QuestionQUESTION: I have a '79 Coupe DeVille with a 425 carb that won't start. We have replaced plugs and wires. Distributor and Rotor are fine, it is getting current and tries to start. Acting like it is flooded. Dried out plugs but it still wont engage. Checked timing and it hasn't jumped time either. Any ideas? We have spent a week working on it and I am stumped.
ANSWER: Hello,
Well, the first thing I will ask is did this car just quit running? Has it been sitting a long time? Please tell me the history prior to you working on it.
You say the chain did not jump, but how much play do you have turning the crank before the distributor moves?
If this car has been sitting, I would be looking at bad gas. If it was driving and just quit, were there symptoms before?
I think you can see why I need this information to help you.
http://www.autotheftexpert.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: It was my grandfathers and it has sat for a long time. But we had it running and ran it almost a full week. It is possible that it still has some of the gas in it as we did not run it lower than a quarter. We did put gas in it while it worked during said week. It almost engages and distributor is working fine. Yesterday we finally got it started and ran it a good hour. The battery needed to be replaced so we did that this morning and now it won't start again. It is acting just like it was before almost starting but not quite. I am leaning taped bad gas/moisture in the tank as I can not find any "parts" that are not functioning.
AnswerHello,
Now you understand why I ask these questions. I bet you have a gasoline issue. Without Stabil put in the tank for storage, the gasoline breaks down after 3 months and begins to varnish.
The quality of gas these days especially with all these different blends is poor at best.
You probably don't want to, but I would highly recommend pulling the tank and if anyone offers the service anymore (Radiator shops used to) have the tank boiled out.
I hope you did not fill this up. Gasoline is roughly 7 pounds per gallon. Then you need to change the fuel filter, blow out the lines with air and hope the carb is not varnished (which it probably is from sitting with gas in it for a long time.
The last place I would go is rebuilding the carb, however it may have to happen.
If you ever had a lawn mower or snow blower sit for a year and find it won't start, the most common correction is to go through the carb. You have the same issue here, except you fuel supply is much larger.
You can try changing the filter which may be filled with rust and put one can of heet into the tank that will take out any water in the tank. Then try to put some fuel additive in it and hope it helps. I would be willing to bet you problem is the gas in this car. Have done far too many like this.
If the tank is not full when parked for an extended time, condensation develops and causes water in the tank, which causes rust inside the tank, which will accumulate in the filter and sometimes (GM paper filters were not very good for trapping debris)and rust and sediment would go directly into the bowl of the carb.
Also sitting causes the gaskets to fail in the carb. In cases like this, hesitation was caused by bad accelerator pumps inside the carb.
Being parked for an extended time is the worst thing that can happen to a car.
I would also recommend at the same time changing the anti freeze/coolant with a flush and flush out the brake fluid and change all the fluids. Anti freeze breaks down from sitting and many cars go way past the three year life of anti freeze.
You did not say where this car is located. I hope it is not from a crappy state like Wisconsin or Illinois, where they are too lazy to plow the roads and use salt and calcium chloride that rots the bottom of the car causing the brake bleeder screws to rust in the rear where you need the careful touch of a torch to heat the brake bleeder screws.
I would be concerned about the fluid and the brake stopping ability.
Of course do all this after you get the car running. I bet the problem is gas though.
Good luck and let me know how it works out.
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