Yesterday I figured I would take the car out for a little drive since I hadn't driven it for over a week.. It started it up, & it wasn't running very well (not hitting on all 8) It was also blowing smoke out the back (smelled like unburnt fuel)..Then it stalled out & would not re-start.. It just kept cranking like it had no spark, but after feathering the gas a bit it finally started back up..

The odd thing is that the last time I drove the car, it ran great..

One thing I should mention, is that earlier this summer, I ran the tank low on gas, & sucked up some crap off the bottom of the tank.. But I cleaned out the filter & it seemed to clear itself out after a couple of drives.. However, the symptoms were EXACTLY like I just described above..

Could it just be that the plugs were fouled by the problems erlier this year & just need to be replaced?? Or do I have a bigger problem on my hands??

When I get home today, I will pull all the plugs & report what I find (headers were too hot yesterday & I was to discusted)

Thanks in advance for ANY input,
Scott

Might be crap in the carb. That's where I'd start.

Scott, we rarely run our engines at the proper operating temp to keep the plugs clean (read a 190*stat) and frequent highway driving. We typically choose a stat that is best for power 160*-180*. I bet your plugs are just fouled. If it turns out to be more give me a shout and we can take a look into the carb if you wish.

Good luck

Milan

Sounds like some dirt in the needle/seat

Thanks guys, I'll pick up some new plugs on my way home tonight.. Milan, thanks for the offer, if you are up to it(and have the time), I would LOVE have someone show me around the inside of a Holley carb..(sounds like a good excuse to open a bottle of wine or a couple of graemlins/beers.gif )

I am thinking that there is prob. some dirt in there, because of the radical difference in the way that it was running, one day it ran great, the next time it wouldn't run at all..

Thanks again,
Scott

Sound like a Bud light exercise!!

Milan

Holley carbs are extremely easy to work on. It's pretty hard to mess one up. But it can be done. Pick up a book, it will take you through the basics and many books get into performance mods.

**Update** All plugs are gas fouled & I found a leak in a weird place (see pix)

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/2182/CARB1.jpg
http://img95.exs.cx/img95/4494/CARB2.jpg

I noticed there were signs of a gas leak on the intake, upon closer inspection, I found this leak. Any Ideas??

baseplate loose?

Scott looks like the the gas may have leaked out through the secondary throttle shaft and just puddled there. Not uncommon with a crank no start situation where it might spit up through the carb. Inless you can trace it running there from another location I would say that is all it is. Did you try starting it? if not give it a go and see if it fires right up. I bet it does. Look down the carb once its running. If there is a problem you will see it just dripping into the carb bores into the also I would clean the old plugs with a propane torch (warm the center electrode Gently till it begins to burn off the carbon)and wear safety glasses. Keep the old plugs as backup.

Milan

It does look like some gas is coming out from the secondary throttle shaft when I open the secondaries up (car not running) However, it also looks as if it's leaking from the baseplate as well.. Tough tell if it's trickleing down, or if the baseplate is in fact leaking...

Is it normal for gas to come from that throttle shaft on a regular basis??

Scott

Originally posted by ssal396:

Is it normal for gas to come from that throttle shaft on a regular basis??

Scott No.

I had the exact same problem with a Holley. It would sit, and like clock work there would be a little puddle on the intake right under the shaft. I took the back bowl off, and MADE SURE (ie. beat the crap out of it) the metering plate plate was STRAIGHT. I can see that you have a secondary metering BLOCK though. Have you checked the gaskets in the "back bowl" area? Its cheap and worth a try. In other words, there is an internal leak somewhere, or as the Holley website says about puddling, its a "percolation" problem. Couldnt hurt to check your metering block with a straight edge to make sure its not warped.

Thanks, will check it out..

Scott