My W600 almost stranded me today

[712edf]

Amazing how times flies.......yet I make little progress.

Bucky

[712edf]

Well, this year I sort of gotten into a rhythm with this thing. Usually on Friday or Saturday I pop the hood, pour a splash of fresh gasoline down the carb, whack it with a hammer. Then I hop inside, pull the choke closed, depress the go-pedal down about 3/4 of the way, turn on my ignition toggle switches & hit the key. Usually it sputters & fires coming to life. I close the choke, lower the rpm's to about 2000 & set the throttle. After a minute I lower the rpm's & reset the throttle. In time I can get it to a reasonable idle, but almost always with the throttle. I haven't driven it on the road since my March adventure.

Every few weeks I add 5 gal or so of pure gasoline. I haven't had to charge this battery yet, just running the engine 10-15 minutes a week seems to do it.
We had a somewhat mild summer. Never got above 103, only had 20 something days of 100s, but here it is mid-October & we are still pushing 90s. It was a tad humid this year. The wife & I managed to sneak away to Colorado for a week in late September.

While I wish I had the gumption to do more with this ol truck for now I am content with just having it start & run somewhat reliably.

Bucky

[712edf]

I have had that happen to me as well, on other vehicles. Sudden complete loss off all power, as if the battery & all wiring disappeared. Not pleasant when at an intersection or on some street/road that has no safe place to pull over.

Bucky

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

The W200 stranded me yesterday, some type of electrical gremlin is haunting me.
I believe I have it traced to an electrical connection somewhere on the firewall to the firebox.
thank you for writing and sharing your stories with us!

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

So, I installed a new battery a couple weeks back. Every weekend I prime the carb then start the truck & let it run for 10 minutes. Yesterday I added about 5 gallons of fresh non-ethanol gas, primed the carb then started the engine. Let it warm up nicely. It still won't idle (even with engine at temp) without the aid of the throttle stop. I decided to get it out on the streets for a drive. First time in a couple of years. Well, the drivetrain is a tad noisier due to sitting. Shifted fine, accelerated decently. I got it all the way up to 30 mph & into 4th gear. It drives just fine when in motion. But then there's those stop signs. Ya know, the ones where you must come to a complete stop! I wasn't good enough with my pedal juggling act to keep it from dying. I hit the key, pumped the pedal a few times & tried to relight the fire. Didn't appear to be promising. I couldn't tell if lack of gas or if I had flooded it. Luckily (grace of God) there was a bystander within 15 foot of the stop sign fixing to mow a yard. I asked him if he had some gas. He fetched a jug out of his mowing trailer & I tossed some down the carb throat. I crawled back in, held the accelerator pedal down about 3/4 the way & it cranked up. I thanked him & nursed it back home. A couple walking their dog witnessed all this & remarked how lucky for me to have it die right there beside the yardman with the jug of gas.

So, I have lost all trust in this vehicle. I won't be attempting to drive it again until carb & ECM are replaced. Which may be a few more years. Other household things eat most of my income up before I can even think about pending much on this truck.

Bucky

[712edf]

So, I installed a new battery a couple weeks back. Every weekend I prime the carb then start the truck & let it run for 10 minutes. Yesterday I added about 5 gallons of fresh non-ethanol gas, primed the carb then started the engine. Let it warm up nicely. It still won't idle (even with engine at temp) without the aid of the throttle stop. I decided to get it out on the streets for a drive. First time in a couple of years. Well, the drivetrain is a tad noisier due to sitting. Shifted fine, accelerated decently. I got it all the way up to 30 mph & into 4th gear. It drives just fine when in motion. But then there's those stop signs. Ya know, the ones where you must come to a complete stop! I wasn't good enough with my pedal juggling act to keep it from dying. I hit the key, pumped the pedal a few times & tried to relight the fire. Didn't appear to be promising. I couldn't tell if lack of gas or if I had flooded it. Luckily (grace of God) there was a bystander within 15 foot of the stop sign fixing to mow a yard. I asked him if he had some gas. He fetched a jug out of his mowing trailer & I tossed some down the carb throat. I crawled back in, held the accelerator pedal down about 3/4 the way & it cranked up. I thanked him & nursed it back home. A couple walking their dog witnessed all this & remarked how lucky for me to have it die right there beside the yardman with the jug of gas.

So, I have lost all trust in this vehicle. I won't be attempting to drive it again until carb & ECM are replaced. Which may be a few more years. Other household things eat most of my income up before I can even think about pending much on this truck.

