Plymouthy Adams Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 there is no need for the vacuum advance in the normal running of the engine. I will power up through the RPM band strictly based on the mechanical advance inside the distributor given that is working well and the point plate is not sticking/dragging along the way. the vacuum is only necessary at cruise to lean out the engine for economy. Now the vacuum leak from a busted diaphragm may be a concern.but with 20.5 at idle I think that maybe ruled out...how much it falls off at say 2000 rpm may be an indicator of a ported loss.. what hole is the accelerator pump linkage in? is it actually starting to shoot immediately on feathering the throttle or is there a slight mechanical delay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Hank; I don't think that this has anything to do with the vacuum advance. This is very momentary. Once past it acceleration is strong. Tim; The linkage for the pump is in the center position. At one point I tried the summer position and it seemed to make it worse. I could try it again? Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiftyFifty Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I know I've missed a few pages on this thread, but does pulling the choke out slightly do anything to ease the hesitation? I know I have to now, where I didn't before when the engine is cold. If it did help, then of course it's fuel related problem...but again...I'm a few pages behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 No not really. I have tried the choke thing and maybe it makes it less likely to stall due to a richer mixture but this little hesitation is still present. I think it will be a pretty nice truck to drive once I get this taken care of. On a side note I did have something very disturbing happen on this truck last week. Pulled into the garage one evening last week and my wife said she could smell gas. After a bit of examination I discovered that the Holley fuel pressure regulator I had installed had started leaking at the adjuster mechanism. This is absurd. This is a part designed specifically to do what it was doing and it should not leak after such a short time in service. I removed it and will call the supplier this week. Absolutely ridiculous that this should leak. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Hi Jeff, on my engine, have it timed well, dwell is correct, vacuum is 19, adjusted carb, runs well, accelerates well enough (albeit slow), but no matter what, will not idle smoothly at lower idle speeds, it just will not. I tribute this to old engine, with enough wear on all, and quite sure valves do not seat well in a couple of cylinders..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Hi Jeff, on my engine, have it timed well, dwell is correct, vacuum is 19, adjusted carb, runs well, accelerates well enough (albeit slow), but no matter what, will not idle smoothly at lower idle speeds, it just will not. I tribute this to old engine, with enough wear on all, and quite sure valves do not seat well in a couple of cylinders..... You know it is funny but this engine idles quite nicely. And it accelerates about as good as I have any right to expect. It is just the brief transition between idle and acceleration that makes it annoying. I have my old carb on right now with no pressure regulator and it seems a bit better than the "like new carb" I have been running up til now. Once it is good and warm the hesitation just about disapears. It also seems to have a bit more oomph off the line and midrange. I might just be imagining this..... but it does seem a little peppier. I think this engine is in pretty good order. It does not burn oil or smoke and last I checked compression was pretty even and the plugs stay clean. I will do another compression check soon to see how it is fairing as I use it daily. Overall though it seems pretty sound. I will begin road testing an interesting little gadget this week. It is a stand alone GPS speedometer with a heads up display. It is a compact little unit that plugs into my 12 volt lighter and displays in bright green on the inside surface of the windshield. The display is bright enough that it is clearly visible in daylight. We will see how accurate this little guy is but it got good reviews. Jeff Edited October 20, 2015 by Jeff Balazs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiftyFifty Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 How come you run a pressure regulator? I know you run electric, but did you not use but a 4-5lb pressure pump? It might be causing you some issues if your too low, or its restricting some how, I know my truck ran way better with the original carb, I have three so I just got another one I had rebuilt...now I have the choke issue for warm up and that same hesitation when cool. I think it might also rob a little power from what I remember as well....but with the stuck rings, I'm still not sure where things actually compare anymore. Last trip out it ran very strong and was really happy...it's gone to bed for the winter now...had to ship my gauges back to Speedway...tach never worked from day 1 and the Speedometer would never set, so I parked the truck and Marvel Mysterlube down the cyls for the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 I have a full time vane type pump on this truck. It seemed to me that it would be a good idea to have a regulator. I had it set at 3.5# so as to not put too much pressure on the float needle valve. All that was working fine.........but then the regulator developed a leak. So it is off now and everything still works as it should. There have not been any fuel supply issues with this set up......and honestly I trust the electrical pump more than I would one of the old mechanical pumps. If it ever fails I have a spare and where the pump is located it is easier...... and cooler to get to than the mechanical pump. I am pretty certain that none of this has anything to do with the little hesitation thing I have been experiencing. So far I really like the little GPS heads up display speedometer. It's nice to know exactly how fast you are traveling. 