63 running issues
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: Southampton, England
63 running issues
I recently took my 63 hardtop to a car show and after a great trouble free 2 hour drive there it would not idle while waiting to get in to the show and kept cutting out, then it gave a large backfire through the carb and died, i let it cool down and it would barely start after only running on full throttle briefly,We had a spark(pertronix ignition) after getting home(by recovery) i took the top off the carb and all looks okay apart from the floats are out, Just need to confirm they are 7/32" and 3/4" on drop(it is and 300hp powerglide car with a carter afb,#3460s) I cleaned it out with a airline and the fuel pump seems to be pumping into a bowl i put under the fuel line, I'm just about to put it back together and wondered if anybody has any thoughts/experiences with this
Thanks
Thanks
Safety Car
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,783
Likes: 655
I recently took my 63 hardtop to a car show and after a great trouble free 2 hour drive there it would not idle while waiting to get in to the show and kept cutting out, then it gave a large backfire through the carb and died, i let it cool down and it would barely start after only running on full throttle briefly,We had a spark(pertronix ignition) after getting home(by recovery) i took the top off the carb and all looks okay apart from the floats are out, Just need to confirm they are 7/32" and 3/4" on drop(it is and 300hp powerglide car with a carter afb,#3460s) I cleaned it out with a airline and the fuel pump seems to be pumping into a bowl i put under the fuel line, I'm just about to put it back together and wondered if anybody has any thoughts/experiences with this
Thanks
Thanks
I believe your float settings are correct.
A few questions, do you have a reproduction coil, are you using ethonal fuel? How hot was the temperature outside because you could have boiling fuel. Make sure the heat riser is wired wide open and your vacuum advance is working. Now that the engine is cool does it run normal again.
Last edited by tbarb; Jul 19, 2019 at 03:22 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
Sounds like its isolated to the carb/fuel delivery...
Possible percolation causing flooding/rough restart OR simply a stuck float...
If it happens again the OP should take the carb bowl temperature with an I/R temperature gun and/or try rapping the side of the float bowl sharply once or twice with the plastic handle of a screwdriver to free a stuck float..
Possible percolation causing flooding/rough restart OR simply a stuck float...
If it happens again the OP should take the carb bowl temperature with an I/R temperature gun and/or try rapping the side of the float bowl sharply once or twice with the plastic handle of a screwdriver to free a stuck float..
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,749
Likes: 776
From: Dadeville AL
And next time, turn everything off, remove the air cleaner, look down the carb and manually open the throttle fully. If you see fuel squirt down the carb, its not a fuel problem. If you don't, it is.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: Southampton, England
It was a warm day and i am using a pertronix coil with matching ignition set up, and using 95 Ron unleaded fuel(i am in the UK) which has always seemed okay, I have not got it back together yet as i wanted to check the floats were right before i do this, when i took carb top off the float settings were not right (just over 11/4" on drop) i will reassemble tomorrow and see what happens
Thanks
Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,662
Likes: 2,344
From: Lake Minnetonka, Mn
2018 C1 of Year Finalist
Agree with Duke. 90% of troubleshooting issues go back to ignition. I wish I had a nickel for every Weber downdraft carburetor that was blamed for poor performance when, in fact, it was a distributor issue. On the Chevy side a lot of FI units received a bad rap for the same reason.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: Southampton, England
I put it all back together after adjusting floats etc and check there is a spark at the plus(there is) and it still wont run briefly starts and coughs wont pick up revs at all and then dies any more thoughts? I answer to a earlier post yes it has a pertronix electronic ignition and coil
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 28,174
Likes: 2,872
From: Beach & High Desert Southern California
I put it all back together after adjusting floats etc and check there is a spark at the plus(there is) and it still wont run briefly starts and coughs wont pick up revs at all and then dies any more thoughts? I answer to a earlier post yes it has a pertronix electronic ignition and coil
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 28,174
Likes: 2,872
From: Beach & High Desert Southern California
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,913
Likes: 283
Some of the pertronix coils require 12 volts. With the ballast resistor in place it’s only seeing half that. All of your symptoms point to a weak and failing coil. I had a rash of bad coils some years ago, and all presented as you describe.
