correct.

 

as for my most likely leaky radiator, should I get it recored or just replace. It is actually in good shape, looks like it has been done before. nice black finish still, no rust, etc.

 

If your not losing water, and the engine is not over heating its working as it should.

 

I would disagree with this.

True, as far as we know, his engine is not overheating, but he has no temperature gauge, so we cannot even come close to saying that with certainty. I think it wise to avoid making any assumptions in this case, as very few hard facts have been presented, and very little actual troubleshooting has been done.

I agree that it is unlikely that the cooling system is the problem, but the fact remains that his cooling system is not holding pressure, which means that it has a leak somewhere. Solving that problem can certainly wait until he has the more important stalling problem sorted out, and could conceivably be put off indefinitely, if he doesn't ever put a lot of strain on the engine, but the fact is that something is wrong, and it would be reasonable that he fix it sooner or later.



Who said your radiator is bad?

This entire, lengthy thread (and its evil forebears) has been characterized by minimal troubleshooting and maximal assumption-making, which is why I'm mostly staying off of it.

In order to fix things, you need to read up on the system in question, understand its function, and then test it in a systematic way to determine what is wrong with it.
Throwing parts and wild guesses at it will not help.

If your cooling system does not develop pressure at operating temperature on a normal day, it has a leak somewhere.
In order to find the leak, it needs to be pressure tested.
This entails connecting a pressure tester to the cap and to the radiator (separately) and seeing whether the cap holds pressure, then blows off at 16psi, and whether the rest of the cooling system holds pressure to 18-20psi without leaking.
If the cooling system is completely full of coolant, you should get a little hiss, dribble, or stream from any leaks that you have. You need to listen and look carefully. It could be as simple as a loose hose clamp.
But you are looking at replacing the radiator.

Go back to basics with this car.
Test spark in a repeatable way, preferably with a spark tester or a SUN machine, both when it's working and when it's not.
Check fuel delivery cold and hot.
Check for vacuum leaks cold and hot - ideally, eliminate all vacuum connections except one new hose from the carb to the distributor when testing.
Check the function and actual settings of your timing, vacuum advance, and centrifugal advance (confirm that your TDC mark is accurate).
Check your spark plugs.
Follow the troubleshooting guide I linked to in a different thread to check your ignition system.

This has dragged on way too long, through several threads. It's a simple problem, but it won't find itself.

- Eric

 

Rad cap is NEW. The radiator has a small amount of fresh fluid under it, it is leaking and will say that is my pressure issue there.
I will do the spark and gas checks when the car acts up again. It is colder out, it is harder to replicate the issue it seems.
I have checked the plugs they look fine. The car has been tuned up about 3k miles ago, I find the odds of something there going wrong slim since it had been running just fine for over a year.
Since I do not have a temp gauge to read the actual temp I am going to say that once fuel and spark is established to be fine at the moment of no run condition it is because the cooling system is not cooling correctly due to no prssure, so it is running a little hotter and just by chance the old Qjet sitting up there does not like this ever so slight higher temps right under it.

 

This is why I've been mostly keeping my mouth shut - I don't want to be seen as hectoring or otherwise criticizing.


This is meaningless.
I would bet that nearly every one of us on this board has gotten a bad-out-of-the-box part at least once, and probably a whole bunch of times.
If you are actively having a problem, you need to test ALL of the components, even (or, more accurately, in these days of Made In China, ESPECIALLY) if they are new.


You can say that all you want. However, you don't actually know where the leak is.

Coolant will routinely ooze out of one place, run along a hose or metal components, and drip onto the ground somewhere far away.


You can say that all you want, but you have no idea what the truth is without objective, systematic testing.

A temperature gauge is inexpensive, and is one of the simplest tools you need to have in order to do this.

- Eric

 

"This is why I've been mostly keeping my mouth shut - I don't want to be seen as hectoring or otherwise criticizing."

Should have listened to your self.

"This is meaningless.
I would bet that nearly every one of us on this board has gotten a bad-out-of-the-box part at least once, and probably a whole bunch of times.
If you are actively having a problem, you need to test ALL of the components, even (or, more accurately, in these days of Made In China, ESPECIALLY) if they are new."

Based on that I should always buy TWO of each thing in case one is bad.


"You can say that all you want. However, you don't actually know where the leak is.

Coolant will routinely ooze out of one place, run along a hose or metal components, and drip onto the ground somewhere far away."

Well the fluid laying on the core support under the radiator, the new hoses have been checked a few times to make sure they ate tight, they are. There are signs of leakage on the tanks. Pretty safe bet the Rad is leaking.



Thanks folks for your input. I will figure out.