1947 Dodge D-24 Starts Instantly then Dies

[SaberMike]

So I have had little to no issues with my 47 Dodge Custom and put a few hundred miles a year on it. I religiously start and run it up to temp every weekend even if I don't take it out for a drive. However last month I went to start it and like more times than not it popped off almost instantly but immediately died. I use the owners manual instructions of one full pump then hold to 1/3 throttle with clutch in for starting. This almost always gives me an immediate start, actually better than any Ford I have owned to date. But now it will sometimes pop right off but immediately dies or it will chug chug chug and fire every now and then but not run for more than a second. 

Like a lot of people I just threw parts at it with no change. I am getting gas to carb and putting some down the through does nothing. So I thought maybe spark issue. So I replaced points and coil and after electrocuting myself several times I think I am getting spark to the plugs. My car is still configured positive ground 6v. 

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

 

[Doug&Deb]

Get an inline spark tester at your local parts store. Then you’ll know whether you have spark or not. How do the wires in the distributor look. I had a wire shorting on the inside of the housing and it took a while to find. It’s also possible that your fuel pump is going bad. Modern fuel with ethanol is rough on the diaphragm. It could also be some crud has gotten loose in the carb. Good luck and keep us posted.

[SaberMike]

Ok update, after making this post I went out and the car started as easy as normal and once up to temp 165F I went for a drive around the block. All seams good but i think I hear a consistent misfire and the idle RPM is definitely higher. Thoughts?

[SaberMike]

10 minutes ago, Doug&Deb said:

Get an inline spark tester at your local parts store. Then you’ll know whether you have spark or not. How do the wires in the distributor look. I had a wire shorting on the inside of the housing and it took a while to find. It’s also possible that your fuel pump is going bad. Modern fuel with ethanol is rough on the diaphragm. It could also be some crud has gotten loose in the carb. Good luck and keep us posted.

All great solutions and possible. I will test the spark at each with an inline one once I can find one of the many I have purchased over the years and lost. The pump and tank are new, I replaced two years back but the line is original so possible, I only have the sediment bowl for filtration. I will look at the wires closer, inside my distributor looks better than factory original but points and condensers fail often these days. I have a pertronix 6v electronic ignition unit but figured I wouldn't bother trying it till I needed to replace points again. Maybe its time to try that out. I have always enjoyed the "originality" of this car but I am getting a bit older and want to be able to just jump in and go (within reason). 

[Sam Buchanan]

Two thoughts which you may have already checked.

 

Make sure the choke is completely open and the high idle cam is disengaged once the engine is "off-choke".

 

An intake leak could lead to higher idle and misfiring.

 

Good luck!

Edited January 18, 2022 by Sam Buchanan

[Plymouthy Adams]

check also that power is still applied in the run position to the ignition circuit...sounds as if a possibility the power is dropping out when removed from start back to run.   Just a though given you still stock and 6 volt....no ballast issue in this set up.

[Los_Control]

Just my first thoughts, if your idle is increasing ... sounds like a fuel issue more then spark.

 

You said you drive it a few hundred miles a year .... With todays modern fuel this bothers me.  How old is the fuel in the tank?

I get it, just put fresh gas in it 2 months ago. Fine. How old was the 1/4 or 1/2 tank you had in it already?

Did you just add fresh gas to old gas?

 

My Uncle was bad about having too many vehicles and just drive them a few hundred miles a year.

A few years ago when they started adding the ethanol to the fuel, fuel really does not last long ... I figure 1 year old is pushing it. When you add 6 gallons fresh on top of 5 gallons old fuel ... do that 2 or 3 years in a row ....

 

When I took apart & rebuilt a carb for my Uncle under those conditions, the carb was just gray goo inside.

 

If this may sound like possibly your issue ... I would maybe add some additive like seafoam to the existing gas and drive it out, then a fresh tank of new fuel and drive it out ... then start trouble shooting with clean fresh fuel system.