50 mph is moving along in one of these old trucks. I have a bit of play in the steering box so that will need to be addressed before I really crank this thing up. I will say this. If I lived out in the country and did not have to deal with crazy traffic literally all the time this truck would be just fine as it is. It does all the things it was designed to do quite well. I have hauled a couple of 400# to 500# loads and quite frankly I forgot I had a load other than it rode a little better. It is fairly quiet and comfortable and it doesn't squeek much like a lot of old cars and trucks I see. But it is probably going to take a while to get it to the point that I am really comfortable with it in this local. One thing I don't care much for is the location and shape of the brake pedal. I may consider a redesign which addresses this and allows for a power brake booster. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebanshee Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 (edited) My truck has the same off idle hesitation that all but goes away once warmed up. I'm running dual carbs and an HEI ignition. Other than that slight stumble around 900 rpm sometimes it runs quite well in the 1,000 miles I put on it. If 50 is moving along then 80 must be really moving! Edited October 22, 2015 by bluebanshee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 It is interesting. The hesitation has all but gone away the last few of days of running the old carb. And by interesting I mean that it did not go away immeadiately.......but rather gradually. Not sure what that is all about? But it is running stronger. Not much problem keeping up with reasonable traffic now. Gotta like that. There for the first few weeks I was feeling very out of place in traffic. I imagine sort of like the old cowboy who rode into town after a long absence ...... only to find the streets full of new fangled automobiles. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 (edited) It is interesting. The hesitation has all but gone away the last few of days of running the old carb. And by interesting I mean that it did not go away immeadiately.......but rather gradually. Not sure what that is all about? But it is running stronger. Not much problem keeping up with reasonable traffic now. Gotta like that. There for the first few weeks I was feeling very out of place in traffic. I imagine sort of like the old cowboy who rode into town after a long absence ...... only to find the streets full of new fangled automobiles. Jeff Has the weather cooled down? The old carb burn richer? Reasonable traffic, what like on I 15 and the rest of the LA area freeways. I first saw those freeways in March 1973, as boy I was pretty wide eyed.......... Edited October 22, 2015 by Fargos-Go-Far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 My truck has the same off idle hesitation that all but goes away once warmed up. I'm running dual carbs and an HEI ignition. Other than that slight stumble around 900 rpm sometimes it runs quite well in the 1,000 miles I put on it. If 50 is moving along then 80 must be really moving! Yup agree, at 50 mph, even on my gravel road does so no problem, speeds over 65 are getting up there, 70-80 mph, not for the faint hearted...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Has the weather cooled down? The old carb burn richer? Reasonable traffic, what like on I 15 and the rest of the LA area freeways. I first saw those freeways in March 1973, as boy I was pretty wide eyed.......... Yes Fred it has cooled down a bit and the old carb might run a bit richer. Not sure why it didn't make an immeadiate difference though? I don't need to get on a freeway in my commute. It is stop and go stuff on surface streets. Mostly 40 to 50 mph with a lot of stops in the evening. I have not had it on the freeway yet. I am sure it will wind up to the speeds OK but I don't think my steering box is properly centered. Need to do a bit more testing though. There is a spot not too far away that should be a good speed test place early Saturday or Sunday morning. Just need to do it......and now that I know exactly how fast I am going this weekend makes sense. The freeways are nothing like they were back in '73. That was easy stuff for the most part back then. No cell phones.....and not all that many really fast cars. You had to fall asleep to have a bad accident. These days it can be a whole lot scarier and happen in the blink of an eye. Not too many drivers allow enough space for even the slightest hiccup. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Roberts Posted October 23, 2015 Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 A bad /old tank of gasoline working it's way through the system ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Jerry; I don't think so. I had the tank relined and have only put a good grade of gas in it. I have run a few tanks full through it the last month or so though? Not really sure. I didn't rebuild this engine. When I took the head off the bores were almost like new. I found a rebuild tag which jived with what was in it so I decided to run it as it was. As I began to run it I discovered some end play in the crank which is not uncommon for fluid drives so I fitted a new set of main bearings to address that. That was successful so I broke it in carefully. I guess it is finally coming into it's own now. It sure is peppier now than it was a month ago, I was concerned that it was going to be too under powered for my use. It is no hot rod but it sure doesn't feel wimpy any more either. Maybe the frequent oil changes I have been doing has finally flushed the last of the old varnish and crud out of the system? I do know it has been coming out cleaner after longer and longer intervals. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Had my first failure to start this morning. Not sure if it was the battery or the starter itself. Made a sound but would not turn over. Will investigate tonight. Strange as it ran fine yesterday and started on first try. Maybe I have a loose connection somewhere?...I did go over a few speed bumps rather quickly yesterday afternoon. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Ugh!!!!!! with many unwritten expletives. Turned out to be the starter. Now I know why I have come across so many low mileage Dodge derelicts. What a miserable design to actually have to work on when the truck is all together. Well it is out now ....... and so is the oil filter. Could not get the starter out past the oil fittings. Absolutely ridiculous way to put this together. