I have a problem with my '77 Aspen: in cool to cold weather it has trouble on hills.

It will start up and run alright though it needs a lot of accelerator and won't idle well without killing if I don't give it gas. But even after it's warmed up sufficiently and will get up to speed, it will stutter on hills, to where I have to let up on the accelerator and then re-accelerate. Acts almost as if it's getting too much gas on hills?

Also, this happens on hills on county (gravel) roads as well, when speed is 20-25 mph, it still semi-stalls on hills to where I have to let up on the gas and then reaccelerate.

Do any of you have any idea as to what the problem is? It doesn't do this in warm weather...

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...

Eldon,

With increased throttle opening, and lack of power accompanied by sputtering points to a lean condition if the engine smoothes out when backing off.

I suspect that you have a vacuum leak, or dirt in the carburetor causing decreased fuel flow, or bad accelerator pump, or a failing fuel pump, or blockage somewhere between the sock in the tank and fuel pump, or a few pin holes in the fuel line between the tank & fuel pump, or failed soft fuel line. What I’m saying is, your engine is fuel starved.

Without looking under the hood my self, it’s hard to pinpoint the problem, or problems. Yes there could be more than one deficiency occurring at the same time. You will have to methodically check each aspect of your fuel delivery system starting with the easy items first. Don’t purchase a bunch of stuff will-nilly and bolt it on hoping for a fix. Do some detective work first.

Here are a few items to look at to help narrow the search:

Do you smell gas fumes when the car is parked?
Is accelerator pump giving a good strong shot?
Has the car recently been sitting without running for an extend length of time?
When was the last time the carburetor was rebuilt?
Is the fuel line rusted?
How long has the fuel filter been in place?
Are vacuum lines supple, not cracked or hard?
Is there a good seal between the base of the carburetor and intake manifold?
Dose the choke work freely, snapping full shut on a cold start, and opening about a 1/4th inch once started, and than slowly pulling full off as the engine comes up to temperature?
Are any of the dashpots such as the one on the distributer, or in other words, vacuum actuated rubber diaphragms cracked and not holding vacuum?

Check for vacuum leaks by spraying carburetor cleaner around the base of the carburetor, its throttle shafts, manifold to head intake gaskets. Look for uncapped vacuum taps on the carburetor, bad lines running to the heater/air conditioning controls if vacuum activated, power brake vacuum system, bad PVC valve…

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

Hi eldon, welcome to the forum.

You can click on this link to see similar adventures with my '77 Aspen wagon recently, it might give you some ideas as well as a good laugh!

Olaf.

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Aspenized

Thanks, wjajr, for the detailed reply! I'll check out the fuel delivery system.

And thanks, olafla, for sharing that link. Now anytime I have to work on my car in cold weather, I'll just think of you managing so well in the frozen North!

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...

Well, I cleaned the carburetor outside and in and now see that it was leaking fuel, so a carb rebuild is needed. Haven't done it before, can I manage alright or is it better to get a pro to do it for me?

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...

It's not terribly hard for a first timer. Just, whatever you do, don't buy a rebuilt carb from a parts store - you've got a much better shot at getting a carb rebuilt by a clueless teenager in dad's basement than from a parts store. Having been said clueless teenager once, I'm speaking from experience here.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

where is the best place to get a rebuild kit for a 2 barrel Carter carb? is there any particular brand name to look for?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...

I don't know how much difference in quality you'll find between the rebuild kits. I usually go with walker because that's what they sell at my local parts store. You will probably want to get some new main jets before you take everything apart. Stock for you car were the 120-286 which were .086". If you've got a potential lean running issue, you may buy a pair of jets a size larger too.

When taking the carb apart, it helps to take pictures of all sides to help with reassembly. Also, don't take anything apart that you don't have to (like the step up piston assembly). Most kits come with new 'balls' but if yours doesn't, be VERY careful about not losing them. I've spent hours searching my garage floor for those little bastards.

I spend a lot of time cleaning inside and out. I have a gallon of carb cleaner I bought from the parts store that I use to soak parts in to loosen the grime. Then I use a small tooth brush to get it mostly clean. After this, I use steel wool wrapped around a small drill bit and my dremmel tool. This allows you to get into a lot of tight places. Just make sure the drill bit isn't sticking out or you could damage the carb. After this, I use carb cleaner to rinse out all of the steel fibers, then blow through each passage once or twice with the carb cleaner, then compressed air. Once a piece is clean, I "quarantine" it away from my work area, and I still blow it out once more before I assemble the parts. Take your time.

One thing to check is the throttle shaft bushings which are notorious for leaking on these carbs. If it is below tolerance, have it re bushed or you'll be dealing with vacuum leaks. See the sticky about carbs

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33102

Good luck,
Dave

daveca5150:
[quote]Most kits come with new 'balls' but if yours doesn't, be VERY careful about not losing them. I've spent hours searching my garage floor for those little bastards.[/quote]

When taking apart a carburetor, or other small part intensive device, I always utilize a cookie sheet with ½â€￾ sides. Than if some little ball or other bit gets loose, most of the time it is contained in the sheet.

I had an old cafeteria tray screwed to the bench in my service truck when I had my lock shop. The plastic was roughed up and things did not slip around as easy as they would on a metal cookie sheet. That thing saved a lot of time looking all over a van’s floor & storage bins for parts.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

since it looks like the throttle bushing will need to be redone, where can I get this done? there is a small gas leak there...

does anyone have experience with GuaranteedCarbs.com ?

they offer a Carter BBD for $158 or can rebuild mine. Mine is "remanufactured" anyway...

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

The Carter BBD had a problem with the throttle shaft wearing down. The one on my '74 Duster is absolutely worn out. While there is no kit to fix this, that I know of, you could take it to a machine shop and have the shaft turned down and a bushing installed. I've looked for replacements online, while they are out there, I'm not sure if they fixed this problem on the re-manufactured carburetors. I've done a bit of research and I'm in the process of swapping a Motorcraft 2100 onto my Super Six.

well I finally had Guaranteed Carbs rebuild my 2barrel Carter and what a difference it makes in how my engine runs! Thanks to all who replied and I can highly recommend Guaranteed Carbs for anyone who needs carburetor help.

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have a running '77 Dodge Aspen, saving for a paint job, then I'll put up a pic...