Bucky

[712edf]

I did finally break down & buy a new battery today. Just a tad over $200. Inflation is killing this country.

We are expecting a few inches of snow Thursday. I probably will drive the wife's Caravan to work if needed. I don't trust the W600 like I once did as far as staying running. Plus, the turn signals & heater/blower need wiring up. Thermostat needs put back in too if I plan to use it any in winter. Not getting out of the 30's this week.

Bucky

[712edf]

Here we are in 2025. Not much has changed. I started the W600 today. It runs smooth if I keep the throttle set at about 1000 rpm. Below that she just doesn't want to idle. I can stab the gas pedal enough to keep it going for a yard drive, but not going to venture out on the streets with this finnicky cat not fixed. I add some non-ethanol gasoline from a 5-gallon jug from time to time. It lifts my spirit each time I start the old truck. But the budget doesn't allow for much improvement beyond that.

Bucky

[712edf]

I have been starting the engine every other weekend. Charge battery, toss in a little gas, crank it & let her run a bit.

It won't idle without using the throttle set to about 2000 rpm (cold) then finally about 1200 (warm). Sometimes it's smooth, usually it's not. Today was one of those days.

Since I use fresh non-ethanol fuel I know it's not a problem with the gas itself, just the carb. Timing/ignition has not changed nor been touched since I bought the truck 13 years ago. Plugs aren't that old but I will replace them in the near future.

I have been looking at replacement carburetors online. It doesn't look promising. All appear to be poorly built Chinese knock-offs with horrible reviews.

Money is tight these days, but so is time. T-ball season started up for one of the grandsons. Also, I have mowed the yard 7 times this year. Busy, busy, busy. Never have any energy left for the truck.

Bucky

[712edf]

This past weekend I got the thermostat removed, got the cooling system filled back up & the engine started. I let it run for about 15 minutes which is about the longest I have let it run in a couple of years. I plan to address getting the intermediate & rear driveshafts in phase with each other, plus top off all the lubricant in the transmission, t-case, & both differentials.

Bucky

[KRB64]

Thanks Bucky. He's moved to a rehab center now so hopefully he'll regain his mobility and even eventually return home.

[712edf]

Thanks for the link. I wasn't aware of a blue ECM, only black, gold or orange. No idea where anything is made anymore.

Yes, it was 25 this morning, will hit 80 by Wednesday.

I hope your father recovers from his hospital stay.

Bucky

[KRB64]

I hear you on the weather, snow and barely above freezing this weekend. Sunny and 60s by mid week...

The wind - one reason I could never live out west, I can't stand the wind.

After much searching, I found that Jegs has a Made in USA ECM. I had to buy the high rpm model but so far, so good. I need to order another now, just in case.
555-40805: Blue Ignition Control Unit - JEGS | 7,500 RPM Module | Mopar Ignition Module - JEGS

Dad was in the hospital all last week and while staying there I finally turned the TV on and found the weather channel. Saw an ad for a show called something like... Extreme Truckers maybe? It showed a '70s W400 or so Dodge with a pickup bed on it, stepside I think. We don't have a TV at home so I have no idea what the show is about but would like to see that Dodge in action. I think a lady was driving it. The TV is so fast these days you hardly get to look at anything plus there's all this stuff in boxes and scrolling going on... geez...

[712edf]

A couple of weeks ago I charged the battery, primed the carb, pecked on it to jar anything loose then started it up. It ran fairly smooth. I let it run for a good bit. Carb & stock ignition seem to be doing their job. I even got the alternator wired up & charging correctly. Only thing left would be the turn signals.

Still haven't installed the magneto. I have to measure & cut the plug wires for it.

I did remove the inline coolant heater & replaced with just a solid heater hose. I will remove thermostat next along with some vacuum switches in the intake manifold & replace with plugs.

It seems all our good weather falls on workdays & we have cruddy weather on weekends. 50's/60's/70's during week, 20's/30's on weekend. Plus never ending wind.


KBR64 where did you find an American made ECM?

Bucky

[KRB64]

I accidently fixed my hard to start problem and "cold natured" issue that for years I'd been blaming on the old worn Carter carb. The other day, with temps in the single digits I went out to find a "no start". It would crank but not fire. Checked for spark and found none. So I did the electrical trouble shoot and determined it was the ECM. I had one on a parts truck, swapped it out and it fired up. Ordered a new USA made one and now it fires almost instantly. The hesitation etc until warmed up is gone too.

Hopefully your new electrical parts will make magic too.