Yoox_II
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2013
- Posts
- 300
- Reaction score
- 26
- Ram Year
- 1984
- Engine
- 5.7L Hemi
For two years now I have had the same problem with my 1984 dodge d150 with a 318 2bbl holley 2280 carb. let me list the symptoms it experiences when the problem happens. Let me be clear that the truck will start fine, idle fine, and accelerate fine probably 60% of the time. It is my daily driver.
WHEN IT ACTS UP, THESE THINGS HAPPEN:
as i am driving at any speed, and the i let my foot off the gas pedal, i will hear the engine revs drop faster than normal. They drop very fast and drop down to a very deep level, and if i coast long enough and slow down enough, the revs will drop to the point where the engine stalls out completely.
I will start the truck back up, with some trouble, and it wont idle on its own unless i have my foot down a little bit on the gas pedal to dictate the revs. Occasionally, keeping my foot down a bit on the gas pedal while im parked there, will increase the revs to the point where it idles on its own again.
For example, after it stalls out, i will start it back up while in park. I apply a small amount of throttle to prevent it from stalling out again, and say the revs are at 1000rpm with small throttle applied. if i let go of the throttle, the revs would drop to probably 300, causing a stall.
But if i keep my foot steady on the gas pedal...
The revs will increase as i keep my foot at exactly the same amount of throttle, to approximately 1700rpm, so now, i let my foot off the gas, it will idle on its own at 1000rpm. [this can be described as something "filling up" after the engine stalls. it feels as if the revs slowly increase at a steady pace after the stall out and restart]. Then i can drive again for a couple minutes until it happens again.
I should add that there is the strong odour of unburned gasoline, suggesting that the engine is flooding when this happens. Also a massive drop in fuel mileage.
Now, this could mean the float is sticking right? Well there must be a reason the float is sticking... dirt in the float bowl right? Well i had my mechanic disassemble the carb and clean all of it out. there was no change in my problem afterwards. So i think dirt can be ruled out for causing the float to stick IF that is the cause of the stalling.
The most puzzling part of this problem to me is how inconsistent this problem is. It can run fine for 5 days straight, then run bad for 10 mins, then run good for 30 seconds, then run bad for 12 hours, then run good for 2 hours, then back and fourth from one minute to the next. I can find absolutely no pattern or common denominator when the stalling happens.
black smoke coming out the tail pipe is another symptom.
Another symptom is: If i am cruising at 80km/h, then fully let my foot off the gas pedal, i will hear the revs drop faster than normal, which is the tell tail sign its going to stall, as previously explained. BUT if i re apply the gas pedal again, i will literally feel it "kick" back into running good again. It almost feels as if you rev it up in nuetrel then slam it into drive, and you get jolted forward.
Let me also add that even while this stalling problem on decceleration is present, it does NOT affect the engine performance while accelerating. It runs smooth and clean while i am cruising at a steady speed or accelerating from 0-60. It is when i let my foot off the gas pedal to about 30% throttle or less, or i am slowing down or driving at parking lot speeds that it happens. This makes for a lot of two foot driving - one on the gas to avoid stalling, one applying the brake to avoid crashing.
My final clue to the truth of this problem is this: Under the hood, you can open the throttle by pulling on that small lever type component beside the carb. It replicates the gas pedal being applied. However, there is a component to the right of that, hooked up to a couple of return springs. I can pull on this as well, which revs the engine up slightly but not very much. And when I do, the revs dont drop back down fully to where they were right before. After fiddling with this, i found the gas pedal much easier to push down, and also the revs drop quite slow when i take my foot off the pedal. Is this related to the kickdown linkage or the throttle or what? It seems like something there is just in limbo. Ive comfirmed i have all the proper springs in all the right places though.
Does this sound like a carb problem? More specifically a float sticking issue? Or something completely different, such as a kickdown linkage issue?
I am extremely confused, tired and frustrated with this problem. I have taken it to three different mechanics that specialize in carbureted engines over 2 years.
Ive confirmed there are no vacuum leaks, ive got the entire electrical system checked for any cracks in wires possibly causing sporadic voltage. Replaced all electrical components (distributor, distributor cap, plugs, wires, and so much more....)
Like i previously mentioned, ive had the carb rebuilt with no change in this issue.
