juanatejeda Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I am having a problem with my 4 screen. It appears to be starving itself of fuel. It will run and then it will start coughing and backfiring a little and then it just stops running.The problem does not seem to be electrical and after it stops running I can get it running again, but I need to introduce Ether to the intake in order to get it running again, then it goes through the same sequence. It will run fine for awhile but eventually it will start coughing and sputtering and will stop running again.Any ideas will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Look for fuel line getting too hot, vapor lock possibly, are you running an electric pump or the stock tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Highly likely that you have a fuel supply problem but we need to know a bit more; as mentioned, are you running electric pump or vacuum feed sytem ? are you on the road when this happens, or as soon as you start up ? giving as much detail as possible makes it easier to evaluate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanatejeda Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 At first it was noted when driving on the road, but not on a long trip, just from my home to a show a couple of miles away. Mechanic evaluated the problem and at first thought it was an electrical problem and made some checks and adjustments to the points and condenser. Ran fine for awhile but the problem came back again and again they checked the Distributor and made some adjustments, after checking the points and condenser and coil.It was narrowed down to being a fuel problem. The carburetor appears to be OK and there is fuel getting to the carburetor. Fuel was found in the bowl. When the engine stalled again they were able to get it started again by using Ether and introducing it through the Air intake. The fuel system is not an electric system. It has the original gravity flow and Vacuum feed system. It does not sit down immediately and seems to run Ok until you put it under driving conditions. Today we had it running and when I drove it into the trailer for transport, again it stalled as I pulled it into the trailer.We need to find out if there are re-build kits for the carburetor before we tear into the carb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanatejeda Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 My system is all original. The intake was recently replaced and seems to be working fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete K. Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Maybe try running engine with air cleaner off to verify proper airflow into carb. As far as I know, the only rebuild carb kit is the gaskets for it. As I don't know the condition of your carb, IF your problem is there, they're not too hard to take it all apart, soak all parts in a gallon can of "Berryman's" carb cleaner overnight, wash it, blow it clean and dry, reassemble with new gaskets and that's about it, since it WAS a running car recently, I doubt you've got any broken parts in carb. Check your Dodge manual for carb drawings and text to help familiarize yourself with the carb too. The strainer under carb may be clogging up. Don't forget the basics of an engine to run: good spark, fuel, air, compression/vacuum, and a clear path for exhaust! I've seen a lot of stalling engines because of a blocked tail pipe/muffler, with anything from mice nests to potatoes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 At first it was noted when driving on the road, but not on a long trip, just from my home to a show a couple of miles away. Mechanic evaluated the problem and at first thought it was an electrical problem and made some checks and adjustments to the points and condenser. Ran fine for awhile but the problem came back again and again they checked the Distributor and made some adjustments, after checking the points and condenser and coil.It was narrowed down to being a fuel problem. The carburetor appears to be OK and there is fuel getting to the carburetor. Fuel was found in the bowl. When the engine stalled again they were able to get it started again by using Ether and introducing it through the Air intake. The fuel system is not an electric system. It has the original gravity flow and Vacuum feed system. It does not sit down immediately and seems to run Ok until you put it under driving conditions. Today we had it running and when I drove it into the trailer for transport, again it stalled as I pulled it into the trailer.We need to find out if there are re-build kits for the carburetor before we tear into the carb.All good points from pete k, however I think I would be starting back a little further inthe fuel system. Seeing as how you are running on the vacuum feed system and the problem appears under load, I wonder if the the vac feed system is able to keep up the demand.Unlike a positive pressure (mechanical or elec) pump the vac sytem draws fuel from the tank purely on the amount of vacuum available at the throttle, so if you have a tank feed restriction, vac leak or any problem within the vac tank the problem usually appears when the throttle is positioned for a high fuel demand; in other words whilst there may be enough in the vac tank for low power settings it cant keep up the pace when you put your foot down. There is only one way to solve the problem, and that is to do a systematic inspection of all the components from the tank to the carb, perhaps simply start with the filler cap off just in case the cap vent is blocked and then keep moving forward.Dont be fooled by seeing fuel in the carb when the engine is stopped, the question really is how much is in there when the engine is under load? oh and stalling whilst driving up the trailer ramp is a good indication that the carb bowl fuel level is low, possibly because there is not enough fuel from the vac feed sytem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanatejeda Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Found a loose fitting, Copper line going from the carb vacuum to the Fuel Vacuum Reservoir. Tightened it and when I went to try to start it, the Starter gave out. Guessing it's the Bendix Spring as I can hear the Starter spinning but it's not engaging.Does anyone know about these Starters, easy or hard fix. Are the springs (Bendix) even available. If they are does anyone have a source for them? Again, I have a drive train, chassis that appears to have been assembled in 26, the ID Plate shows that it came off the assembly line in Oct of 27. The Starter motor is mounted on the driver's side of the engine. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanatejeda Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Picture of the Starter and where it's located.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanatejeda Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Just a little follow-up. We have, apparently, solved the problem. Took the carburetor apart and found that the float was sticking. Cleaned up the bowl and adjusted the float and it seems to be working fine. We did, also find that there was a vacuum fitting on the holding tank that was loose and may have been adding to the problem. Also repaired our Starter, replaced with a stand-by that I had acquired a few years back and it was a working Starter, so we will have the one we pulled out rebuilt and probably hold on to it as a spare.Thanks to everyone that offered advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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