nualln

Hi All,

I bought a 67' 289 about a month ago. The engine was rebuilt about 5k miles ago and seems to run nicely.

However I'm having trouble starting it, and also with acceleration.

It just cranks and cranks and cranks away. After a while it starts, but its been giving me a lot of trouble lately. The distributor looks fine, and I replaced the coil last weekend. Sometimes It starts up really quickly (after about 2 cranks), but sometimes it takes forever, or doesn't even start at all.

With the Acceleration, when I floor it after being at a low rpm, as when idling , the engine hiccups and then stalls. It accelerates well when i press on the pedal slowly.

With the Carburetor, when I bought the car, the thermostat was tyrapped open, where the door on the secondary throttle was wide open all the time. I took the tyrap off, but this doesnt seem to help anything. It's almost as if the previous owner figured that the choke was broken and tyrapped it open.

Any help of diagnosing my problems would be much appreciated.

Markstang1969

Welcome to the forums. I am still a newbie to all this too. Let me prep you for some questions to come from the others :-)

Is the carb new?

What kind of carb?

Was it rebuilt when the motor was?

Are all your fuel lines and fuel filters clear?

What kind of choke?

nualln

Is the carb new?
I dont think so, The outside housing is worn and it doesnt appear shiny like the new ones do.

What kind of carb?
Holley 4v. Im not sure what model number.

Was it rebuilt when the motor was?
I dont think so. Since the thermostat was wired open, I doubt they put any work into it.

Are all your fuel lines and fuel filters clear?
Yes.

What kind of choke?
Electronic I believe. It has a quick release connector on the outside with an arrow pointing to it that says "lean."

Here are some pictures if it helps


The red peice in the above picture was tyrapped to the bottom position.

Scott H.

Here's something quick to try:

First you will need a quiet area with good lighting, or a sharp bright flashlight.
The following will allow you to check to see if the accelerator pump is operating correctly.
From your explanation this is what I would look at first.
You are going to view down through the front two barrels of the carburetor.
First thing you will see is that the barrels (aproximately 2" in diameter) have rings in the middle. These are your "venturies" which speed up the air and create the negative pressure (vacuum) that allows fuel to be pushed through from the float bowl. Inside the venturies you will see a small tube (maybe 1/8" outer diameter). This is the exit nozzels for your accelerator pump.
So here is what you want to do:

Engine NOT running!!!
1). Remove air cleaner
2). Open choke fully
3). look through top of carb into manifold (if 4 barrel look through two barrels closest to radiator)
4). Engine still NOT running!!! Smoothly operate throttle linkage, with your hand, from closed to WOT (Wide Open Throttle)
This should take 1.5-2.0 seconds
5). look for a nice solid stream of fuel to be "injected" from the accelerator pump nozzels. It should be steady clear of bubbles and approximately 1/16th" in diameter. If you take 1.5 to 2.0 seconds to smoothly move the accelerator linkage from closed to WOT the accelerator pump should inject for aproximately the first second.
6). At the same time you should hear a SSssshhhhh sound.

If you don't see the fuel stream, or it looks bubbly or just droplets come out, it is time to service the accelerator pump. This would be a great oportunity to buy a rebuild kit, and a good book. Sometimes a visit the local high school/Community College auto shop program can get your carb rebuilt on the cheap.
There is no "magic" to anything on these old cars, and this kind of stuff can be a lot of fun to learn with, as long as you don't require this vehicle for daily transportation. If you do... go to your local dealer, let them fix your car while you read a good book and learn.

One word of advise: Don't throw money at a problem, unless you are throwing it at your local dealer (or me <jk&gt. Diagnose the problem. There are two very easy tests to perform on a coil that will tell if it is good or bad. Doesn't cost a thing if you can borrow someones Multi-meter. You can also test the rest of your ignition components for no cost (just need that meter).
To check the carburetor you need your eyes and your ears, and a trip to the library or local book store.

BTW: you need to hook up a positive wire to the male spade on the black choke housing. This wire needs to come from the "ignition" feed, but, please, do not run a wire from the positive side of the coil, and do not use an accessory terminal...better yet, go to your local Community College and see if someone there can spend some time with you. If they tell you to run a wire from the coil to the choke... be pleasant, but leave quickly and go to your dealer.

Please post your results.

HTH,

Markstang1969

Nice first post, Scott [sm=icon_rock.gif]

Scott H.

Thanks,
This is a really great forum. I look forward to reading through the archives and hopefully providing some useful information.

BTW: Nice car dude!!!

Now it's past my bedtime! catch you all later,

nualln

Thanks for the great post!

I have a few follow up questions.

1: Which rebuild kit would you recommend if I do in fact need to replace the accelerator pump?

2: How should I go about getting a positive off the ignition feed.

-Thanks

nualln

OK,

I did everything you said to check the accelerator pump, and it worked exactly like you described.

What's next.

My problem is only when I gun it after being idle (like coasting down the road, or at a stoplight). If I let my foot off the accelerator, the engine comes back, but if I keep my foot on the accelerator, the engine dies.

Do I need bigger nozzles?

Mustangood

They way you describe it, it sounds similar to the problem I had with the "hiccups". It turns out the carb was too big.

nualln

What carb did you have in there before, and what did you swap it with?

-Allen