 

Your problem really may be as easy as just taking it out and driving the wheels off of it ... get some fresh fuel in it.

[Merle Coggins]

Sounds to me that it may be a choke issue. If the choke is not closing properly it will run too lean for a cold startup. After a couple pumps of the throttle you are adding extra fuel to get it started, but then it runs too lean to continue to run. You may want to verify that your choke is working properly. It could also be closing too tightly and not opening enough after starting, which would make an over rich condition and would also choke out the engine after starting. 

[SaberMike]

Wow thanks for all the fast and great suggestions, it did feel like a choke issue, I will look at it in the morning. The coke was replaced by a cable adjusted one in the cab by the previous owner. I almost never need to use it but it maybe an issue. As for the fuel, I guess its the worry in me, I keep all of my vehicles topped up full and I have to many vehicles so fuel in any one of them could easily have fuel that is months old. I have a rebuild kit sitting around so I think I will pull the carb just because, I think the float was sticking every now and then so it could use a rebuild anyway. Does anyone have a suggestion for fuel additive I could use? I add a Lucas lead additive to this car but nothing to deal with moisture or ethanol. Unfortunately in my area we can only get fuel with ethanol. Thank you all for your suggestions, wish this was a forum for all my non-Dodge projects  corvette people aren't half as helpful. hahaha

[OUTFXD]

For the crowd thats into 70s mopars I will toss in "Did you check the ballast resister?"

 

[busycoupe]

You don't need lead additive in the gas, the valve seats on our cars come hardened from the factory. Like many of us old car owners I don't drive many miles per year. I do add Startron gas additive when I fill the tank.  It is supposed to deal with the ethanol in the gas. So far it seems to work.  I use it in my mower, snow blower and motorcycle also. 

[Sam Buchanan]

I drive the P15 fairly regularly. I have access to non-contaminated gas but use the nasty stuff since the old girl seems to be happy with it. But I never top the tank because I want to add fresh fuel on a frequent interval. So only four of five gallons are added at a time, just enough to cover my next 2-3 excursions. That way a sufficient percentage of the fuel is fresh enough to rejuvenate what was already in the tank. The tank is never more than 2/3 full. 

 

If a car is left idle for months at a time it might be better to top the tank to reduce chances of condensation in our open fuel tanks. But non-contaminated fuel pretty much makes that a non-issue since it doesn't absorb water.

 

No lead additive is necessary. Lead causes the plugs in my planes to foul quicker, I sure don't want that stuff in my cars. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Sam Buchanan

[deadchewie]

If it dies as soon as you release the key, check the ballast resister.

[FarmerJon]

If it has E-10/e15 fuel in it that is several months or more old, I would drain a bulk of it and refill with fresh gas, as well as a quick carb rebuild. It is amazing how quickly fuel can go stale. Sometimes it smells rotting, sometimes not.

You can 'blend' the stale fuel with fresh gas and use it up in a late model or more tolerant classic so you are not wasting 10-18 gallons.

Any sort of fuel stabilizer would be better than none: Stabil, Startron, even Seafoam I think would help. As others have said, no need for a lead additive.

 

[Sniper]

1 hour ago, deadchewie said:

If it dies as soon as you release the key, check the ballast resister.

 

There is no ballast resistor in a 6v system. 

[oldodge41]

I use a mixture of Stabil and Seafoam in my classic, and other engines that don't run often. I use the recommended amount of Stabil and about half the recommendation of Seafoam. I had a Yamaha four cylinder that was extremely fussy about sitting over winter with fuel in the carbs. After the afore mentioned mix, I never had any more issues so I started using it in everything that sits seasonally. So far so good. I also keep tanks full when they sit for long periods.

Edited January 19, 2022 by oldodge41

[Sniper]

Living where I live, my car doesn't sit for long.  For things I have that do sit, like mowers and such, I just run the tank empty when I am done using it.  Since I never know when I'll use most of them again.