Distributor or carburetor???

[GoGoGirl]

I’ve walked in OP’s footsteps and have been guided by the same advice by people on here.

I’m just someone who likes to learn and by no means a mechanic.

When I first got my K5, it had very hard starting but seemed to run fine after starting. I changed the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires, and that made a huge difference. The rotor contacts were brittle and literally dissolved when I pulled apart the assembly— I’m surprised it ran at all.

Since then I had an episode of problems a lot like yours, which mainly showed as the vehicle wanting to die while going uphill. It did die twice. I always had to mash the gas pedal to the floor to struggle up a hill. A filthy carb-mounted fuel filter was the cause.

Then my hardline fuel line, just before the carb, developed a leak, probably from me not knowing what I was doing when changing the filter. I ended up cutting off the metal line and splicing in a section of rubber hose.

She still doesn’t always start easily, so this year I’m thinking of a carb rebuild as well. And a switch to ethanol-free as even the so-called helpful ethanol additives seem to not do much. I’m suspecting something is wrong with the carb as it seems I’ve solved all of my other problems.

Thus, eagerly following this thread.

 

[Chief Brody]

This is going to be one of those "might as well" deals, so might as well replace accelerator pump and maybe needle and seat...anybody got a favorite brand of carb kit?

 

[Chief Brody]

Carb kit and accelerator pump ordered along with a better quality baseplate gasket.

Got it from Carburetors Unlimited, manufacturer is Tomco

http://www.carburetion.com/products/productdetails.aspx?part=KT-5312D

 

[ktmoutfront]

I just use the one O'Reillys has in stock.

 

[diesel4me]

I used to use Filko carb kits & floats or Standard/Hygrade jiffy kits back in the day..whether those brands still exist today I don't know,been out of the auto parts biz over 20 years ..

It might be an ignition issue too,the carb gets blamed often when its not the culprit...things like a old ignition coil dying will cause sputtering and hesitation especially on a hard pull or heavy load (taking off from a dead stop,etc),and they tend to fail more when hot that after a cold start..
A pick up coil in the HEI can do much the same thing intermittently--some aftermarket ignition modules lack a dwell advance circuit and that can affect performance,I have had "good" modules fail suddenly after letting a vehicle sit for months for no apparent reason too..usually a module either works or doesn't though,its not often they cause poor running..

Old spark plug wires can cause all kinds of weirdness too--they dont last like they used too,most sold today are crap,carbon string with insulation that dries up and cracks and lets sparks jump to ground instead of firing the plugs under a load..

If you have an EGR valve and its sticking open or opening at the wrong time,that can cause issues like this also..
I had a bad vacuum brake booster make one 350 I had run lousy off & on and it took me a long time to figure that out because the brakes still had good power assist and it didn't always happen..one day I heard a whistling noise when I had the hood open,and I traced it to the master cylinder,it had vacuum at a bolt hole in the casting where the proportioning valve bolted to the master cylinder on my 72 K5..!

 

[wasted wages]

Could easily be bad fuel or fuel pump. Also, the very first thing is pull the dipstick and check the oil level. If its even a little over full, stop everything and replace the fuel pump.
if the diaphragm in the pump develops a pinhole, it can very quickly put lots of gas in the oil which will total an engine.

Nothing much to add that hasn't been said by others, but this caught my eye...
long ago, I found this out the hard way on a 6 cylinder Ford. Running down the highway, engine started knocking bad. By the time it was all said and done the motor had spun 3 rod bearings due to the gas dilution of the oil by a bad diaphragm in the fuel pump.

 

[Can Can]

Have you ruled out bad ignition wires?

 

[Chief Brody]

Nothing much to add that hasn't been said by others, but this caught my eye...
long ago, I found this out the hard way on a 6 cylinder Ford. Running down the highway, engine started knocking bad. By the time it was all said and done the motor had spun 3 rod bearings due to the gas dilution of the oil by a bad diaphragm in the fuel pump.

That's one easy one I haven't checked...just check the oil. I will do it. I can pressure check the fuel pump too if I get a couple fittings to make mine connect.

 

[Chief Brody]

Have you ruled out bad ignition wires?

No I haven't ruled them out. I was surprised that I had that gunk on the distributor cap contacts...wires could be bad, plugs could be fouled

 

[muddermilitia]

Have you ruled out bad ignition wires?

I was starting to think ignition system too. I'm curious to see what changes after you address those carb issues.

I have had all sorts of issues in the years I've owned my 52 Dodge. That car sat for a very long time before the previous owner started tinkering with it. He didn't drive it much so when I bought it and started driving it more, that's when issues started popping up.

I have had something similar to what is happening here, but my troubles were with my ignition system.

 

[Can Can]

Me too. I chased a fuel supply issue only to find out it was bad wires all along.'

No I haven't ruled them out. I was surprised that I had that gunk on the distributor cap contacts...wires could be bad, plugs could be fouled

It might be worth your time to swap in a new set of wires. Not too expensive and a very easy job.

 

[Chief Brody]

New distributor cap and rotor, ignition coil, plugs, wires, fuel pump and carb kit are ready to go in...now I gotta find time

 

[diesel4me]

I'd do the fuel pump & carb kit last...hopefully the ignition tune up will fix your poor performance issues...

 

[Chief Brody]

I'd do the fuel pump & carb kit last...hopefully the ignition tune up will fix your poor performance issues...

Makes sense...do the least invasive first. When I was shopping for parts, I did notice that a complete distributor isn't that much...I can get an AC DELCO complete ready to put in for under $100. That distributor came with the engine, I don't remember or don't know what it was...not sure when you start to suspect the distributor and components ?

 

[ktmoutfront]

Change on thing at a time. That way you know what was wrong.

 

[wasted wages]

I did notice that a complete distributor isn't that much...I can get an AC DELCO complete ready to put in for under $100.

Kinda what I have been doing lately...why mess with everything separately, stabbing in a new dizzy will cover 99% of ignition problems anyway... for about the same cost of all the parts combined.

 

[diesel4me]

I have seen some parts lately being sold in "kit" form for a lot less than individually ,like a "timing belt kit" than has a water pump (if the belt powers it) and all the idler pulleys and belt for over half what they cost separately..and in Dayco or Gates brands,not some unknown one!.
Friend told me today he had to get a spring hanger,shackle,and bolts for some Ford trucks in the past,that came to nearly $100 purchased individually--the other day he got a "kit" with the spring hanger,shackle and hardware for $48 !..

Sometimes dealer parts are less than parts stores are too,and are better quality..(not often,but it does happen on some parts you'd think they would bend you over for)..the kit was from Dorman...some of their parts have been not so great lately though..

 

[Chief Brody]

sooo...I decided to unbox the coil and the distributor cap and rotor and put them together just to do something. I opened the box that had the rotor and the cap and I dropped the rotor.

Where did it land?

a) softly on a pile of shop rags in my toolbox

b) In my work shirt pocket

c) On the concrete, full speed, landing right on the rotor contact tip, snapping it cleanly away from the plastic

 

[ktmoutfront]

Ding, ding, ding..... C

 

[dyeager535]

C, plus ended up 50 feet away, defying the laws of physics?