26 DB stalls at idle - help needed

[dbtravis]

<img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I have a 1926 Dodge coupe with the a "C" series, 4-cylinder engine in it. The problem that I am having is that whenever I am driving it it will run decent and then when I take my foot off the gas amd press the clutch down in a usual fashion before coming to a stop sign, or even when preparing to shift from 2nd to 3rd, the car engine will slow down so much and it dies before I even can complete the shift. As soon as I let the clutch back out in 3rd gear, it will start turning the engine over again and will resume running. I have adjusted the timing to the best of my knowledge. I removed the timing hole cover and there seem to be 3 circles drilled the entire way through the flywheel around the area where the rotor is pointing at #1 on the cap... so I adjusted it with the rotor pointing towards #1 when the middle circle was centered in the timing hole... the book said something about a stamp with a c/1-4 or something like that, but I could not find one of those. It seems to start fine, and every time after it stalls, I can get it to start back up just fine in no time at all. The odd thing is that this ONLY happens when the car is in neutral, (or the clutch is depressed)AFTER I have given it gas and then take my foot off the gas. When it starts, if I just leave it and dont "rev it up" it will idle fine. Sometimes I can prevent it from stalling by removing my foot EVER so slowly from the gas pedal and then it will return to idle and not die. When I start the car for the first time (the engine is cold) it will run rather rough, and it seems to only need the choke to start but as soon as it fires off if I have the choke out any longer will make it run extremely rough, but I have to keep my foot on the gas and keep the RPMs up when it is cold for about the first minute until it warms up, and this is with the choke all the way in, because as I mentioned, with the choke out, regardless of RPM's it is running rough.

Well, that is a LOT of information. I hope that it helps some of you to help me out! It is really a fun car and seems to drive nicely, but this problem makes in basically un-driveable because it troubles me that is stalls at every shift and stop sign. Thanks in advance for your help. It would be great if you could copy and paste your response into an email to me at: TR256@aol.com

Thanks! - Travis

[mrgearhead]

TRAVIS

IT SOUNDS LIKE TWO THINGS NEED TO BE CHECKED HERE.

1. VERIFY YOUR TIMING BY USE AS THE TAPPETS.

a. REMOVE TIN VALVE COVER AT THE BACK OF ENGINE JUST UNDER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD.

b. USING HAND CRANK SLOWLY ROTATE CRANK UNTIL THE LAST TAPPET AT THE BACK OF ENGINE WILL FREELY ROTATE.

c. RETARD SPARK LEVER AND REMOVE DISTRIBUTOR CAP. THE ROTOR SHOULD BE POINTING TO NUMBER ONE ON DISTRIBUTOR CAP.

d. LOOSEN CLAMP ON DISTRIBUTOR AND ROTATE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS THE ROTOR TURNS.

e. SET DISTRIBUTOR SO THAT THE SLIGHTEST ROTATION OF THE CRANK SHAFT WILL OPEN THE POINTS. FOR THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER.

f. TIGHTEN CLAMP.

PS YOU MAY FIND THAT SOMEONE IN THE PAST CHANGED THE FLY WHEEL AND DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE TIMING MARK OR ITS PROPER LOCATION.

THIS WILL HELP FIND THE MARK IF IT IS THERE AND IN THE CORRECT LOCATION AND JUST GUNKED OVER.

2 START ENGINE AND ADJUST CARBURETOR.

REUEL

LET ME KNOW IF THIS HELPS?

[JB-ed]

You also could have dirt in the carb. Either the metering pin can be partially blocked or some gunk is keeping that plunger from lifting at low rpms. That carb counts on manifold vacuum for its operation. A timing problem could effect vacuum too, so the previous suggestions could also be correct. If dirt is the problem, it could be coming from the gas tank or vacuum tank, so clean them all out and consider the slight alteration of adding an in-line filter somewhere along the fuel line tucked out of sight under the frame (and dont forget to change it now and then.)