Help, my engine started chugging on the way home today. I have a 69 with a 302 and on the way home from a 30 minute drive I had to make a couple errands. Every time I stopped, after I would start it again, it would run rough until I started moving then it seemed to run ok. After each stop it seemed to get a little worse. When I got home and parked it, I let it idle and it would run great for a second and then sound like it was going to die, then it would take off again, run good for a second and then start to die. It just keeps doing this over and over. My question is what could cause this? I have thought of vacuum leak, and fuel delivery issue. The engine was rebuilt about 4 years ago and has at most 5k miles on it. I have to take it an hour north this weekend to put it into storage and I have no time this week to work on it. That is why I was hoping someone could give me some help which could cut down the trouble shooting time greatly. Some info on the car that might be useful, I have an accel electronic distributor, the original chip crapped out on me within a year and the company sent me a new one. The symptoms with the bad chip were not chugging, they were randomly not starting and backfiring. I have a year old accel super coil, and a 4 barrel Holley carb. Thank you in advance!

 

My best guess would be foul plugs if your certain there is no vacuum leak. Start pulling plugs until you find one(probally more) that doesnt cause any difference....that would be your foul plug.

 

thats cheap and easy, i hope that is it, thanks

 

I hope it is too. Keep us posted.

 

clean/rebuild the carb.Youll be surprised.

 

Really sounds like a vaccuum leak to me...

 

carb is good, i put it on 2 years ago,
my guess is a vacuum leak but i havn't had time to look into it. I will check it out in the morning if i get time.

 

typically, vacumn leaks are not intermittant. it either leaks or it don't. I suspect a dirty fuel system causing the carb bowl to overflow or a loose carb to manifold or carb to carb connection. Give it a shake and see what's loose, ifnothing, look down the carb with the engine running and look for fuel droplets overflowing into the throttle bore. (fix for this is the clean the float valve and seat, new fuel filter)

 

well could be vaccuum yes because when starting the leak is very prevelant but once rpm is up you dont notice the leak.Ive had similars incidents now that you mention it.

 

Not to be rude but what part of this statement don't you understand:

"When I got home and parked it, I let it idle and it would run great for a second and then sound like it was going to die, then it would take off again, run good for a second and then start to die. It just keeps doing this over and over"