55 with inline 235 stalls

Riekie-Armstrong

Riekie-Armstrong

Well-Known Member
my 55 was running fine and no problem starting in between errands and then, stalled out at 3 lights in a row, good for 5 minutes and dies dead in an intersection? Turns over but no go. Have recently had a new carb and dist. done to get through air care. Was running great? What to do?(after having it towed home)
 
Riekie:

Kinda sounds like you may have a plugged fuel filter..or a bad fuel pump..It is really hard to make an online diagnos.. I am not sure how handy you are with a wrench..but you state it stalled three times and then restarted..I would check fuel pressure and volume..I am going to assume that it a stock running gear..points, carb and mechanical fuel pump..when it cranks over do you have a spark..take a phillip screw driver pull a plug wire off inset the screw driver tip into the plug wire end have some one crank the engine while you hold the metal part of the screw driver about a 1/4 " from a good ground to check spark..If you have spark..then you you need to remove the air cleaner, look down into the throat of the carb..operate the accelerator linkage and while looking down the carb do you see it squirt some fuel into the carb..if you do not see fuel squirt into the carb throat..Carefully put a small of fuel into a bottle and pour a little down the carb throat..place the bottle with the fuel safely away from the car and engine in a safe place..then crank the engine and see if it starts ..if it starts and just runs for a few seconds then you have pretty much proven it's a fuel issue..Be very careful with the bottle of gas you used to put in the carb..you should immediately put it in your tank or return it to a safe and proper storage container..This could and should be considered an unsafe way to check for a fuel issue..so be careful..
 
Thats kinda what I was thinking. I haven't got 20 miles on it since I got it back from the shop (last time it wouldn't run) They put on a new carb and redid the dist etc. Got it through air care and has started up great since...til yesterday. I just went ourside a bit ago and tried to start it but no go so I losened off the gas cap as putting gas in it was only thing I had done to it. Got in and it fired right up, good throttle response instead of the blurping it was doing yesterday. I put a new fuel pump in it myself in October but since I did do it myself, wondered if that was the problem. Seems to be running fine now but afraid to take it out of the driveway and any further away than pushing distance. I let it run until the temp gauge came up to half. Tightened the valve cover and side cover, checked the oil and my dipstick still reaches the oil so all good there. (just kidding haha. I am blonde, but not that blonde)
Could it have been as simple as the way I put the stock gas cap on???? Me thinks not but the problem did seem to be running out of fuel.
 
You have the wrong gas cap. Should be vented newer ones are not .No air in = no fuel out.If its a stock cap the vent could be pluged or the gasket covering it when you tighten it down.

Ok after saying that. I got up off my not so fat but still lazy a$$ and walked out to the driveway to look. there is a check valve in the center of the cap should open with vaccume. Shuts with pressure. If you take a small allen key and push it, it should move up and down freely .
 
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makes sense to me. Ran good after I fueled it up and started giving me crap after about 23 miles. Would it run that far with the vacumn build up in the tank? Also checked for unusual sound when I took the cap off today and didn't notice any but........it does run now. Going for a drive and will report back if I get back. Thanks guys
 
IT will run ok with pressure in the tank . More then likely limited to 1 to 2 psi before the check opens to blow it off. The slightist bit of vaccume will stop any fuel from exiting the tank. Matter of fact thats how they change pumps on heavy equipment . Stick a shop vac ( good one) over the filler opening turn it on wait till you hear it load up and unbolt pump. kind of freeky lookin at a 3" dia wall of oil that should be drownding you like a rat just sitting there.
 
It is easy enough to check the if the gas cap is the problem..just leave it off for a bit or if it quits while on then just loosen it, if its a vent vacum problem you should hear a hiss or feel it when you take the cap off..I thought those chevys had a vented tank in those years..but I am not sure..I am still suspicious of a fuel filter..or you could have a slight pin hole in your fuel line sucking air.. if you have any rubber/neopreme connections or joiners in your fuel line you could have a kinked /collasped fuel line ..or the sock in the fuel tank could be getting plugged with dirt, rust, the ethonal in the fuel we use now-a-days is quite corrosive and can and does cause rusting in the fuel tank and the fuel lines so rust can acumulate and be drawn into the fuel filter and restrict the filter..keep us posted and I will try to keep checking to help you..
 
