Runnin like crap

[greg rider]

I drove the truck to work about a month ago,,it ran great the 35+ miles to work. On the way home I was about 10 miles from home and it started stumbling, falling on it's face, acting like it was starving for fuel. It would restart after a few minutes of sitting run OK then stumble and die. It did this about 6 times till I was able to limp it home. Last week I rebuilt the Carter AVS carb. The bowls had some sludge and crud in them. Truck ran great after the rebuild but I did not do a long test drive. Went out this morning, started her right up, drove about 15 minutes and it started acting up again. Got it running, ran great, and just as I was pulling into my drive it acted up and stalled again. I think that the coil is getting hot and suffering from heat soak or the fuel pump is starting to act up. Anybody else have any ideas of something else to check? The wife was not happy getting woke up to take me to work today.

[2x1972]

could be that, or distributer.....

[Chewie]

Did you find out where the crud came from? Maybe there is more of it upstream...

[Ron in Indiana]

Did you change the fuel filter? The ballast resistor is another common problem. Fuel pump is a possibility as is dirt in the pick up tube in the tank. I just cleaned out the pick up from a 75 that has been sitting for a long time but this was an extreme case.

[greg rider]

Did the fuel filter when I did the carb. I'll put some air to both lines and make sure they are clear. It runs freakin great for the first 10-15 minutes then just loses power till it dies. If it sits a few minutes it will refire easily. I'm gonna do cap,rotor,plugs, and wires when I can. I didn't think about the ballast resistor getting hot and causing problems. These are all cheap and easy fixes which is what I love about this animal. The wife on the other hand says that I spent the bathroom remodeling money on the truck and she still hates it.

[Ron in Indiana]

Greg I thought of one more thing. If you read the latest PWA Gordon suggested thinking outside the box. This may be along shot but when the truck dies go immediately to the gas cap and remove it. If it sucks air then the vented cap is plugged. I had this happen once on a truck and again twice this winter on my skid loader. The loaders cap was iced shut and it pulled so much it held the float up to show 1/4 tank when in fact I was out of fuel. Again a long shot but it doesn't cost anything unless it is the cap.

[n1265]

You blew out the line ? you may of blew off the screen on the bottom of the pickup tube when you did this. No big deal, as long as the tank is clean.

Do you have a see threw filter ? If so check to see if it has fule in it when it starts to run bad.

[greg rider]

I haven't blown out the line yet. Good idea about the cap, thanks. I seriously think it is the coil. I'm gonna do the coil with new plugs, wires, etc., and see then. It is frustrating because it does run so well,,,,,,till it dies! The fuel filter is a metal can with 3 ports,,, in-out-return.

[DODGEBOYS]

something is getting hot and shutting down / either the coil or the ECM / could also be the DIST pickup / it aint a fuel problem if it starts right back up if it cools down a little / unless you have a nasty case of vapor lock

[ram fan]

My 'gut' says it's electrical; coil, ECU or ballast, BUT my truck did the same thing last fall. It would run great for about 15 minutes, then fall on it face and die, like it was starved for gas. If I let it sit for about 15 minutes, it would usually fire up. I had put a new (mechanical) fuel pump on last year, so naturally that was the last thing I looked at, however, the next day I checked the fuel flow at the carb....none! I put on an electrical pump (mounted on top the tank) and never had the problem again. So, I'd check the fuel flow (on cold engine, to rule out vapor lock) at the carb and make sure the pump is putting out.
Keep us posted.
Craig

[KRB64]

What year is this thing?

Have you pumped the carb and looked down the throat to verify it's getting fuel yet?

[greg rider]

The truck is an '85 with a '73 440. It has a Carter AVS carb. I'm coming off my 24 hour shift this morning and will probably go home and sleep some. I'll look at it again later today or tomorrow. I'll be back to work on Friday and advise if anything has been found. This whole scenario just started. When I bought it and drove home it was fine,almost a 1 hour drive. Drove it to work a few times with no problems till that one day on my way home. I originally thought I had water in the gas because it was raining and the grommet on the filler neck has a slight gap because it has no support for now.

[IMG][/IMG] PS: Right now I only have access to internet at work.

[greg rider]

Well,, I replaced the ballast resistor,coil,cap,rotor,wires,and plugs. I have yet to do the fuel pump because NAPA gave me a wrong unit. I don't know if it was mismarked or just the wrong number in the system. I did find that the positive wire to the coil was frayed at the connector pretty bad. It looked like it was dry cracked then started fraying. The insulation was really dry and brittle. I bet that was a major part of my issue.

[KRB64]

So is it running better now?

[greg rider]

Haven't had it running yet. The fuel pump will be in today. It is tough working on the truck with my schedule and I have to gather animals 2 by 2 because of the rain.