The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 troubles..HELP

Well after the new points were put in corectly my truck was running fine.Drove abought 2o miles at highway speeds no problem.Took my bride out fishing in the boonies and and after stoping i couldnt get it past 40 un till i started pumping the pedal.Seemed like i would get abought a 3 mph gain with each pump..When i slowed down to abought 5 mph it died and could not get it restarted.I turned on the key and opened the points and had a spark.Pulled the coil wire and opened the points with the wire near the block and it showed a good spark.I then took off the sediment bowl and poured the gaas down the carb an d tried starting it and nothing.The bowl refilled so the feul pump should be fine. Used a dime to pull the top of the carb off and the carb had gasCranked it over and moved the floatand it was getting gas.put the carb back to gether and tried starting it with my hand over the carb and still wouldnt start..Luckally i knew the only other guy there fishing and got a ride home.I grabed adifferent coil and tried that.I got it started and trrryed driveing home but had very little power.Igot abought 4 miles in low aand had to stop because the temp was up to almost 200 degrees.Ilet it cool abit and tried to restart it but it wouldnt fire.Left it sit abought an hour while we went home for some chain and a truck to pull it home and this time it started but ran rough.I didnt try driveing again just had my bride pull me home.Any ideas,opinions or dynamite will be greatly apreciated.Ron

Did you check to see if the points were adjusted properly after the wear-in?
SOmetimes the points rubbing block may wear quickly and cause the adjustment to change.

Hey luke,didnt check any thing yet,We didnt get home till after midnight and then had to clean fish.Im thinking i should try a different distributor.Are the 216 and 235 distributor the same?Are car and truck distributors the same?Sinse changeing the coil didnt change things the distributor,cap, rotor, and condensor are all thats left to change.

Did you reset the timing after fixing the points? I would also look at the water level in the radiator.

It started but is running rough.Pulled the cap reset the points at .o19 It was only slightly less.Radiator checked out fine.Moved the distributor back and forth with it running but it wont smooth out.Can smell unburned gas in exhaust.

Check sparkplugs for fouled plug. What color are they? If some look wet those cylinders are not operating properly.

got good grounds? sounds almost like a low voltage problem, got a good battery??

Check you oil for gas also

Do you have a vacuum guage? it will tell you a lot about how the engine is running....

Yeah, check those plugs. Because you were able to gain speed by pumping the pedal, sounds like it might be a fuel delivery problem (main circuit?). The plug color will help indicate this.

Replaced the plugs with little difference.None were wet but all were black sooty.Turned mixture screw out another turn and a half still black comeing out pipe.The battery cranks fine and new ground straps put on last falland poitive replaced in january.

Slow,

I have been having probs with the float on my carb. The problem you describe is what happens to my truck when the float sticks. On my carter W-1, it is obvious because gas leaks from every where. Could you have a sticky float causing it to flood out? What kind of carb are you running?

46 IP

Had the top of the carb and the float seemed ok.Pushed the acellerator pump down and got a squirt so that seems ok.Ill try a diferent carb and see what hapins.

Check your camshaft and rockers to see if all of the cylinders are working properly. Then, start with the basics. Run a compression test and see what you have to start with. May have blown a head gasket, cracked a head, broken the camshaft or timing gear, etc., etc. If it starts and runs, you are getting some spark and fuel. I would check engine condition first.
Scott

Anyone know how to use a vacuum guage?

I do have a vacume guage on the sun mach.Will the size of the rubber tubeing vary the reading?The only tubing i have long enough to run from the sun to the engine is some winshield washer tubing.

Are you sure your timing didn't slip after you adjusted it? I have had my distributor rotate in the clamp while I was driving and got those exact symptoms. I had left the screw a bit loose after the last tune up.

Ireset the points last night and rotated the distributor with the engine running to no avail.Just pulled it in the shop to coolit off and im going to switch carbs and then do a vacume test.

Get a timing light. Or static time it with a lightbulb to get it really close first.

Still putzing with adjusting the new carb.It hesitates under excelleration butis running somewhat smoother.Curent vacume reading is a steady 22lbs with a tick to 21.Should the vacume increase with rpms?When i accelerate it drops way down and then jumps back up.Tony M ,how do i static? tune with a light bulb.Thanks Ron.

Ron,

"Generally," you will have a greater vacuum reading at idle than with throttle partially/fully open. Just a simple function of the throttle and choke plates being mostly closed when idling with the choke "off."

It also depends where you're vacuum source is...i.e. are you using "manifold" vacuum (under the throttle plate level of the carb) or "venturi" vacuum (between the throttle plates and choke plate on the carb)? Put simply, manifold is usually found at those little ports around the base plate of the carb, whereas venturi can be found at the little ports around the middle or top of the carb body.