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkrider Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Ugh!!!!!! with many unwritten expletives. Turned out to be the starter. Now I know why I have come across so many low mileage Dodge derelicts. What a miserable design to actually have to work on when the truck is all together. Well it is out now ....... and so is the oil filter. Could not get the starter out past the oil fittings. Absolutely ridiculous way to put this together. Jeff The starter is def not a fun set up...my buddy got mine out with the use of an extension and universal joints. Now would almost be the time to consider converting to a remote mount filter set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) The starter is def not a fun set up...my buddy got mine out with the use of an extension and universal joints. Now would almost be the time to consider converting to a remote mount filter set up. Yes......need to do something. From a maintenance / repair standpoint the current arrangement is unacceptable. Mine was made worse due to the Grand Cherokee M/C I added for the 4 wheel disc brakes.......but either way the oil filter and associated fittings were in the way. I may run without the filter for a while until I get a different brake pedal arrangement figured out. I don't care at all for the location of the brake pedal or the m/c as it is now. Must be a way to relocate all this and gain a power brake booster. With the filter and piping out of the way access to the starter is much better. I had cleaned up and reused the filter canister as I found it because I liked the look. This episode has cured me of that. I feel certain I can get used to more functional arrangement. As a side note I believe I have stumbled across the optimum spark plug for my engine. The Autolites and AC's I have tried worked ok but I always felt that they ran just a bit sooty. I had tested a set of NGK's.a while back but they ran too hot. I kept thinking they must have a better plug for this application and then I found a reference to the use of NGK BR6S plugs for these engines. I pulled them last night to take a peek while working on my starter. Man do they look great. A beautiful even light brown tan like you would expect to see in a fresh new car. Gotta love that! NGK does it again. Starter motors are in shop for rebuild. This time I sent my spare in too.......like I had planned to do all along. best laid plans.. Super white halogen headlight kit from Octane Lighting just showed up. First class. This should do the trick! Jeff Edited October 27, 2015 by Jeff Balazs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finmad Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 A good tip on the Starter bolts (wish I thought of it, but who ever had it before me did this). Cut a slit in the top of the head of the inside bolt, the one that is impossible to reach. You can then use a long flat head screwdriver to get it threaded all the way in to finger tight then a crows foot on the end of the ratchet to just tighten it up the last half turn. Works great. I have had my starter on and off three times, and each time it gets easier. Not a fin job at all, but this made it much easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 A good tip on the Starter bolts (wish I thought of it, but who ever had it before me did this). Cut a slit in the top of the head of the inside bolt, the one that is impossible to reach. You can then use a long flat head screwdriver to get it threaded all the way in to finger tight then a crows foot on the end of the ratchet to just tighten it up the last half turn. Works great. I have had my starter on and off three times, and each time it gets easier. Not a fin job at all, but this made it much easier. maybe a button head cap screw, or socket head cap screw so you could use a ball end driver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 maybe a button head cap screw, or socket head cap screw so you could use a ball end driver? aside from the lower torque that can be applied to these, if'n the wrench strips out, then ya be really screwed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 They are not that bad to get to with the oil filter out of the way. I struggled and got those bolts out with the filter in place only to have the oil fittings on the block stop me from getting the starter out. I am thinking about relocating the filter canister and using braided lines to connect it. I don't care if it doesn't look original. Access and function are far more important to me. I probably won't win any popularity contests with this next comment....... but I have never thought that this area of our trucks was laid out all that cleverly. There is just too many critical components crammed into a relatively tight spot. Getting the oil filter out of the way is only part of the solution for me. The other part will involve moving the M/C location and ditching the brake pedal and associated linkage. It is funny but the clutch pedal arrangement is really nice......but as nice as it is the brake pedal just feels clunky. It is without a doubt the one item on this truck I despise. Makes an otherwise nice truck feel like a piece of funky old farm equipment. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 (edited) I changed my starter to a later model car starter with a remote solenoid and ignition st Best modification yet. If someone wants originality, no harm is done, easy to take in and out. So what is bad about funky old machinery? I love the sounds, smell, view, especially the sound of the engine especially crusing at 65 +\_ mph on the freeways. I love the funky look on other drivers faces when I put the hammer down and pass them or pull into a parking lot up in the high mountains. Fun! Edited October 28, 2015 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted October 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Paul; I just don't like the way the brake pedal feels or it's location and shape. For whatever reason it just doesn't feel comfortable or quite right to my foot and leg. And It gets used a lot driving here. As it is now it detracts from the driving experience. I don't think it needs to stay that way. I am pretty certain that another arrangement can be fabbed which will take care of this and get the M/C up and out of the silly (IMO) location that it is in. I am sure I am in the minority here but I am not satisfied with leaving it the way it is. I don't think you could find a worse location for the M/C than the one the factory chose. My goal for this truck has always been to make it into something reliable, relatively comfortable and easy to maintain. Unlike a lot of folks on this site I don't have any interest in owning a collection of cars or trucks. This one is it and it is the last wheeled vehicle I will buy. All I want is to get this truck just right....for me. And I will keep at it until I do. Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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