Resurrection Trouble w/Pics

[brennan]

So, I was given a '78 Wagoneer that hadn't run for five years. The PO had done all sorts of electrical "fixing" (read: random connections) and it took a good while to hunt down all the ignition problems.

Now I've got her running, and she idles well in park or neutral, but after placing her in gear, she runs really rough, and needs a lot of gas to stay running. Reading around, most folks suggested vacuum trouble which I've started attacking, but have a few questions.


What is the above hose?


Should this have something in there?

Also, when I yanked the hose off of the distributor, it twisted enough to keep the engine from starting. I don't see any marks on the dizzy, so I'm not sure where to line it up, is there a method easier than trial and error for finding the right spot?

[rockingon24_7]

I do not have an engine like yours but the first hose looks like the choke and the hole looks threaded so it is probably for when the factory hoisted the motor to install it or something, you can leave it open unles it goes all the way to the mixture chambers of the manifold

[letank]

the first pict is the modulator for the choke... connected to intake manifold as your pict suggest... so may be the modulator is leaking.... creating a vacuum leak.

the second..... as said... to put a hook for a hoist....

How much vacuum are you having at idle....

What do you mean by yanking the hose off the distributor it twisted....

you can cap that hose.... for off idle and testing it will run fine....

do you have a 4 barrel carb?

[shackwrrr]

i think he meant when he puled on the hose the dizzy spun in its hole meaning its loose and now and probably before his timing is off

[brennan]

I got the distributor rotated properly (at least close enough that it runs) just by trial and error. She runs now, and will idle for a long time in park, but after about a minute of driving, the engine loses power, and I really need to floor the gas to even keep it running. After that happens, and I let it die, it has a real hard time starting for about 15-20 minutes.

My carb is a Motorcraft 4350 (rebuilt by Holley) and it's sitting on a 401.

As far as vacuum pressure goes, I don't have a tester so I'm not sure, I'll see if the local shop has one. I've never really had vacuum troubles before, so chasing this stuff down makes me feel like a blind guy in the dark.

Thanks for the help guys. I've got another week or so until the snow really starts flying up here, and I'm hoping to at least be able to get around town this winter.

[Santa Claus]

Have you changed the fuel filter yet? If not definitely change it, the small nipple goes towards the carb at top.

[letank]

I am not familiar w the 4350..... but if it was a 2100 or 2150, it seems like the accelerator pump is gone (the flooring to get it going)... need to look at the book.

How do the spark plugs look... black, tan or whitish?

as for the time to sit before it starts again... may be too much advance, or the dizzy centrifugal advance is stuck....

we need this puppy running before it snows....

[brennan]

Well, the parts shop will have a vacuum tester for me later today, and I'll dig in and see what sort of vac i'm getting from the manifold. I'll also replace the fuel filters. It sat w/out gas (thankfully), and the filters looked pretty new, so I didn't bother to change them, but I suppose it is just a couple bucks.

As far as plugs go, I'll pull them on my lunch and take a look, I put new ones in while troubleshooting the ignition, but I guess they could very well be gunked up again.

Thanks again for your help, and I'll keep you all posted.

[andy d]

sitting without gas for 5yrs may be your trouble. Old gas just turns to varnish and can be cleaned . Old gas tanks turn to rust when they are left empty. Just for grins, cut open the filter. If its full of rust...........

[brennan]

I replaced both fuel filters (before the carb, and before electric fuel pump) yesterday, and the one before the pump was full of all sorts of rust. With the new filters in, it ran just about the same, so while I'm sure the clog wasn't helping, it doesn't seem to be the main problem.

I got my vacuum tester last night, but I'm not really sure where to hook it up. Should I tee it off of the manifold where the line goes to the dizzy? Do I need to cap off the brake booster line in order to get an accurate reading?

[Driftwood]

A Chilton or Haynes manual tell where to make your Vacum readings.

[letank]

I got my vacuum tester last night, but I'm not really sure where to hook it up. Should I tee it off of the manifold where the line goes to the dizzy? Do I need to cap off the brake booster line in order to get an accurate reading?

no need to cap off the brake booster

a T at the manifold where it connects to the dizzy is good.... get some extra T and tubings

you can do the timing w max vacuum, about 18" at sea level more if the engine is in good shape.... i can almost have 19"

[GWChris]

When you say "vacuum tester", what is it exactly you bought? There are two things you can use, both useful - one is a vacuum guage to connect to the engine and read the vacuum levels while running, and the other is a hand vacuum pump (also with a guage) to allow you to test the functioning of various vacuum devices. Of course, the answer to how you hook it up depends on which one you're using.

[brennan]

I bought a gauge, I guess, not a pump.

I just teed it off of the line to the dizzy from the manifold port in front of the carb. It read 15 (hg/in?) while idling in park for several minutes. Braking didn't effect the vacuum one way or the other. When it was put into reverse the vacuum dropped down to 5, and the engine struggled and died once the pedal wasn't floored.

Does that help?

[Jodaddy]

Try removing the gas cap and see if that helps. maybe you have a plugged vent line.