Engine just dies!
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
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From: Huntersville NC
Engine just dies!
Last night I put in new spark plugs (R44XLS, replaced R43XLS), new sparkplug wires (AC Delco braided bigblock wires), and new AC Delco rotor and distributor cap. (I have pertronix). Car started and idled normally so I went out for a drive. Less than a mile out the engine just quit. Started right up again but died a second time. I limped home, might have cut out one more time. As I idled in front of my garage (no movement, no acceleration, no shifting gears) the engine died again.
I tend to suspect the parts I installed last night (or the work!
) I was not real impressed with the "Assembled in Mexico" AC Delco cap and rotor.
Inline fuel filter is one year old. Carb is less than 2 yrs old with original filter in the carb.
First thing I am thinking of doing is putting back the old distributor cap and rotor.... or maybe buying new ones.
Any suggestions on what could be causing these symptoms? MJ
I tend to suspect the parts I installed last night (or the work!
) I was not real impressed with the "Assembled in Mexico" AC Delco cap and rotor. Inline fuel filter is one year old. Carb is less than 2 yrs old with original filter in the carb.
First thing I am thinking of doing is putting back the old distributor cap and rotor.... or maybe buying new ones.
Any suggestions on what could be causing these symptoms? MJ
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 4,148
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From: Roxbury NJ
Re: Engine just dies! (MNJack)
Geez Mark, at least you didn't wind up on a flatbed again ;)
Last year, I bought the same cap and rotor you have, and I wasn't real impressed with the quality either. They've been working fine for about 2000 miles now.
Sounds to me like either a loose wire, or the Pertronix bit the dust. Could you have loosened the black wire that is screwed to the points while you were working in there?
-Joe
Last year, I bought the same cap and rotor you have, and I wasn't real impressed with the quality either. They've been working fine for about 2000 miles now.
Sounds to me like either a loose wire, or the Pertronix bit the dust. Could you have loosened the black wire that is screwed to the points while you were working in there?
-Joe
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Huntersville NC
Re: Engine just dies! (Flareside)
I think I figgered it out..... The solution is worthy of a new topic title... How about, "AC DELCO MAKES FRIGGIN JUNK" !!!!
I have read numerous topics about AC Delco outsourcing their parts to foreign suppliers whose quality is shoddy.
I decided to undo what I did last night. Step #1 was to replace the rotor with the old one I took out. Car idled for 10 minutes in the driveway..... no die... Is this even feasible???? Is this what a "bad rotor" will do? Car runs for a minute or 2, then just cuts out, really feels like fuel is cut off to the carb. I would have been changing fuel filters had I not just replaced the rotor and cap last night. Brand new "Made in Mexico" AC Delco rotor. What a friggin joke!!!
Somebody tell me it could have been something else! please!! A loose wire that I tightened back up when I put back the old rotor? I am about to go on a rampage against AC Delco. I still have that GF432 fuel filter that has the word "OUTLET" etched on the inlet side. MJ
[Modified by MNJack, 3:49 PM 9/29/2001]
I have read numerous topics about AC Delco outsourcing their parts to foreign suppliers whose quality is shoddy.
I decided to undo what I did last night. Step #1 was to replace the rotor with the old one I took out. Car idled for 10 minutes in the driveway..... no die... Is this even feasible???? Is this what a "bad rotor" will do? Car runs for a minute or 2, then just cuts out, really feels like fuel is cut off to the carb. I would have been changing fuel filters had I not just replaced the rotor and cap last night. Brand new "Made in Mexico" AC Delco rotor. What a friggin joke!!!