I put a new gas tank, sending unit and fuel pump in it October and I didn't see any rubber fuel line anywhere. I have the gas cap off now and am inspecting it with a magnify lens. A little cruddy looking. Cannot blow through the hole in the center so I picked from both sides until I could blow through it. Water tested and it does drip through so, it is venting now. Was that the problem? Hope so. I will be brave and drive it tomorrow:)
 
Most of the replacement caps you will only be able to see the check from the inside .The outside vent will be between the gasket and underside of the cap makeing it harder to jam the assembly with dirt and grime .Sucking air into the tank should be easy .Blowing air out would require more effort and I wouldnt worry to much about that unless your carb was flooding every time you shut the car off. Venting all the time would only become a problem if the car was on its side or roof. Im sure your good to go now. Filling the tank up only leaves a small amount of air in the filler tube and if the vent check was sticking this is when it would show up.
 
Started up fine today so used it as car for the day. Few errands and final stop at Baskin Robbins. Starts and runs great until I am at the 4 way stop beside my house. stalls but started up again. Had to use both feet to get it sround the corner and into the driveway, put it in park-still running so took off the cap to see if any difference in the rpm. Just before I got to the 4 way I kinda had the feeling it was going to stall as it was not running as good for the last 1/2 km but before that it was good. I think I will try the same amount of driving tomorrow with the cap off completely. If it still does this then I know it isn't the cap.
 
Riekie: swap out the fuel filter and cut it open to see if there is anything in the filter..if it is clean.. then have somebody check the fuel pump for both vacumn and pressure..When you say you had to push it around the corner into your driveway is that because it just had no power or was it because it had completely stalled..
 
I didn't push it around the corner but I used 2 feet once it was running. 1 on the brake and 1 on the gas to keep the engine running.
 
Riekie:.. You should consider taking it back to the people who just did the previous work on that carb and distributor I have no idea whether or not it has any anti-stall solenoide or something that is causing it to stall..but they should at the very least be willing to look at it to make sure it is not something they need to adjust or correct they should not charge you for this as you just had the Carb replaced and some work on the dist..It is hard to figure it out from here..but I am leaning to the fuel filter till I know different..
 
Will do. They tuned it up to pass air care but that usually means it doesn't run worth a crap. The shop is less than 20 miles away so I should make it there no problem:D Thanks for all the help:)
 
Rochester B , Bc were the stock carbs carter sold a willfit replacement manual choke and auto . I have the propper numbers if you need them. none of these carbs like Death n all. Both makes will do, to some degree what you say is happining when they kick off high idill if not set up right . but once they cool down will restart normal. Thats the odd part. The Carter you have to run the idill mix scew at 3 instead of 1 1/2 because the corn crap messes up the rubber power boot . works ok and better then changing boot every week. the Rochester for a simple carb have there own issues.bigest one being parts mix up from different models. Finding one that runs good and dosent puke gas is a challenge. several other makes would fit but would require some messing around to get it right.
 
The carb is a Rottenchester. Came with one, I replaced it via a friend mechanic with a rebuild from the L auto parts place. Did this to try to get it through air care. That only made the readings worse but my mechanic friend had a heart attack in the meantime so was unable to take it off. Took (towed) to repair shop that replaced carb with another Rottenchester and rebuilt the distributor. Passed air care! I drove the thing around tonight going farther than I made it last night and Friday. Arrived home under power with gas cap on the floor in the back seat. Try again tomorrow just to gain some confidence (with the cap off)
 
Drove around here and there tonight and picked up my daugher and her BF to go for dinner. Car started to crap out along Lougheed Hwy so I pulled over and removed the gas cap and continued to dinner and then home again without any problems. Drilled a hole in the gas cap as I am pretty sure that is the problem. Gen light trys to light a couple of times so maybe the idle is set a touch too low.
 
The low idle could could cause the stalling on decelleration.. Say if you could just drop in here on the week-end and do some house renovations for me I would be glad to swap out fixing those problems for you..I am really really bad at house stuff..much more handy in the shop ...I will keep an eye out for you ............Lol
 
Cool Gen light flicker at idle is nothing to worry about as long as its not stalling and go's out when you rev it. If it bugs you give the idle / mixture screw a 1/4 turn out and Idle should speed up (spring loaded screw behind the vaccume line that go's to the distributor) rebuilds are mostly set at 1 1/2 turns out from fully closed as a starting point
 
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