Left me stranded today...

[puckettj]

Without warning while sitting/crawling in bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta, she just stopped running. I was able to get it into the left emergency lane with the little bit of momentum I had.

She turns over and is getting fire but won't start. I'm thinking fuel pump. Nothing visibly wrong in the engine compartment, no gas fumes or leaks.

I just had the timing chain and dizzy replaced 2 weeks ago. But I'm thinking if it was the dizzy crapping out(Cam gears, etc.) there would have been some rough running warning.

Anyway, good ol' AAA was johnny on the spot in 15 minutes!

Who's been here before and what are all the things this could end up being?

[Me and Honcho]

It really wasn't all that hot today,but I wasn't down town crawling the connector. Maybe vapor lock? Mine shut off while slowly moving this past summer. It was also over 100' that day.

[Shwagoneer]

pull the filter and see if the pump is working. just make sure you put the fuel line in a bottle, lest you have gas spraying everywhere.

[puckettj]

Hmmmm...good point. I tried it about 20 minutes later and got the same result...turning over fine, but not starting. I've never had vapor lock before (I know its common) and I've driven her back and forth from Alpharetta to North Ave at least 30 times when it was 90-100 degrees this summer. Very mild today.

Motor temp at the time was just barely above the blue mark.

[Shwagoneer]

i spent forever fighting fuel delivery. finally replaced the whole system, tank to carb. if you get fuel to the filter, check the filter, if its good, pull your hardline going in the carb, check your carb filter(if you have it), and so on.

[svining]

If it just died like the key was turned off I'm thinking electrical. You just replaced the Dizzy so look at the connections there. Maybe the old plug line is worn or the pick-up inside. How old is the Ignition Module? All easy fixes but sometimes frustrating if you don't have testers and are working blind.

Originally Posted by Shwagoneer

i spent forever fighting fuel delivery. finally replaced the whole system, tank to carb. if you get fuel to the filter, check the filter, if its good, pull your hardline going in the carb, check your carb filter(if you have it), and so on.

[710 Burner]

How did you determine you were getting spark?
If it died without so much as a sputter, I would be looking for something electrical, i.e. ign. module, pickup coil, etc. but don't overlook the easy and the obvious such as a lack of fuel or loose connector.

[catch2otwo]

If its fuel related, I dont think it would just shut off. Running out of fuel, it would sputter first, try to run, and then quit. If it just shut off cold turkey, some wire probably short out or became disconnected.

Due to your recent dizzy install, id look at everything associated with that. Pull a plug and see if you have spark.

You might as well pull the fuel line off the carb and see if your pump is working just to rule out any fuel issues.

[j2sax]

You didn't detail what type of dizzy you installed... an OE replacement/rebuilt or HEI aftermarket. That could help. If the latter, what steps did you take to ensure the proper match of cam drive/dist gear?

Make sure you didn't just run out of gas! Has happened more than once here on the list. If you are idling at slow speeds I have seen fuel related issues that just die and don't allow restart.

[puckettj]

Here's the latest...I had it dropped off with my mechanic because of the recent work that had been done just to make sure that didn't have something to do with it.

Well...she started up and runs perfectly fine this morning. Getting fire at plugs, timing is spot on. I guess it could be something electrical (Intermittent at best). But it seems to lean more towards vapor lock...

The one thing I noticed after the timing chain replacement. The mechanic re-ran the fuel line through that little metal sleeve on the front of the valve cover...prior it was not running through that.

My thought is that metal sleeve was adding additional heat to the fuel line...thus creating vapor lock while I was sitting in traffic.

What material is best for insulating the fuel line??

[710 Burner]

Originally Posted by puckettj

Without warning while sitting/crawling in bumper to bumper traffic in Atlanta, she just stopped running.

As stated, this is not a fuel related (or vapor lock) trait. Not saying it is impossible, just highly unlikely. Without some other clue, I stand by an electrical issue.
And yes, I have been accused of being clue-less... usually by the missus.

[serehill]

If it doesn't then as suspected it's ignition related. Eliminate & close in on the issue. If it starts with the fluid then you're barking up the right tree. Vapor lock tends to start running bad and sporatic. Just shutting down is usually something else. Especially since you just had all that stuff worked on.

[twmattox]

I would disagree; under certain circumstances. If you were sitting and went to give it gas...but there wasn't any (or enough) in the fuel bowl it would stall. Believe me, it has happened to me. I let mine sit for about an hour, fired right up and drove home...

I have been fighting this since July... I would think I had it figured out and then it would happen again.

[JeepBountyHunter]

Just curious, did they replace the ignition module? Never hurts on these things to even carry a spare....
Don't ask me how I know...

[Rich88]

Originally Posted by puckettj

The one thing I noticed after the timing chain replacement. The mechanic re-ran the fuel line through that little metal sleeve on the front of the valve cover...prior it was not running through that. My thought is that metal sleeve was adding additional heat to the fuel line...thus creating vapor lock while I was sitting in traffic.

Is re-routed this line actually after the pump? I thought vapor lock occurred before the pump, not after it. As long as the pump is primed with liquid gas, it should push vapor through and out the fuel return line. Otherwise, running out of fuel should be accompanied by a brief moment of coughing and stumbling as the last several cylinder firings are intermittent and lean, whereas ignition cutout is clean and instant.

[puckettj]

Originally Posted by Rich88

Is re-routed this line actually after the pump? I thought vapor lock occurred before the pump, not after it. As long as the pump is primed with liquid gas, it should push vapor through and out the fuel return line. Otherwise, running out of fuel should be accompanied by a brief moment of coughing and stumbling as the last several cylinder firings are intermittent and lean, whereas ignition cutout is clean and instant.

You are correct. That sleeve holds the vapor return line...so that wasn't it. The shop could find nothing wrong with it.

Tonight what I found was I recently lubed the transfer case shaft fitting. The grease apparently slung out of the U joint onto well...everything. It was on the exhaust, oil pan, brake lines and yes the fuel line. I'm guessing that since the exhaust is so close to this fuel line running along the inside of the frame, that the grease was a catalyst to the heat...thus causing vapor lock prior to the fuel pump.

It could still be electrical and if it is...it will be back. However, seems like VL. Oh yea, the ignition module, coil, wires, starter relay and dizzy are new (Dizzy is original type).

Now what do ya think?

[svining]

Its those AMC Gremlins...they come around at night and do stuff!!!

I've not experienced it in my short time with my Waggie, but I've seen a lot of write-ups about "fuel boiling". It seems to be associated with fuel lines too close to the exhaust manifold. Somebody with more experience then me could chime in.

When you figure this out please come back and let us know I always learn from these write-ups.

Originally Posted by puckettj

You are correct. That sleeve holds the vapor return line...so that wasn't it. The shop could find nothing wrong with it.

Tonight what I found was I recently lubed the transfer case shaft fitting. The grease apparently slung out of the U joint onto well...everything. It was on the exhaust, oil pan, brake lines and yes the fuel line. I'm guessing that since the exhaust is so close to this fuel line running along the inside of the frame, that the grease was a catalyst to the heat...thus causing vapor lock prior to the fuel pump.

It could still be electrical and if it is...it will be back. However, seems like VL. Oh yea, the ignition module, coil, wires, starter relay and dizzy are new (Dizzy is original type).

Now what do ya think?