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Ready to get rid of the electronic ignition


47heaven

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Still having issues with the car stalling, which has boiled down to ignition system. The ignition switch is fine, so we figured that it was something to do with the Stovebolt electronic ignition. I've taken it to two mechanics already, and even a friend and I have tried to dick around with it and neither of us can find out why it's stalling. And as usual...it's never known when it's going to stall. I've replaced the chip with a new one already, and it seemed to stop it for a while, but now that occasional stalling keeps coming back. I'm ready to rip out the electronic ignition system and put the points back in. It seems to stall most at an idle or when I slow down to stop. Anyone have this problem?

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Well, if you change back to the points and don't change or adjust anything else and it cures the problem, at least you will confirm the electronic unit as being the culprit. Then you will be able to decide to keep the points or go to some other brand.

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Their is all kinds of things that can be causing it. Are you sure it is ignition? Could be a bad coil, bad connection in one of the wires, low voltage, idle to low, idle circuit in carb has crap in it, the list goes on and on.

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Had similar problems with my '48, spent years fiddling with it and nearly got smoothed over by a F-250 with a contractor yapping on his cell and not seeing me stalled at the light. Pulling the throttle out helped, so a temporary fix was to adjust idle to 1200 RPM. Eventually found another Carter B&B on eBay, cleaned it up, installed a new kit, and set idle to 450 RPM. That truck hasn't stalled since, so my guess is that there was something fouled up with my 1st carb, like one of the check balls getting jammed or sumthin'ruther. BTW engine is bone stock, no PCV or 180 T-stat (yet).

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You first reported this problem on June 8th, 2009. Then you reported the problem again on August 2nd, 2010. Apparently it has never been resolved? Did you ever contact Tom Langdon to get his "take" on this problem? What was the reason you switched to the HEI to begin with? Was your engine stalling?

How many miles have you driven your car sence the new engine was installed?

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I had trouble with my 318 stalling out (when turning left) and then would run OK. Prior to this issue I had installed a Pertronix system and coil. Long story short I had a bad coil. I changed the coil out and the car ran fine.

Pertronix replaced the faulty coil and stood behind their product.

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You first reported this problem on June 8th, 2009. Then you reported the problem again on August 2nd, 2010. Apparently it has never been resolved? Did you ever contact Tom Langdon to get his "take" on this problem? What was the reason you switched to the HEI to begin with? Was your engine stalling?

How many miles have you driven your car sence the new engine was installed?

Wow, Don...thank goodness you keep track of my postings because God knows I couldn't have. Yes, I still have this problem, as you can see. No, I didn't contact Tom until I was sure that his HEI was causing the problem. It's one of these problems that goes away, making you think that it's fixed, only to come back again.

I changed to the HEI because I was recommended to on this site. No, the engine wasn't stalling from what I can remember, but I was convinced by some on here that it was a better conversion to switch over to.

I would say, roughly, that I have put on 25K since the engine was installed

Edited by 47heaven
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Okay, guys...I see a few more things you have mentioned about checking that I haven't, yet, and that helps a lot...thanks! We did adjust the float on the carb a few months back, and that seemed to clear up the problem for a while. What I don't understand is why it would stall only when I was slowing down to a stop. Yesterday, upon acceleration, it cut out briefly, but then kept on going after.

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So what about putting it back to stock and seeing what happens to the symtoms. 99% of the time electronic stuff works or fails completely.

Since you swapped to one of former GM engineer's mongrelized units, you prpbably have the old pieces laying about. Put new parts in and put the old dist back in.

And remember 90% of carburetor problems are electrical, and 90% of all electrical problems are carburetor related (or entire air fuel delivery system)

(Also keep in mind the 65% of all statistics are made up on the spot)

But there are always exceptions.......

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Do you have a semi-auto trans? The reason I ask is because mine has stalled a couple times when slowing down slowly. It's like the trans does not downshift quick enough and it kills it. When I slow down quicker it does fine. I have not figured it out yet. I am wondering if it could be a transmission problem?

