1969 Charger - shuts off

[4Bangin69]

I am the new owner of a 1969 Dodge Charger 383 4 barrell and need some suggestions.

The car sat for 8 years before I got it and attempted to start it.  Just recently replaced the gas tank, fuel sending unit, fuel pump, filters, plugs, wires, new demon carb 750 cfm, msd ignition coil. The car will start and will idle at about 450 rpm but only for a few seconds.  I have adjusted the timing and cannot get it to idle higher than 450 without shutting off.  Could it be bad heads?

Thanks in advance. 

[tan top]

hello & welcome    ...  hmmm fuel pump push rod 

  , when the motor stops running , have you still got a spark ??

oh something completelty unrelated ..notice you have the mistery fire wall plug ... above the wiper motor  .. been a couple of threads on that ...

[4Bangin69]

I am completely new to this so please bear with me 

I would assume I still have spark since I can start the car..it just won't stay on and idles rough and shuts off quickly..how would I check this?

will do a search about the mistery plug. THANKS 

[tan top]

oh right it starts right up ,   could be the  ballast ristor

[4Bangin69]

forgot to add that was changed too...

[Sublime/Sixpack]

When it first fires up will it rev at all? Or just die?

[tan top]

  mixture too rich / lean in cold weather

[4Bangin69]

I cannot give it any gas or it will die and it dies within a few seconds without reving. 
We are in South Texas so I don't think it's due to cold weather.

[GreenMachine]

Will a Demon fit on a stock intake? Check the base of the carb and make sure it fits right. You could be sucking in a bunch of unmetered air.

If that's not it, I would disconnect the fuel line and put the end in a gas can. Crank the engine and make sure it's pumping gas. If it is, get a carb from a running engine and put it on to see if it'll start. Then you'll know the problem lies with the carb.

I've bought a Demon before and was disappointed in the quality control, Leaks everywhere. Make sure the needle and seat is letting fuel in and the float is right.   

[Ghoste]

Have you checked fuel flow into the carb?  Is it hard to restart after is shuts down or does it seem to need several turns before it fires again?

[tan top]

just noticed the pcv valve pipe on the right hand rocker cover not connected , is there a open vacuum on the base plate of the carb  will suck in too much air

[4Bangin69]

I'll check the fit of the carb.  It seems to fit well. All vacuums are sealed and closed off with caps.  Do I need to seal pcv? Will that make a difference?

There is no hesitation to start it up after it dies.


Thanks for all the help!

[tan top]

no not the pcv valve       !!!!  , just make sure the port on the carb is plugged

[demonpixel]

Hey there guys, this is 4Bangin's buddy; I was helping him in the attempt to get this baby runnin. I'm more familiar with LS1s but 69 Chargers are so beautiful it's a sin to not help someone working on it (and who doesn't love Hemis).

The previous carb was a Holley 4160 I think but I could be wrong - anyway do stock 383 Magnum intake manifolds have 4150 flanges? I'm pretty sure the Demon is on an adapter/spacer. Here's a pic:



Also, the harmonic balancer timing mark does something VERY weird when we point the timing light at it - the marker will jump around like crazy so we can't even tell what the timing is set at. Turning the dist cap to adjust the timing by a few degrees advanced or retarded causes the car to shut off.

4Bangin upgraded the ignition coil to an MSD Blaster 2 and upgraded the plug wires from 7.6mm to 8mm Accel.

Just wanted to follow this thread and contribute some of my notes as well.

[4Bangin69]

 

[Animal]

Did you disconect & plug the vacume advance tube when checking spark lead? , maybe the distributor/oil pump drive worn?

Good luck.

[4Bangin69]

Thanks guys for your help.. Do you meen I need to disconnet the spark plug and connect it to the vacume advanced on the distribertor? I may sound crazy but Im new to this.  Can you help me.. It may be the problem..

[ted]

SOUNDS almost like the timing chain has jumped time.

[4Bangin69]

Is that why the balancer jumps around like crazy...

  Its all over the place when we put the light on it.

[tan top]

SOUNDS almost like the timing chain has jumped time.

    was thinking along  them sort of lines , timing gear , especialy if it still has the stock nylon covered gears

[4Bangin69]

Everything looks completely stock.. That might be something i need to check.   

   Would you think it might be best to just pull the engine and have it rebuilt? I don't want to do anything radical to it just want to mainly keep it stock. That wouldn't be to much $$$? My neighbor said if I pull it and tear it apart myself  it might cost under 800.00 with some parts. I'm thinking about buying a engine puller and doing it this weekend. I really don't know what the engine is like. I'm the third owner and from what the past owner said he never had it rebuilt and the previous before that he never had it rebuilt.
  The milage on the dash says 80,798 I'm thinking it has already turned once..

Here are a few more pics of the engine

[RD]

first thing i would do is this:

bring the #1 piston to TDC on its compression stroke

check to see if the rotor is pointing to the #1 sparkplug wire lead on the dist cap

if it is not.. tell us where it is pointing.

if it is, then your timing is on target, and if that is the case...

it may be a fuel issue..

Fuel: replace carb with a running one, if not the problem, then put a fuel pressure gauge to check fuel line pressure, if read below 4 psi, check to ensure fuel pump rod is not worn and is actually fully activating the fuel pump lever to ensure proper functioning; if not the problem then replace fuel pump, if still not the problem.. pull the timing cover and check fuel pump rod cam lobe to ensure it is not worn (now is the time to check the timing gears for wear or misalignment).

let us know when you get to the timing set, if you get there.

i believe its fuel or timing...

[Sublime/Sixpack]

As far as having the engine rebuilt, I think you really should talk with a few good machine shops to get an idea of what a good rebuild will cost you. It'll be more than 800 dollars and just some parts.

[4Bangin69]

Thanks guys for all your help. I will keep you posted on what happens. I'm planning to work on it this weekend. Looks like I will be doing  research this week.

[Back N Black]

Start with the basics, If you have fuel,timing set up, spark and good compression it should fire up. That is what i would check before pulling the engine. If it starts up and it blowing lots of blue smoke, no power and lot of internal noise then think about pulling the engine.