ok, backstory...70 Valiant 225/904...Holley 1920.
had the Holley 1920 rebuilt(*supposedly his guy knows the carbs) and had a few other things done(*transmission bearing leaking, exhaust leak/ gasket replaced, motor mounts, brakes...fuel pump, )carb looks GREAT, runs like a champ...until NOTHING, like i ran out of gas...which is possible, BUT i was @a station, when it first happened, 6 blocks from the shop where i got work done...was kinda sputtering, but again poss out of gas...s'why i was @ station...driving with my son, JUST picked up the Valiant...and calling AAA for a tow 6 blocks...AAARRRRGGGGGGGGGG
when he got it it was DEF in need of TLC, but it RAN!!!
so it PURRS when running(*although i think idles a tad high, which might be a "symptom"(*that it "needs" that ...and the mech had his probes attached when the "symptom" RE-appeared...it JUST DIES. ))
with his probes on and all his diagnostics...HAS SPARK, but no running.
he thinks might be something in the carb, he did change the ballast resistor(*on my request) but at moment, i am flummoxed...
he seems beaten, which i hard for me to work with...
he has offered to get another carb(*$50 estimate), but i DO NOT like that idea, esp since i paid for services not really rendered...
so at moment he has car, my wife is pissed, and my beard isn't what it used to be....
HELP ME SLANT SIXERS!!!
Blind ..could just be a thing in the jets, right?? or worse??

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1970 Plymouth Valiant 4DR --Tuxedo Black

ANY ideas???
44 views and no one?!?!?
HELP!!

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1970 Plymouth Valiant 4DR --Tuxedo Black

Had a car once do the same thing. Turned out to be a bad connection within the wiring block on the firewall. What a PIA to track down

the firewall was where we could get it to cut out with a jiggle...but can't find it yet...so electrical then??
is it POSSIBLE for the carb to cause this??
just fighting the wife about the car, when that is the worst way to work with me(*and my prissy little needs)
...and yeah, i know ANYTHING is possible with these cars...but sheesh!!

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1970 Plymouth Valiant 4DR --Tuxedo Black

Well you said the mechanic had probes on it and it had spark but didn't run, so that's a bit different than mine.

Be methodical and start checking the electrical from the starter circuit to all components with a volt meter.

I'm far from an expert or mechanic but with older cars you have to be patient and thorough. eliminate problems first before you start buying parts.

The problem I had was corrosion between the connectors at the firewall as I said. When I cleaned them up it never happened again

If an engine was running, dies and does not restart, the first thing I do is look down into the carb. & work the throttle to see if it gets accelerater pump fuel "shots". If you see squirts of fuel, move-on to checking spark, etc.

If no fuel, I use a small cup or bottle of fuel and pour some right into the carb. (just a little will do)
If it starts and runs for a moment and quits again, then I would suspect a fuel system problem.
If still no start after priming with fuel, start checking for other causes.
DD

Blocked fuel tank vent, vacuum in the tank?
If you need a laugh, take a look at my adventure around the same problem...

Olaf.

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Aspenized

Are you still getting fuel? My car will stop the filter up every once in a while and die wont restart for a bit then start and run for a bit and die again.

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64 dart GT /225
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do you have point system???? replace the condenser...had several bad experences with them ...once new bike run great till warm then die .... couple others would try to start had spark but would not run....not always good out of box either

rotor in good shape as well as cap????have had rotors come apart also


hope you get it running

keep on roddin'
Indian

You need to figure out, fuel or spark. Hook up a timing light & see if it flashes when it won't start. If yes then spark is PROBABLY OK. ( a weak coil can mimick a fuel problem) If no then you need to troubleshoot the igniton system. Do you have 8-10V at ignition coil +, & proper dwell (30 degrees) on the - side. Points usually don't cause intermittant problems (unless the dist shaft is badly worn). Can the coil produce a spark that can jump 3/8 - 1/2" test plug (25-30 kV) Bulkhead connection problem can cause a loss of voltage to the coil, but I'd expect a sudden cut out instead of "sputtering out".

On the fuel side, (carefully) adding gas down the carb throat is how I diagnose fuelproblems (or I use a rig to feed in propane for testing). you need to have a low pressure fuel gauge (safely) installed just upstream of the carb. You should have about 3-4.5 psi. If it reads (almost ) nothing when it stalls, then it's fuel supply. Now you're talking weak fuel pump, holes in the supply lines or hoses to the tank (sucking air), junk in the tank blocking the pickup screen, blocked vent, bad fuel filter. If pressure is OK then it might be carb (but I can't imagine any "rebuilt" carb having this kind of problem, I've never seen a float-inlet valve stick SHUT)

As a mechanic myself , I don't want to bad mouth your guy, but this BASIC stuff that can't get any simpler.