Somebody tell me it could have been something else! please!! A loose wire that I tightened back up when I put back the old rotor? I am about to go on a rampage against AC Delco. I still have that GF432 fuel filter that has the word "OUTLET" etched on the inlet side. MJ
[Modified by MNJack, 3:49 PM 9/29/2001]
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 5,635
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From: Orlando Floriduh
Re: Engine just dies! (MNJack)
You are right about the pi-- poor quality of some of the off shore AC delco parts. I answered a post last week to 69er about some poor quality spark plugs. They came from a major dicount parts place and were very different in quality to the plugs that came from a delco distributor. Beware of the cheap stuff even with the brand name on it. Replacement parts are also poorer quality than the originals. I guess that's how they can sell them at those dicount prices.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Cheyenne WYO
Re: Engine just dies! (MNJack)
Had a similar problem, didnt make any sense why all of a sudden after tuneup it wouldnt idle :confused: :(..turned out , the idle adjust screw had just backed off a bit due to the spring being a little loose and some vibration. So after I fretted awhile over it being some serious ignition problem, I just turned the idle adjust screw back into range Whew..
Tom
Tom
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From: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: Engine just dies! (MNJack)
I think I figgered it out..... The solution is worthy of a new topic title... How about, "AC DELCO MAKES FRIGGIN JUNK" !!!!
[Modified by MNJack, 3:49 PM 9/29/2001]
[Modified by MNJack, 3:49 PM 9/29/2001]
I don't know your air cleaner setup of that BB, but my air cleaner base was resting on the coil (+) terminal(Bubba job). Engine would mysteriously cut out on me. Took me a while to figure that one out:( Might be worth checking the proximity of you air cleaner to the coil.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
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From: Huntersville NC
Re: Engine just dies! (1970 Stingray)
1970 Stingray - I did the "short out the coil" trick last time!! Except then it was the distributor shielding: I didnt have it all the way on properly and it slid down and shorted out the coil. It was something I checked very carefully for. Shileding is off now. I thought maybe the coil was shorting out on some foil backed insulation I have stuck on my hood. Anyway, seems like it was the rotor. I am tempted to put the other one back in again just to see if the symptoms return.
As for people being loyal to AC Delco..... Why do you think I just bought an AC Delco cap and rotor?? But I am not going to continue buying this junk! MJ
Except then it was the distributor shielding: I didnt have it all the way on properly and it slid down and shorted out the coil. It was something I checked very carefully for. Shileding is off now. I thought maybe the coil was shorting out on some foil backed insulation I have stuck on my hood. Anyway, seems like it was the rotor. I am tempted to put the other one back in again just to see if the symptoms return. As for people being loyal to AC Delco..... Why do you think I just bought an AC Delco cap and rotor?? But I am not going to continue buying this junk! MJ
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
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From: Orange Park Florida
Re: Engine just dies! (MNJack)
Asswuming it's the 68 BB, listed, I would think to check the fuel in the carb when the engine dies....WITHOUT cranking it again...IF the acc pump is sloppy in the fuel stream for less than 3 HEALTHY squirts when actuating by pumping gas...it's a fuel perk problem...bucks to doughnuts...
of course it could be a bad cap/wiring in the distributor...check the mounting and of course that the dist rotor plate ground wire from points plate to dist body is intact...pull on it a bit...if it's not...it will come apart...lets's not be superman about this test....;-)))
other than that, there is nothing left that could act the way you say....
unless it's something off the wall, like that air cleaner thing....
GENE
of course it could be a bad cap/wiring in the distributor...check the mounting and of course that the dist rotor plate ground wire from points plate to dist body is intact...pull on it a bit...if it's not...it will come apart...lets's not be superman about this test....;-)))
other than that, there is nothing left that could act the way you say....
unless it's something off the wall, like that air cleaner thing....
GENE
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Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
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From: Huntersville NC
Re: Engine just dies! (mrvette)
I'm not going to apologize to AC Delco, but their rotor is not the cause of my problem. I started and idled the vette today for 5 minutes with no problems. Put the new AC rotor back in and idled for another 5 minutes without incident. Went for a short test drive with no stalling. This is troubling because although problem has "gone away" I dont know what was causing it in the first place. Could have been a wire under the cap? MJ