Mark.
Mark.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
There are three versions of the Pertronix and you need to know which one you have first off: a I, II or a III.....some require a ballast some do not depending on the coil used....so you need to identify the coil as well..
There was a spate of bad Flamethrower coils a few years back if that's what you are using....they were failure-prone, the newer ones seem to have resolved that problem..
There was a spate of bad Flamethrower coils a few years back if that's what you are using....they were failure-prone, the newer ones seem to have resolved that problem..
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: Southampton, England
Mine is the straight points conversion type (parts #1181 and the coil is#40011) the instructions contradict themselves by saying don't remove the ballast resistor then on the last sheet it says for 1.5 ohm coils(this one) 8 cyl applications "remove resistor" so at what do i do?
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 28,174
Likes: 2,872
From: Beach & High Desert Southern California
Mine is the straight points conversion type (parts #1181 and the coil is#40011) the instructions contradict themselves by saying don't remove the ballast resistor then on the last sheet it says for 1.5 ohm coils(this one) 8 cyl applications "remove resistor" so at what do i do?
Years ago I suffered from multiple coil failures, both with points and the Pertronics kit. The design changes to eliminate PCB oils in the Delco coils reduced their ability to prevent wire insulation damage under extreme heat, like the heat experienced under the shielding tin. I tried both oil and epoxy filled coils and they all failed within a year of use. I tried a remote mounted coil with a more modern E-Core design, located next to the brake master cylinder on the firewall, and have not had a failure sense.
Hopefully the modern can style coils that fit under the shielding tin have improved (but I am not changing back to test that hope). Let us know what you find?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: Southampton, England
I checked the coil out and it measures 0.34 Ohms (LT) and 9.4 (HT) the original points coil is 0.43(LT) and 8.2(HT) so there is not much difference should i not put back the original coil to see it works on this or will it not work so well on that coil
Thanks
Thanks
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 161
Likes: 35
From: Headed to the next race track
I put it all back together after adjusting floats etc and check there is a spark at the plus(there is) and it still wont run briefly starts and coughs wont pick up revs at all and then dies any more thoughts? I answer to a earlier post yes it has a pertronix electronic ignition and coil
Check to see if distributor is loose, (able to rotate by hand) sounds like timing has shifted. May have to have an assistant try to start and check timing during the brief time it's running. Or visually check rotor after rotating to timing marks.
Or some condition changed to go way lean.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
This is the same Pertronics I use, and have used for thirty years. It needs the ballast resister to protect the coil.
Years ago I suffered from multiple coil failures, both with points and the Pertronics kit. The design changes to eliminate PCB oils in the Delco coils reduced their ability to prevent wire insulation damage under extreme heat, like the heat experienced under the shielding tin. I tried both oil and epoxy filled coils and they all failed within a year of use. I tried a remote mounted coil with a more modern E-Core design, located next to the brake master cylinder on the firewall, and have not had a failure sense.
Hopefully the modern can style coils that fit under the shielding tin have improved (but I am not changing back to test that hope). Let us know what you find?
Years ago I suffered from multiple coil failures, both with points and the Pertronics kit. The design changes to eliminate PCB oils in the Delco coils reduced their ability to prevent wire insulation damage under extreme heat, like the heat experienced under the shielding tin. I tried both oil and epoxy filled coils and they all failed within a year of use. I tried a remote mounted coil with a more modern E-Core design, located next to the brake master cylinder on the firewall, and have not had a failure sense.
Hopefully the modern can style coils that fit under the shielding tin have improved (but I am not changing back to test that hope). Let us know what you find?
http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/42...41.html?page=3