Have a 66 Electra with 401 Nailhead that initially stumbled from a stop light. Changed fuel filter, fixed a couple of vacuum leaks, cleaned carb and checked timing. Car idled great in town with any stumbling issues at the light. Put it out on the expressway and ran 65 to 70 for a good stretch, no hiccups at all and motor pulled hard. Exited the expressway and when ai go to the top and stopped the engine shut off. Started right back up and shut off again. Was able to get it off the road to a safe place and as soon as I took my foot off the gas it dies. New coil, electronic ignition, rebuilt distributor, cap/rotor, plugs and wires, fuel filter and pump. Ignition and starter replaced and rebuilt a while ago. I am stuck and before I start changing parts I want to know if anyone has experienced this. Pls help me narrow down the possibilities! Thanks
You said when you got off the highway and got to the top it shut off. Is it low on fuel and on the end of the exit ramp were you going up hill? Maybe there's no fuel at the pickup.
3/4 tank of gas and it leveled out at the top. However, it cuts off every time Intake my foot off the gas pedal flat ground, up hill or down hill.
Clogged Idle circuit in carb . Rev up engine and choke the carb with your hand while revving . release your hand and allow engine to recover while revving . Do it a few times and it will probably dislodge the dirt . Old trick
You came up with this action because he said it cut of on deceleration up/down hill? Just trying to learn when to perform this old trick. And what clogs up the idle circuit?
Corroded bulkhead connector from harness to fuse panel. ws With it having an irregular cutting out, then no symptoms, kinda sways me to being a dirty electrical connection. The bulkhead connector has all the engine compartment wires into a plug (female) that secures to the back of the fuse block (male pins) and they can get corroded and cause you to be irregular LOL. Usually a long screw or a few plastic clips that secure the halves together. Separate and clean it. The factory used a tar like sealant to keep them dry, but age gets in the way. Just a thought... ws This is from my '64 special...
From what the original poster is saying it seems it won't IDLE . Yes it starts right up but that's because he is pushing on the gas pedal to get it to restart . and when he releases the gas pedal it dies again . He also stated he just put a bunch of new Ignition parts in it and a fuel filter and fuel pump . And CLEANED the carb. HOW ???spraying 2+2 cleaner in and around the carb could have dislodged dirt and it got into the idle circuit . What did the fuel filter look like ?? His problem is it won't IDLE . It stalls as soon as he takes his foot off the gas .
Bill I would agree with you if it cut out anytime it wanted and at different speeds while driving . But what I gather from easyellis is it just won't idle and dies when removing your foot from the gas pedal . That makes me say Idle circuit in carb . Hopefully its something simple for him . Hes put a lot of stuff into already that could be causing the problem .
Sounds like a fuel delivery issue to me. The OP needs to diagnose the issue when it happens right on the side of the road. You cant fix it if its not showing the symptoms. Once it dies, get out and look down the carb. Make sure the fuel bowl is full. Make sure the carb is squirting fuel. Mabe even get a plastic syringe so you can fill the fuel bowl Wouldn't be a bad idea to out a fuel pressure gauge on the line and see what the pressure is either. Mount it against the windshield so you can see whats going on as your driving. I had a similar issue on my Riv with a bad fuel pump. Car would essentially run out of gas on the highway. Pump couldn't keep up with the demand after a while and start stumbling. Then eventually stall out. I'd get off the highway and the pump would "catch up" with the demand One of my pet peeves is people just throwing parts at the problem instead of spending the tine to diagnose the issue. Makes you a better mechanic. My motto is- Test, don't guess!
I've seen bad ignition switches do the same thing, but usually cuts out while cruising down the road.
Yeah... after re-reading the OP, thats kinda similar to what I encountered with the 455 in my '64. A 1/4 tank of gas from 1980 was the issue. I also used the OEM 455 (with the wear back on the arm!) and it BARELY pumped gas. I replaced the tank and the sender and the fuel pump was also bad... A true HAT TRICK. Extra sudden death overtime point was a new fuel line (3/8) from tank to pump. Still having carb issues with the edelhoser. Getting a 455 Buick Q-jet this week. Then Ill be batting 1000. ws
Maybe easyellis could be more defining . Is it a Idle issue ( won't idle with your foot off the gas pedal ) ??? Can you keep it running with slight pressure on the gas pedal ?? Can you " 2 foot drive it " ?? Did he mess with the idle mixture screws or the throttle screw ? With all the parts he has put into it ( Coil , electronic Ignition , fuel pump , ETC. ETC. ) It points to a idle fuel problem . It ran fine on the cruise at 65-70 MPH but stalled when he came to a stop . And then restarted with no problem , probably because he was pushing the gas pedal down .
I think that is mute Jason as it won't Idle. Lets see if he gets back to us with some answers to our questions
