Missing the obvious?

[PareosWC]

I'm sometimes the one offering troubleshooting advice, now I find that I'm the one in need of assistance.  My issue surrounds the fact that I leave my 43 Dodge 230 in an insulated shop for up to 3 months at a time, but keep it on a battery tender when gone. The truck ran great without a hiccup when last parked.

 

With a full battery, AL 306 plugs, and no choke, the truck will fire up, but barely idles, idles rough, stalls, backfires through carb, and black smoke from the exhaust. Since this (sometimes) indicates a stuck float, I removed the carb top, needle seat, float- all looked good with no garbage in the orifices? The only issue that I can visually see is that the carb does now weep/drip fuel at the inlet. 

 

None of this occurred 3 months ago, so is it possible that the fuel is bad? It smells fresh and without varnish, and no floaties. I did put one small bottle of fuel stabilizer before I departed. Starts every time, but immediately coughs, stumbles, misfires, and rods are a' knockin'..

 

I will hook up an external fuel tank to bypass the pump, lines, and tank, but this is crazy...

 

 

 

 

 

[belvedere]

19 minutes ago, PareosWC said:

 

I will hook up an external fuel tank to bypass the pump, lines, and tank

 

 

I feel like this is the most logical first step.

[capt den]

points can get corrosion on them when sitting unused like that. i used to get a small piece of a matchbook cover and oil soak it, and then stick it between the points. my old buick would sit for about 11 months when i was deployed.never had an issue with the points when i did that. clean yours up or replace them and see if that helps.     capt den 

[DJ194950]

Remove dist. cap and clean well. Check point cleanliness as mentioned.

 

Spray top of cap and wires with silicone spray to stop tracking .

 

DJ

[OUTFXD]

Are you using cornsyrup gasoline? (Ethynol)  It is possible that it reverted to type during the long sit and plugged up your Carburetor.

[PareosWC]

19 minutes ago, OUTFXD said:

Are you using cornsyrup gasoline?

Outfxd, I would 'think' that if the fuel was suspect, would it start up every time? I was thinking condenser, but points make sense as well...

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, OUTFXD said:

Are you using cornsyrup gasoline? (Ethynol)  It is possible that it reverted to type during the long sit and plugged up your Carburetor.

I've had 4 wheelers sit too long (winter) with ethanol gas. Would start but not idle. It tends to clog very tiny holes in idle circuit.

[soth122003]

I would have said fuel as well, but you said you put stabil in it. So I would go with the points. That I what happens on mine if I don't start it up once a week and let it run. The humidity here in Florida is killer on them. I'm having the same issue except mine won't start. No spark. So I'm pulling the dizzy and servicing it.

 

Joe Lee

[Doug&Deb]

Check the wires in the distributor also. I just had a problem with insulation wearing off and causing a short when the vacuum advance moved the breaker plate. Bypass the fuel tank first. That’s an easy test. Servicing the distributor wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

[soth122003]

Pulled my dizzy and filed the points, gapped to .020, added oil to the port and shaft then found a wire that had worked loose from the terminal. Vacuum advance going from idle to speed worked it loose over the years since i had replace it. The wire was stiffer than normal so it was expected when i found it. Crimped a new terminal end and installed the dizzy. Fired on the second rotation. Idle was good so was the timing. Now I'm good to go. Sort of... Need a new clutch and plate Then I can drive it with a more secure feeling.

 

Joe Lee

[PareosWC]

Bypassed the fuel tank, and with fresh gas, I'm still having a heck of a time. It will idle (horribly) for a few minutes on its own, but then it dies. Two observations- no changes have been made since it was running last, and the mixture screw has hardly any affect on the idle. It starts quickly everytime, but then just idles erratically.

 

I can troubleshoot a vehicle that I know nothing about, but between fuel and ignition, what just 'gives up the ghost' on a garage-kept vehicle that ran well only a few months ago?? Next item is to replace the carb with a known-working one, and to replace the cap- I noticed a nail head size chip on the underside where the coil wire enters?

[PareosWC]

Sticking valve! That's a first for me..

 

On a flathead, how does one go about lubing the sticking/stuck valve without head removal? The truck will idle, so is it as easy as just removing the valve covers and spraying some engine oil on the moving parts?

Edited January 20, 2022 by PareosWC

[Jerry Roberts]

When you remove the spark plugs the valves are underneath the opening . The valve covers will give some access too .  Instead of spraying engine oil I would spray penetrating oil or Marvel Mystery Oil . Some guys have used a screwdriver to put some tension on the valve springs to pop the valve back down , but be careful that you don't do damage .  I put a little MMO in my gas with each fill up . 

[Sniper]

I used a precision oiler and brake fluid to free up the stuck valves on my 230 core motor.  It worked after nothing else would.  Some on the top and the bottom of the valve stem, working the valve up and down using he cam and a plastic faced hammer was what I did, but I had the head off.  If you can gently tap the valve close from the spark plug hole you may be good to go.

[Merle Coggins]

If it’ll start and stay running try letting it run and warm up a bit, and see what happens. I’ve had valves stick on my truck from time to time, after extended periods of non-use. It would start hard and then idle very rough. After a couple of minutes of rough running it would smooth out as things warmed up and the valves freed themselves. It seemed to happen most often if there was a rainy few days directly after taking a long drive with the truck. It must have been the extra moisture in the air after the engine had a good heat cycle to clean it out. I haven’t experienced it in several years now. 

[Bryan]

14 hours ago, Jerry Roberts said:

When you remove the spark plugs the valves are underneath the opening . The valve covers will give some access too .  Instead of spraying engine oil I would spray penetrating oil or Marvel Mystery Oil . 

He's right. I just got thru removing my valves.   You could get oil or brake fluid to the top of the guides thru the spark plug hole.   The spark plug is right above one of the valves. It's probably stuck open since the cam and tappet would push it open, but there's no way to push it down.   You could use the tappet adjuster to push the valve up more but there would be no way to push it back down except spring pressure.  The guides end about 3/4 up the spring if trying to spray oil from underneath.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Bryan

[keithb7]

Has the root of the problem been identified yet? 

I'd erase all preconceived ideas. Even if it ran 3 months ago. Start with a new set of eyes.

If your A/F adjustment screw has no effect, you may well have an air leak in the carb base.  If you had a spray/drip bottle with some gasoline in it, air filter off carb, after engine starts, if you manually tickle the fuel in the top the carb yourself, does the engine keep running?

 

I'm not there to see or know what has been done so far. If it showed up in my garage I'd begin by doing a compression test. It will quickly reveal any stuck valves. Set the dwell. While in the distributor inspect all wires in there. Clean the distributor cap & spark plugs. Monitor vacuum gauge while running.  Check ground wire from the coil to points. Also from key switch to coil. Pull the arb and separate the base sections. Inspect gaskets. Clean carb. Re-install new gaskets and assemble all. Using the said vacuum gauge, then I'l check fuel pump pressure.

 

I like showing this invisible problem below. The A/F mixture screw indeed had no effect on my car. Car would stumble off idle and surge a little when driving right off fully closed throttle. Then I found this.

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by keithb7