Help! My car is still in Paso!

Its a bbc (402 i think) in a 50 chrysler.

as far as the electronics....the distributer was out of the car just before we left and i set it up and set timing so unless the timing chain jumped, timing "should" be fine and it had this problem with a pertronix with a coil, replaced the pertronix with points/condensor, the coil and a new ballast resistor. problem didnt change....

 

how about a bad condensor- coil or possibly poor grounds is the motor grounded to the frame to the firewall etc especailly if you got a gl*** car everything needs to be grounded when car starts to act up see if you keep it running while you pull a plug wire and visually check spark condition maye check spark when cold so you have something to compare if ok try running car with electric fuel pump using a outside gas container see how it runs you gotta determine between spark and fuel problem another thought is your gas cap or gas tank vented properly how about water in fuel tank?? take sample from fuel line pour on ground water will bead up john

 

Could be plug wires...happens in motorhomes all the time.

Buy the best you can find too.

 

Well ****, I feel your pain. You sure have covered a LOT of things so far. I'd sure like to hear that thing for myself just for the hell of it. It's just so hard to diagnose like this. Hell, you were there and couldn't find the problem. So, for us here on the board it's a **** shoot. Maybe when you get it back you can give us more info

 

I had the same problem on a 66 chevelle that got dropped off to me with the story "I've tried everything I can get it to start" the guy put a brand new carb on it a new dist, cap and rotor.. I started by pulling the plugs with the intent of doing a compression test.. the plug was so burnt up it looked like it was in the motor since 66. replaced the plugs got it started and had the same problem that you are, ended up the timing chain jumped a tooth....... my 2 cents... good luck

 

I live in Santa Maria, (about 60 miles south). Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I have a shop full of tools, and marginal skills... Hell, I even got room to stash it, if need be..

 

did u recently put gas in the car? maybe you've got bad gas

 

I have an issue with my econoline...an old gear head told me to blow air back through the fuel tank before the fuel filter...it didnt work in my case but he said that in some cars there is a screen that can get clogged up with ****.

 

pull #1 plug and bring it up to TDC (when compresion blows your finger out of spark plug hole) and check rotor position with timing mark lined up. big block chevy's are notorious for jumping time and breaking timing gears. did it in all 3 of my chevelles then saved up for a gear drive and no more road side breakdowns. good luck and let us know what was wrong.

 

Try to eliminate one of the two possiblities...

It's fuel related.
It's electrical related.

Run the engine up to temp and 'make' it stall. Then sniff the exhaust pipes and see if there's raw gas. If you can smell fuel at the exhaust then it's getting through OK and it's most lilely an electrical problem.

Pull a plug lead, hold it near the plug and crank the engine. If there's a good spark across the gap (or you get a belt!) Then you've got spark and it's probably a fuel problem.

I had a problem like this with an old car, the engine kept dying completely at speed. Leave it for a bit and it would fire up and run like a dream, then 5 miles down the road it would die again. Problem turned out to be **** in the gas tank, a chunk of stuff big enough to completely block the line was drifting around in the tank, and every now and then it would drift over, and be ****ed against, the outlet pipe, cutting the flow completely. Took me weeks to figure it out!

Cheers, Glen.

 

So what was the verdict, fuel or mechanical? Ive been waiting for a follow up.

 

Well, i hauled my "88 toyota carolla" (as far as uhaul knows) home and it has gotten worse now. it would barely run, even when cold, enough to get it up on the trailer. fuel pressure is good, but i havent had the opportunity to take it apart and check the things that need checking. tonight and tomorrow night i will take it apart and try to figure it out. thanks for all the ideas...

 

Thanks for the update, If I was closer I would offer to help you tear into it. I dont know why, but I feel like I care about getting your car fixed. The HAMB has infected me once again. Damm it, months of therapy down the drain.
chaco

 

Well, heres the ugly pig we're working on....

 

Thanks again everyone that offered suggestions. Turns out...its 2 dead holes! 4 and 6 were dead, pulled that head off and #4 exhaust was really, really loose in the guide, had a mushroomed head and a pounded seat. couldnt see any damage or problems with 6 except no compression. about the most expensive thing in the top end that it could be.