Newb help solving engine issue
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 105
Likes: 3
From: Madison AL
Newb help solving engine issue
I've spend the last few months slowly working on my breaks so I haven't started my car in about 2 months. I learned a good lesson on leaving the key on for 2 months and it's effects on completely killing a good battery too.
Now i have the brakes done so I start the car and now it's just runs really rough and will stall almost every time I push the gas...even after it's good and warm. It sounds awful too. I put it in neutral and revved the engine to about 4k RPM and I can see it dip to 3.5k RPM intermittently. So what should I look at first? Gas filter? Carburetor adjustment? Distributor adjustment? I haven't worked on car engines since I was a teenager so I'm learning this stuff all over again. :/
I really appropriate this forums help!
Now i have the brakes done so I start the car and now it's just runs really rough and will stall almost every time I push the gas...even after it's good and warm. It sounds awful too. I put it in neutral and revved the engine to about 4k RPM and I can see it dip to 3.5k RPM intermittently. So what should I look at first? Gas filter? Carburetor adjustment? Distributor adjustment? I haven't worked on car engines since I was a teenager so I'm learning this stuff all over again. :/
I really appropriate this forums help!
Last edited by mijohnst; Feb 26, 2014 at 10:37 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,239
Likes: 19
From: Chino CA
I've spend the last few months slowly working on my breaks so I haven't started my car in about 2 months. I learned a good lesson on leaving the key on for 2 months and it's effects on completely killing a good battery too.
Now i have the brakes done so I start the car and now it's just runs really rough and will stall almost every time I push the gas too hard even after it's good and warm. It sounds awful too. I put it in neutral and revved the engine to about 4k RPM and I can see it dip to 3.5k RPM intermittently. So what should I look at first? Gas filter? Carburetor adjustment? Distributor adjustment? I haven't worked on car engines since I was a teenager so I'm learning this stuff all over again. :/
I really appropriate this forums help!
Now i have the brakes done so I start the car and now it's just runs really rough and will stall almost every time I push the gas too hard even after it's good and warm. It sounds awful too. I put it in neutral and revved the engine to about 4k RPM and I can see it dip to 3.5k RPM intermittently. So what should I look at first? Gas filter? Carburetor adjustment? Distributor adjustment? I haven't worked on car engines since I was a teenager so I'm learning this stuff all over again. :/
I really appropriate this forums help!
Points or HEI? Leaving the key on can burn points...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,023
Likes: 6
From: Austin Tx
When you left the ignition on, if the points were closed, you would have fried the points, and possibly the ignition coil.
If you have a points replacement system, such as pertronix, it will have been fried also - I use the se-breakerless kit, and one of it's benefits is it doesn't get fried if you accidentaly leave the ignition on.
If you have a points replacement system, such as pertronix, it will have been fried also - I use the se-breakerless kit, and one of it's benefits is it doesn't get fried if you accidentaly leave the ignition on.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 105
Likes: 3
From: Madison AL
Oh, my bad... It's a 1976 L-48 with a 350.
I didn't know you could burn the points and the distributor up by doing that. Crap. I bet that's the problem because it ran fine before I killed the battery. I'm glad I mentioned the battery problem in this post. This is going to be fun figuring out how to change out points. Would this be a good time to switch out to a different type of distributor without points?
I didn't know you could burn the points and the distributor up by doing that. Crap. I bet that's the problem because it ran fine before I killed the battery. I'm glad I mentioned the battery problem in this post. This is going to be fun figuring out how to change out points. Would this be a good time to switch out to a different type of distributor without points?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,023
Likes: 6
From: Austin Tx
This is why you should always include the year of your car in the initial post - your 76 should not have a points distributor, in 75 the started using HEI distributors.
But, with the symptoms you described, maybe a previous owner switched back to a points distributor and coil. Do you have a seperate coil next to the distributor?
But, with the symptoms you described, maybe a previous owner switched back to a points distributor and coil. Do you have a seperate coil next to the distributor?
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,239
Likes: 19
From: Chino CA
Oh, my bad... It's a 1976 L-48 with a 350.
I didn't know you could burn the points and the distributor up by doing that. Crap. I bet that's the problem because it ran fine before I killed the battery. I'm glad I mentioned the battery problem in this post. This is going to be fun figuring out how to change out points. Would this be a good time to switch out to a different type of distributor without points?
I didn't know you could burn the points and the distributor up by doing that. Crap. I bet that's the problem because it ran fine before I killed the battery. I'm glad I mentioned the battery problem in this post. This is going to be fun figuring out how to change out points. Would this be a good time to switch out to a different type of distributor without points?
It's either going to be a fuel or spark problem - this much is fact.
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 485
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From: Oakville ON
dead battery
Did you change out the battery with a new one yet? A dead battery can cause wild swings in electricals from my experience, but I don't understand why the alternator doesn't run things okay. Maybe shorting in the battery? 
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 105
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From: Madison AL
Sorry, I'm at work, so I have to post when I have a minute. I don't know exactly what I have so I'm going to go and look tonight.
I bought a new battery so hopefully that's not a problem. I'm going to go and take the distributor cap of tonight and I'll post a picture of what I see. Hopefully they'll help because I won't know what burned out points look like. Thanks again for the support!
I bought a new battery so hopefully that's not a problem. I'm going to go and take the distributor cap of tonight and I'll post a picture of what I see. Hopefully they'll help because I won't know what burned out points look like. Thanks again for the support!
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,239
Likes: 19
From: Chino CA
Sorry, I'm at work, so I have to post when I have a minute. I don't know exactly what I have so I'm going to go and look tonight.
I bought a new battery so hopefully that's not a problem. I'm going to go and take the distributor cap of tonight and I'll post a picture of what I see. Hopefully they'll help because I won't know what burned out points look like. Thanks again for the support!
I bought a new battery so hopefully that's not a problem. I'm going to go and take the distributor cap of tonight and I'll post a picture of what I see. Hopefully they'll help because I won't know what burned out points look like. Thanks again for the support!
Start with some basics if it was running good before.
Clogged fuel filter?
Can you describe how it's running a little better?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
Crossed wires???
I agree that the rough running engine could be caused by bad fuel or fouled plugs, but could also be caused by crossed plug wires.
First, pull out the plugs and clean them, then replace. Second, start with #1 spark plug and go around the engine in this sequence: 18436572.
Third, if the engine still runs roughly, you can pretty much assume that it's a fuel problem. Check the filter(s), then float level, even the flow from the fuel pump.
I doubt the HEI distributor is the problem, generally they either work properly or not at all.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
First, pull out the plugs and clean them, then replace. Second, start with #1 spark plug and go around the engine in this sequence: 18436572.
Third, if the engine still runs roughly, you can pretty much assume that it's a fuel problem. Check the filter(s), then float level, even the flow from the fuel pump.
I doubt the HEI distributor is the problem, generally they either work properly or not at all.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: New York
Racer
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 425
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From: Jefferson City Missouri
When he says it stalls almost every time he presses the gas, sure sounds like lack of fuel. I'd bet it's a carb issue or possibly fuel filter.
Last edited by ctuinstra; Feb 26, 2014 at 08:39 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 105
Likes: 3
From: Madison AL
I can't tell the difference between points and HEI... So, in 1976, they didn't do points. I'd like to verify that. I'm going to go ahead and get a new distributor cap kit, plugs/wires and fuel filter. In the meantime, is this an HEI distributor?
Any pitfalls I should be aware of before I replace anything? From what I read there is no adjustment.