I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this, I have ZERO experience with these old carburators you folks use on the inliners. I'm basically just generalizing. Check out the vacuum link above...think I might just do that myself right now.

Regards,
Wannabe

P.S. GREAT link, Ralphy! Thank you very much for sharing!

Top dead center may be found by removing the appropriate spark plug and observing the piston movement through the spark plughole while turning the engine over by hand. When the piston reaches its highest position, it is at top dead center.

When you are satisfied that top dead center has been accurately located, mark the position for future reference. The static timing procedure is not difficult. The only equipment required is a 12-volt test light. If a commercial test light is not available, a substitute may be easily made by soldering two wires to a 12-volt lightbulb; one wire to the side of the base, and the other to the bottom contact. For convenience, alligator clips may be installed on the other ends of the wires. To static time your engine:

1)As accurately as possible, locate the piston of the “timing cylinder” at top deadcenter, on the compression stroke. This is achieved by noting the position of the ignition rotor when the piston is at top dead center. If the rotor points to the contact on the distributor cap which leads to the spark plug of the “timing cylinder”, the piston is on the compression stroke.

2)If the rotor points away from that contact, the piston is on the exhaust stroke, and the crankshaft must be rotated one full turn to bring the piston to top deadcenter on the compression stoke. Check that the timing marks line up correctly. (If the distributor has been removed from the engine, consult an appropriate workshopmanual for proper re-installation instructions.)

3) Set the crankshaft to the proper advanced or retarded setting as specified for your engine. It is essential that a reliable workshopmanual be consulted for this specification. The piston of your “timing cylinder” is now in the correct firing position, and the distributor must now be adjusted to the firing position.

4) Loosen the distributor clamp to the point where the distributor may be rotated freely.

5)Connect one wire of the test light to the low tension contact on the distributor, and the other wire to a good ground. (The low-tension contact is where the thin wire from one side of the ignition coil connects to the distributor.)

6)With the ignition on (but the engine not running), rotate the distributor body slowly in the opposite direction of the rotor’s rotation until the test light lights up, indicating that the points have just opened. Do this a few times until you have accurately determined the exact point at which this happens, and re-tighten the distributor clampbolt.

Tony.THANKS... Here is where im curently at.Ihad the truck running smothly at idle.It would rev good and sounded smmoth except there is a hesitation before it revs after opening the throtle which i asume means the accelerator pump in the replacement carb is bad.Itook it down the road good in first and second and then boged down. i came to a stop and it died and wouldnt start.A mechanic stoped we got it started .Again ,smooth at idle ,reved smooth.He checked the amount of spark said it was good and said i should check my feul flow.How do i determine whats good or bad.What will i find by removeing the bolt on top of the feul pump.He thought there is a screen in there i should check but ive never had one apart. :mad: :mad: :mad: Ok i ve taken the top off the feulpump.Feul ran steadaly on to the floor.I blew it out and put it back to gether.Cranked it over for aproxametly a minute and got a little beter than half a pint mason jar full.it seems as thou the feul pumped out abought every third revolution of the motor.Is this exceptable?

A hesitation like that might point to the vacuum advance not working right. Does the distributor move smoothly by hand? Does the distributor turn when you accelerate like that?

The distributor turns freely by hand,ive got it tightened just enough to move it but not moove on its own.The advance moves smoothly under ecelleration.Im starting to wonder abought the feul issue.

Well misery loves company... My 48 (with a 61-62 235, and a Zenith carb) is doing the exact same thing. It has a completely overhauled engine less than 300 miles ago. It Idles great and if I give it gas when I'm stopped it sounds great. When I hit 2nd or 3rd driving it gurgles, pops, and backfires. If I set the choke about half way, the rpms go up at idle and the engine smooths out while driving. I have a new fuel filter, pump, lines, tank etc. I figured it was the carb., but now I'm leaning toward the distributor. Maybe this is a good reason to put a new one in. (Which should have been done anyway during the overhaul) One thing I do notice, is that at speed if I'm not using the choke, that at full throttle the problem goes away. Also, just below full throttle it will run rough, then let out a backfire and run good for a few minutes, and then the cylcle starts over..
Any Ideas?

Have you guys checked to make sure the mechanical advance in the distributor is functioning correctly?

WELL IT RUNS AGAIN.Seems to be a combination of feul pump and distributor.Still some things to iron out but for now im GOIN FISHIN

Hey TT,

Check the power enrichment/power piston circuits in your carb. Also check that the mechanical advance in dist isn't sticking.

chip