I had my Duster out yesterday and I was having stalling problems again, but even worse than before. I had to slow down to allow a car to turn off of the road and my car stalled right there! I wasn't even stopped! When I got home, I pulled the air cleaner off to get a look at the carb. Everything looked OK until I went to reattach the air cleaner and realized that the carb was wobbling around! I tightened it down very well when I reinstalled it after the rebuild, so I have no idea how it got loose. As I was tightening the side opposite the engine I heard a SNAP! I now have a crack running across the base of the carb. Now I'm out $150.00 for a remanufactured unit to replace this one. Has anyone else ever had this happen to them? I'm guessing that the base of the carb was probably warped and maybe that could explain why the car stalled when it was hot (the warp creating a vacuum leak). This is really wierd! How can I avoid this problem in the future?


Joel

With any carb, you have to be very careful when you tighten it to the intake. Use a good gskt, totally clean, flat surfaces, and torgue it evenly. Working back and forth, in kind of a diagonal fashion, sneaking up on the final torque. Be judicious, remember you're not bolting down the Queen Mary.

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'66 Cuda 225/4spd
'66 Dart GT convertible 225/auto
'64 Dart GT 340/4spd

Thanks for the advice. I always try to be careful when I'm bolting them down. I'm still curious as to how it came loose in the first place. What are the telltale signs of a warp in the carb base?

Joel

Just a good straight edge layed on-edge across the base should do it. You can either use a feeler guage or hold it up to the light and look for the gappage. You can also use the straight-edge for the top of the bowl, and/or the bottom of the airhorn to look for warped surfaces there, also. Any of these things can lead to air or fuel leakage.
If things are bent, they often can be unbent. If they are just warped, you might be able to file them flat. It all depends on degree. Most carbs are made of a cast 'pot-metal', mostly zinc. They are maleable, flexible but only to a degree. As you can see now, brittle, when their elastic limits are exceeded.

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'66 Cuda 225/4spd
'66 Dart GT convertible 225/auto
'64 Dart GT 340/4spd