Need help with big block. 66 396. Runs,Quits,Runs,Quits. Thoiught it might be water in the fuel. All new fuel, filter and a different carb.Still having the same problem. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

Are you sure it is fuel? Let's start with the ignition. As soon as it dies, can you check for spark? Run a timing light into the cockpit and when it wants to die, see if the spark is breaking up. Ok fuel. Not knowing how your year of car is vented, is the tank vented and not going into a vacumn? Is there something that you do, that makes the car run again or is it just a matter of waiting. That can tell us something. If it is waiting, it is telling me to look at the venting of the tank or that the coil maybe overheating and shorting out. If you find it starts after you mess with something, mess with one thing at a time and see if you can isolate it that way. I once had what you are going through. Everytime though I would put new points in, it would start right up. I was putting new points in every day! Well, I found that the wire that goes from the points to the coil has a crimped on metal sleeve to prevent this wire from being pulled out of the distributor. It so happens that the metal sleeve was now touching the bare wire inside the sheath and after I messed with the points, I would inadvertantly raise this metal sleeve away from the metal of the distributor. In a day, the natural running of the car would have the wire slide down and short out again. Drove me nuts! Until I found it.

 

Thanks for responding. Made all the changes as far as the fuel is concerned. Not a fuel problem. Has to be electrical. It runs and then it doesn't. Just started all of a sudden while I was driving along. It got worse the more I drove it. It will not even run for more than a few seconds now. I did pull the distributor, but did not see any evidence of anything out of place or causing a short. I did discover that the engine harness gets pretty warm when the key is on. Could an ignition switch cause this problem?

Dwight

 

More info please. Points, transistor or aftermarket electronic ignition? After it quits running, will it start again right away? What part of the harness gets warm?

 

Thanks,
Points. Sometimes it will want to start, other times nothing.Just cranks and fouls the plugs. Harness feels quite warm right at the plug in at the fire wall. Tried today and after trying a few times, it started and stopped several times. Attached a plug wire tester to one of the plug wires, light barely flickers when I crank the motor. Cleaned terminals inside the distributor cap and decided to try a different coil wire. Cranked and cranked and then out of nowhere she started. Ran for about a minute then quit again. No luck after that.

Dwight

 

Hi years ago I bought a 63 that hadn't been driven a lot. It ran perfect then stopped than ran then stopped. Turns out it was the electrical plug that goes through the fire wall. Cleaned a bit of corrosion off the prongs and it never stopped again.

 

Thanks,
Will give it a look.

Dwight

 

Sadly I do not own a C2 (I have a C3 and a C5) but I have seen several
posts about this here. Seems to be a common problem. It is certainly
worth checking.

 

Checked harnees plug at the firewall and it looked pretty good for its age. I did try starting the engine after reconnecting the plug but only the same result as before. Starts for a couple of seconds than quits. I am taking the distributor to the person who worked it originally. Will post his findings.

 

More detail needed. Exactly when does it quit when you start it - as soon as you let the key back to the "run" position, or does it keep running past that point for a while before it dies?

 

What about the coil?

 

I had a problem with the wire that runs from the ignition switch to the ballast resistor on the fire wall. Car would die, start but not stay running. Car is a small block so I don't know if it follows for a BB.

Joe

 

Got my distributor back. Nothing exceptionally wrong with it. Some minor corrosion but otherwise nothing wrong with it. New points were installed and it was suggested that I hook up my MSD box and try it that way. Used a different hot wire than that of the ignition switch. No success.
This all started while I was driving the car. Running along fine, than 1 little miss. Engine felt like it completely quit running than came right back. Drove a little further then it happened again. Then again and again. I headed for home. Barely got home. Could hardly keep the car running. Got to the point to where I had to keep starting it every few seconds until it would not start at all. The only thing left for me to do is replace the cap and rotor. Will post the results.

 

If anyone out there is interested, I finally got my engine running again. Just did not pin point the problem. Very strange happenings. Decided to try a different distributor cap. No change. Installed a different rotor and it started. Now I needed to pin point which part was the problem. I put the original distributor cap back on. It ran. Put the original rotor back in and it ran. Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! Spoke to my engine mechanic and he said that it could have been a combination of a couple of different items. Original haness problem(resistor wire) and or a loss of a good ground. I eliminated the harness by the direct connect of the MSD box and I have added 2 ground straps. Had been using a big Holley while my mechanic went through my other carb. Got it back on now and the engine runs great again.

 

Odd that you changed everything and changed it back and the problem is resolved. Do you think that one or more plug wires had become disconnected enough? I would think it would still run though.. I would bet that it's the coil and you'll have the problem again.