Guest Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Hi guys,After having spent the day on my Dodge, I need some help. The car was running fine, then died and stopped. I have spark at all 4 plugs, and have checked the timing. I next suspected the vacuum tank, and have stripped and cleaned this, finding only a small amount of silt in the bottom of it. Next, I stripped the carby, thinking maybe the jet was blocked. I cleaned and reassembled everything, but I am getting no joy. Any thoughts? The starter/generator died years ago, and I am getting blisters on my cranking hand! Any thoughts appreciated. Something in the carby I should check? After cranking the plugs are dry, which indicates to me that petrol is not getting from the carby to the pots.Martin in Sydney Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 HELLO ANONYMOUS, IS YOUR VACUM TANK FILLING WITH FUEL?DID YA CHECK YOUR VACUME LINES AND FILTER SCREEN UNDER THE TANKS INLET FITTING?LET US KNOW. SSG ROCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leadfoot Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Hey Martin -Glad to see that you are driving your DB, or at least trying to! Some suggestions.Go back to basics:1. Make sure that the gas tank pickup is clear of any deposits in the bottom of the tank. Might want to drain everything out through the bottom petcock and fill with fresh gasoline. Also see if the gas cap vent is working.2. I didn't like the mention of "silt". Disconnect the fuel line from the gas tank and vacuum tank and blow it out with compressed air to make sure it is clear.3. In the vacuum tank - make sure the float works and check that the little brass inlet valves seat properly. Also check the vacuum line to the engine to make sure the fittings are tight at both ends and that it is clear. And make sure that the bottom shut off valve is not clogged or worn out.4. I assume that you have a Stewart updraft carb. Check the carb float to make sure it works freely. There is a screen in the float chamber - is it clear? I would take apart the carb and soak it in cleaner for a day or two. Pay special attention to the metering rod. That tends to stick with deposits on the shaft. Make sure that both carb gaskets are tight. Also, is the intake gallery inside the engine clean? You can check this out with the carb out.While the common wisdom in the US is that 90% of all fuel/carb problems are electrical, in your case it sounds you just aren't geting fuel.A final thought. You need to give your "starter crank arm" a rest. Buy a rebuilt starter/generator - you can probably find one in the US.Good Luck! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 martin, be more specific.how long did you have it running?how did it shut off, pop snort bang or just die? what were you doing when it shut off, driving, adjusting? did it ever do this to you before? compression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_RAH Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Martin, Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the good ole' DB! You mentioned it quit? After which you checked timing? As I recall the '25 might have a fibre timing gear. It might be possible for the thing to have jumped a tooth. Precicely how did you 'check the timing'? Did you use the #4 exhaust valve's position relevant to the #1 piston being up on compresion? It may be possible for the cam to be out of alignment with the crank by that one tooth! At least it is a possibility. Keep us informed. Rodger "Dodger" Hartley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Hi guys,Thanks for all your responses! Unfortunately I am back at work, so will have to check out the Dodge on the weekend. Re checking the timing, I took the tappet cover plate off and when the valves are "rocking" on number 4, I have a spark on number one. The fibre gear is "fairly" new, the car having eaten a gear several years ago. I don't know if that gear was the original, or if it was replaced when the engine was overhauled in 1938. Anyway, if the gear had stripped, it the valves wouldn't be going up and down.I tried starting the car after taking the float bowl lid off and filling the float bowl with fresh fuel. It still won't start. So, after stripping the carb, checking gaskets and jets, etc, and reassembling, I can only assume that as the plugs are dry after cranking, the issue is possibly in the inlet tracts through the block. Re "silt", when I took the drain plug off the bottom of the vaccuum tank, no fuel came out. When I poked a scribe up the hole, fuel started flowing out. I collected the fuel in a plastic bowl, not a lot of slit, but enough to collect on the bottom of the tank and block the drain. I have seen tanks so full of silt that the silt interuppted the action of the flapper valve! If I can get the kids to bed early enough tonight, I might go down the shed and see what I can find.One thought that crossed my mind was the possibility of some kind of insect or rodent that possibly crawled in the air intake on the manifold, maybe?????Re the starter/generator. The car has always started on a quarter turn of the crank, so I have never bothered repairing the genny. I have a spare one on the shelf ready to be rebuilt, the thought of taking the front end off the motor to undo the chain looks daunting!CheersMartin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Martin-Nice to see your name again. We corresponded once or twice when we were on the Mercedes veterans list together. I concur with what Rodger said. My '25 ran perfectly until it suddenly quit while on the road once. I was completely stumped for several days. Because I had good spark, I thought it was fuel related. However, I was still getting a carb full of fuel. I could get it to cough and run a little bit, but it sounded terrible. I eventually discovered that the distributor gear had slipped a tooth. Maybe that's not your problem, but still worth futher investigation.-Scott Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leadfoot Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Martin -On my late '22 engine replacing the starter/generator is accomplished by taking the carb off, opening the inspection plate just in front of the mounted starter/generator and then removing the large nut and excentric nut that hold it on the engine casting. Obviously the timing chain comes loose, but the procedure to reinstall can be accomplished through the inspection hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Hi Scott,I didn't get a chance last night, but I am going back to checkmy timing. I think you have a good point. I am using the 1968 280S Merc as our everyday car at the moment, did around 1000 miles over the xmas period visiting relatives and freinds, running really well. Watched the odometer go back to 00000, hey! a new car! :-)))Hi Leadfoot,One day I will pluck up my courage to dissasemble the genny, I am sure to ask you lots of questions at that time! :-))CheersMartin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leadfoot Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Martin -What you call a "Merc" down under is a name we have for pricey Fords here (Mercury). <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />For the real MBs, you can call them Benzes. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />Let us know what you find in rescuing your DB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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