Carl

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There should be a dashpot on the carb that keeps the idle up and then slowly backs it down when the throttle is released. There should be an adjustment to deal with that type of situation. Take a look at the repair section that deals with the m6 over on the Imperial club site, Lotsa Chrysler info there.

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Do you have a semi-auto trans? The reason I ask is because mine has stalled a couple times when slowing down slowly. It's like the trans does not downshift quick enough and it kills it. When I slow down quicker it does fine. I have not figured it out yet. I am wondering if it could be a transmission problem?

Carl

Carl, I have a 3 speed manual trans w/overdrive.

Greg, I don't have the old distributor anymore. I sold it when I got the HEI. BTW...was that last post of yours to me or Carl?

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Carl, I have a 3 speed manual trans w/overdrive.

Greg, I don't have the old distributor anymore. I sold it when I got the HEI. BTW...was that last post of yours to me or Carl?

Live and Learn, gotta keep spare items like a dizzy, you never know. Hope you get this sorted out Darren, interested in what the problem may be.....

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sounds like carb is dirty or needs re-adjusting

Trouble occurs from higher to lower rpms - maybe the idle adjustment has loosened over time and backed out. Or something else loosened making its idle too low.

Also could be a dirty carb bowl...might have some thing clogging the flow at lower rpms causing it to get too little gas momentarily at lower rpms after the being fed so much gas at higher rpms.

BUT...also might be timing or advance not working correctly.

???

DOES IT JUST CUT OUT INSTANTLY or SHUDDER AND THEN FAIL?

Edited by Powerhouse
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And the only way to eleminate faults is to follow and established trouble shooting procedure, checking off things that are know to be correct till the only thing left is the item causing the problem.

Quite a few on the internets, good ones in the repair manuals (like Motors or Chilton) on the shelves at most public librarys.

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sounds like carb is dirty or needs re-adjusting

Trouble occurs from higher to lower rpms - maybe the idle adjustment has loosened over time and backed out. Or something else loosened making its idle too low.

Also could be a dirty carb bowl...might have some thing clogging the flow at lower rpms causing it to get too little gas momentarily at lower rpms after the being fed so much gas at higher rpms.

BUT...also might be timing or advance not working correctly.

???

DOES IT JUST CUT OUT INSTANTLY or SHUDDER AND THEN FAIL?

No, it cuts out instantly, without warning. I have noticed that since I changed the air filter to oil bath that the carb has been looking a little dirtier. Are those oil bath air cleaners really as good as the filtered ones? I notice that a lot of silt and dirt get caught in the oil reserve when I check to change it.

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And the only way to eleminate faults is to follow and established trouble shooting procedure, checking off things that are know to be correct till the only thing left is the item causing the problem.

Quite a few on the internets, good ones in the repair manuals (like Motors or Chilton) on the shelves at most public librarys.

Greg, I do have a 1953 Motor's book covering back to 1946. You said that has a troubleshooting check off list in it?

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I dont keep track of your postings. But when I see the same questions being the topic on multiple threads I use the search function and find these threads to see what has been suggested.

Don, life here in California is pretty fast paced. We don't always have the time to sit and research everything that has been posted on here, as apparently you do, which is fine. I wish I had that kind of time do that, though. So I envy you, but if the same questions I ask on the multiple threads bother you, as it appears they do, then as I have mentioned before, ignore me. No one else here seems to be having the same problem with my questions except you. Most of the time I don't remember half of the questions I ask, so again...don't stress yourself out over it. I don't.

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I guess that fast paced California life must be pretty hectic. Same problem for three years. Same suggestion to find a fix for 3 years. Suggestion ignored for three years. Problem still there after three years. I dont remember life being that fast paced when I lived in Central California for 7 years. Is that a southern California thing? Here in Tennessee life is not so fast paced. Here, if we have a problem, we follow the suggestions, find the soloution, and usually fix the problem in a couple of hours. By doing that our stress level is real low. Have you called the Engineer Tom Langdon yet? Good luck.

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