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63 Valiant Wagon
225 - 4 bbl

and the saga continues...

ok, got it back on friday...and it ran GREAT on way to work(*13~ mi.)
worked all day, warm outside(*~80degrees), and started fine, then first real turn, the engine stumbled, and cut out....was able to put in N, restart it... and work the brake as the clutch, home...FRUSTRATED!!(*note ran fine in all gears except 1st and slowing down...)
so, didn't wanna mess with it(*family in town, son's birthday, etc...and mild anger) and my mom's husband(*pretty savvy around engines) wanted to see what was happening....
so, this morning(*drizzley/rainyish), got it started EASY....like nothing wrong.
drove it, warmed it up on the freeway(*approx 10 miles out and back...) and NO ISSUES on freeway, and was cruising smooth..me thinking it's odd it's not happening again, we both think it's weird it's not happening(*but sorta relieved) and then got off highway....to the stumble..AARRRGGGGGGGGGGG
ok, so looked around, poss. fuel filter air bubble, get gas can, open filter line, and shoot it into the can....put the filter back on...no change
milked it back to the mechanic....now it's back there.
he says, "man, this thing runs GREAT...until this...NOW IT'S PERSONAL!!!
things that were replaced in last month:
Holley 1920 rebuilt and put on, didn't work....remanufactured to see(*i KNOW I KNOW, SSD i didn't think was good idea, but he wanted to know if issue was the exact carb...so sent back the original to the rebuilder...and that is the one on now....)
coil, plugs, wires, fuel pump, ballast resistor(*as i typed that it seemed like maybe this might be wrong???, engine mounts, vaccuum hoses around the carb, brakes(*2 drums, all shoes), fuel filter, hoses from PCV, transmission tail shaft seal and bushing, exhaust flange gasket..and all that associated carb rebuilt stuff....and the Pertronix..
sooooooooooooooooooo...what say you guys???

...to top it all off....my wife is pissed at me(*b/c I did this on purpose???) for trying to keep the overall monthly costs down...
and driving a cool older car...and all i get is grief about it...

****thank you all for the read, i know i am a LOT longwinded, but danggit....this SHOULDN'T BE THIS HARD!!!!*****

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1970 Plymouth Valiant 4DR --Tuxedo Black

I'm going with fuel delivery. How's the fuel filter? It stumbled at the first real turn makes me think something is stopping fuel at the pick up in the tank. A big flake of rust against the inlet that only rolls in the way under heavy acceleration or sharp turns?

It's frustrating, but it's only nuts and bolts; you're smarter than them.

Hmm, we had a thread last fall or early winter from a guy with the same right turn cutout problem, but I cannot remember the solution. I'll look for it, but in the meantime, giving wild suggestions may annoy you, but they are well meant:
Can you possibly have a bad connection in the wires from your ignition switch, maybe something that moves or rubs when you turn the wheel? You could very easy rig a test bulb lying on the dashboard, one wire to good ground and the other to the 'run' connection from the wire harness into the ballast resistor, at the ballast resistor feed side. If it flickers while driving/turning, you know there is an electrical problem, and you can concentrate on that part of the circuit. If nothing happens with the bulb while the engine misbehaves, you can move the connection point closer to the coil, if still nothing indicates bad wiring, you can concentrate on fuel delivery. One more thing: is your wiring up to delivering enough current to any new ignition systems requirements?

You have a new fuel pump on your list, if you had not, I would have said it was a pump about to go bad: delivering enough fuel when above a certain engine speed, engine falling flat on it's face when you try flooring it, and - like in my story - stumbling off idle and cutting when releasing the gas pedal pulling up to a red light. Alternatively, blocked fuel lines or blocked jets giving the same starvation symptoms. Have you actually measured the output of the pump? It should give a quart in less than a minute.

Olaf.

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Aspenized

**UPDATE***
ok, got called..here's the reason(*as told to me, took notes & everything!)

"the piece that controls the accelerator pump is bent(*was bent before and replaced, in the original rebuild) the carb housing where the shafts go, there is wear to 'em...a little bit of binding going on inside the carb...
they wear out, and so much use, or rebuilt..."
he's thinking of getting another one, as local as possible, but i think somewhere in here might be a resource as well???
help, me SlantSixers, you are my only hope!!!
man, been TOO long...and my wife is none too pleased with this...
, thanks for reading this saga...
also, THANK GOODNESS for my DRZ400! she's been a savior.

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1970 Plymouth Valiant 4DR --Tuxedo Black

Spark and doesn't run sounds to me like a fuel delivery problem.
Is there any trash in the carb's fuel bowl when it quits?
Is there any fuel in the fuel bowl when it quits?

Some clues have already been given at what to check.
Rusty Fuel Tank - these are old cars and the tanks can/will go bad, cleaning the tank out is one of the things I do when going over a car I'm going to drive, along with brakes, steering, cooling system, etc
Fuel Filter - a rusty tank will stop them up, I run the translucent plastic Frams so I can see how dirty they are
Fuel Pump - check output while spinning motor over with coil wire off

BTW, driving an old car doesn't usuallly save much money unless you can repair it yourself. Get a Shop Manual and DIY.

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Slant Cecil