The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 runs great on the open road, sputters on hills!

Hey guys, I finally got my carb troubles almost licked. Just one more problem. It runs absolutely beautiful on the flat. But when I get to a hill and stop, and try to start moving again, it just sputters and dies. Then, when I start the engine back up, it doesn't wanna idle very well and I have to put the E-Brake on so I dont roll back and sorta feather the gas. Anyone have an idea? Thanks.

Chad

Yup, the answer is- "time it"!!

You might have something floating around in the gas tank that is covering up the fuel outlet occasionally.

How good is your fuel pump?

Is your tank vent open and functional?

Dwell/timing has been set. Its got a brand new gas tank/sending unit/filter/fuel pump so I'm not sure if theres anything floating around in there. Could it be somethin in the carb? I just set the float but could it be anything else? It runs so well on the flat ground. And if i'm drivin up a hill, its absolutely perfect. Its only when I stop moving and start again.

My wife just had the same problem with her 63 Dodge Dart and I checked the timing and for some reason the hold down on the dis. was loose. Set the timing and problem went away. Oh- It also ran fine out on the road. Do yourself the favor and check the timing again and hopefully it will fix your problem.

Sounds like your vacuum advance is bad.

My 235 did the same thing. It was a cracked head.

.Could also be a vacuum leak at base of carb,vacuum advance leaking internally,or leak at manifold to head.

I just put a brand new vacuum advance on, new gaskets on the carb, and new intake/head gasket. Still does the same thing. Haven't checked the timing again yet....Thanks for the info so far guys! Keep it comin!

.Did you have the manifold checked foe a straight surface?It CAN still leak with a new gasket.
.How does it run when it is cold? does it do the same thing?
.I would check and set the point dwell and the timing,then put a vacuum guage on it while running and warmed up.should be around 17 to 20 in.Hg on the guage.
.Make sure you set the dwell first and the timing second.

I'm gettin around 18 1/2 on the vacuum gauge. I did not get the manifold checked, however this is my second set of gaskets. I put my first set on and didn't scrape all the old exhaust gaskets off so it leaked. I looked at the intake gaskets when I took them off and there was an impression all the way around the port on each gasket, telling me the intake was sealed nice and tight. I will set the dwell and check the timing once more to make sure its right on. Thanks a lot guys....keep the ideas comin! I really appreciate it!!!

Sometimes it's the simple things that bite us in the rear axle. I see timing has been mentioned several times, have you thought about a bad coil? Most times a bad coil will not be able to produce enough voltage under load to keep the engine running.

Try this. Get engine warm, drive truck in high gear at a slow speed. (lug it) then romp the throttle. A coil that is marginal will usually crap out then. This test doesnt work in neutral, engine must have a load on it.

Good luck

My '48 would miss at higher speeds (if you can call 40 MPH "higher speed"). Twisting the distributor grease cup solved the problem.

Just out of curiousity, is the distributor "tight" in it's mount? Is there any slop in the distributor when you twist and shake it?

I recently learned that the fly weights on the bottom of the distributor can become dislodged and screw up a properly timed engine.

The fact that it's hick-upping under load points improper advance (vacuum as MT pointed out) but it could be under the plate with the fly weights??

I dunno. Justa thought

Hey guys, timing/dwell is spot on. brand new coil. brand new condensor, there is no slop in the distributor. I'm runnin out of ideas!!!!! Oh, today I took it out and drove it hard. I noticed that when i hit the gas hard when I drive, it misses a little, and then takes off. I'm almost thinking maybe carburetor problems? But I just rebuilt it and the float is set right. Well, if ya got anymore ideas keep 'em coming! thanks.

chad

This has been mentioned before and it bears repeating: When rebuilding the carb. did you notice there is a small port in the base of the throttle body? Were you careful to align the new gasket so this passage is not blocked? This is the vacuum port for the power valve, which accounts for maybe 10-15% of your total mixture volume.
If the engine is tuned to run well when this port is blocked, there won't be sufficient fuel enrichment on hard acceleration. If the port is open and has a vacuum signal, the valve will be closed (cruising position). If you open the throttle quickly, there will be no vacuum (or almost) and the power piston will pop-up, adding the necessary fuel mixture required.

I've rebuilt so many carbs, I hope I am remembering this correctly!! :o

Check that the accel pump is work in the carb. You can look down the carb and pump the linkage. You should see gas shooting out into the bore.