Engine won't idle - UPDATE

[woodbutcher]

Wilhelmus,the drive gear on the front of the camshaft.The main timing gear.
Leo

 

[Mercury Mike]

Lots of fuel pumps through, and I get a bunch of fuel squirted when I hit the pedal. =D Thanks for the input. I'll look into it more.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know if youve already tried the simple, but my car did the same thing. It would start after sitting for a while. I would drive it a short way and it would die. It would then start later on or if I sprayed starting fluid in the carb directly.

I played with all the electrical, pulled the fuel line and turned it over spaying gas to check the pump, and finally figured out that my $2 fuel filter was mostly plugged.

It was plugged just enough to kill the motor if you drove or revved it. It let enough in to fill the bowl in the carb so it would idle fine or rev for a few minutes or so.

Like I said, you may have already checked this, but otherwise it sounds like the prob I had.

 

[Mercury Mike]

New fuel filter. The points were improperly adjusted, and the dwell was jumping everywhere. Turns out the springs in the distributor had no tension! The breaker plate was jumping everywhere at any RPM and the car was dying. It's all adjusted and it's workin' good now! =) Fixed a vacuum leak to the dizzy too and it's PRIMO!

 

[Bort62]

Booom - Timing. Being right is awesome

hahaha - glad you got it working.

 

[Mercury Mike]

Yep. Swapped in my grandpa's petronix and I am going to get my own this weekend. He wanted me to see the difference, and WOW what a difference. =) Quick air gap and it's on! Works awesome. Thanks for the advice Bort!

 

[Bort62]

I wouldn't mess with that pertronix crap - just go duraspark. Its so easy.

And cheap.

 

[Mercury Mike]

I already have a lead on the duraspark, I'd love to have it. lol.

 

[MustangSix]

New fuel filter. The points were improperly adjusted, and the dwell was jumping everywhere. Turns out the springs in the distributor had no tension! The breaker plate was jumping everywhere at any RPM and the car was dying. It's all adjusted and it's workin' good now! =) Fixed a vacuum leak to the dizzy too and it's PRIMO!

Thanks, wilhemus. Once again, you've proven the point - IGNITION, IGNITION, IGNITION! Until you get the sparks right, you should never, ever monkey with the carburetor.