I know i have posted about this issue before, but this is pretty much a desperate, last resort call for help. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my novel of a description. Hopefully someone here can tell me something to try. I also understand I could be dealing with more than one issue here, but i really hope all these signs point to one culprit, so i can go back to loving my truck instead of thinking of selling it every other day. I dont want to give up!
thank you community
WHEN IT ACTS UP, THESE THINGS HAPPEN:
as i am driving at any speed, and the i let my foot off the gas pedal, i will hear the engine revs drop faster than normal. They drop very fast and drop down to a very deep level, and if i coast long enough and slow down enough, the revs will drop to the point where the engine stalls out completely.
I will start the truck back up, with some trouble, and it wont idle on its own unless i have my foot down a little bit on the gas pedal to dictate the revs. Occasionally, keeping my foot down a bit on the gas pedal while im parked there, will increase the revs to the point where it idles on its own again.
For example, after it stalls out, i will start it back up while in park. I apply a small amount of throttle to prevent it from stalling out again, and say the revs are at 1000rpm with small throttle applied. if i let go of the throttle, the revs would drop to probably 300, causing a stall.
But if i keep my foot steady on the gas pedal...
The revs will increase as i keep my foot at exactly the same amount of throttle, to approximately 1700rpm, so now, i let my foot off the gas, it will idle on its own at 1000rpm. [this can be described as something "filling up" after the engine stalls. it feels as if the revs slowly increase at a steady pace after the stall out and restart]. Then i can drive again for a couple minutes until it happens again.
I should add that there is the strong odour of unburned gasoline, suggesting that the engine is flooding when this happens. Also a massive drop in fuel mileage.
Now, this could mean the float is sticking right? Well there must be a reason the float is sticking... dirt in the float bowl right? Well i had my mechanic disassemble the carb and clean all of it out. there was no change in my problem afterwards. So i think dirt can be ruled out for causing the float to stick IF that is the cause of the stalling.
The most puzzling part of this problem to me is how inconsistent this problem is. It can run fine for 5 days straight, then run bad for 10 mins, then run good for 30 seconds, then run bad for 12 hours, then run good for 2 hours, then back and fourth from one minute to the next. I can find absolutely no pattern or common denominator when the stalling happens.
black smoke coming out the tail pipe is another symptom.
Another symptom is: If i am cruising at 80km/h, then fully let my foot off the gas pedal, i will hear the revs drop faster than normal, which is the tell tail sign its going to stall, as previously explained. BUT if i re apply the gas pedal again, i will literally feel it "kick" back into running good again. It almost feels as if you rev it up in nuetrel then slam it into drive, and you get jolted forward.
Let me also add that even while this stalling problem on decceleration is present, it does NOT affect the engine performance while accelerating. It runs smooth and clean while i am cruising at a steady speed or accelerating from 0-60. It is when i let my foot off the gas pedal to about 30% throttle or less, or i am slowing down or driving at parking lot speeds that it happens. This makes for a lot of two foot driving - one on the gas to avoid stalling, one applying the brake to avoid crashing.
My final clue to the truth of this problem is this: Under the hood, you can open the throttle by pulling on that small lever type component beside the carb. It replicates the gas pedal being applied. However, there is a component to the right of that, hooked up to a couple of return springs. I can pull on this as well, which revs the engine up slightly but not very much. And when I do, the revs dont drop back down fully to where they were right before. After fiddling with this, i found the gas pedal much easier to push down, and also the revs drop quite slow when i take my foot off the pedal. Is this related to the kickdown linkage or the throttle or what? It seems like something there is just in limbo. Ive comfirmed i have all the proper springs in all the right places though.
Does this sound like a carb problem? More specifically a float sticking issue? Or something completely different, such as a kickdown linkage issue?
I am extremely confused, tired and frustrated with this problem. I have taken it to three different mechanics that specialize in carbureted engines over 2 years.
Ive confirmed there are no vacuum leaks, ive got the entire electrical system checked for any cracks in wires possibly causing sporadic voltage. Replaced all electrical components (distributor, distributor cap, plugs, wires, and so much more....)
Like i previously mentioned, ive had the carb rebuilt with no change in this issue.
I know i have posted about this issue before, but this is pretty much a desperate, last resort call for help. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my novel of a description. Hopefully someone here can tell me something to try. I also understand I could be dealing with more than one issue here, but i really hope all these signs point to one culprit, so i can go back to loving my truck instead of thinking of selling it every other day. I dont want to give up!
thank you community
