let me set up the problem with a little back-story. Ive had a sticky throttle for the entire time I have owned the car and i finally got sick enough of it that i bought some Gum-out to clean off the workings on the carburetor. While i was in there i did notice that my butterfly valve is no longer hooked up to anything and it just sits there doing nothing. I figured that since the kid i bought the car from said he rebuilt the carb recently that he did it wrong and i could probably deal with this until i figure out what I'm doing with the car in the short and long term. So recently sprayed down the carb with Gum-out. butterfly valve does nothing ever. no more sticky throttle. So today while I'm out doing my errands the car starts dying while idling in drive. pull up to a stop sign engine dies. turn the car on put it in drive engine dies. I somehow limp it home and get out the tools. i get out the vacuum gauge, the timing light, the screwdrivers, the tachometer, etc. 3 hours later my battery is dead and the car is still dying in drive at idle. My timing light stopped functioning while i was trying to adjust the timing (stupid harbor freight cheap tools work once and then never again i swear.) And I messed up my tachometer by hooking it up backwards in frustration. But on the upside i found and fixed a vacuum leak and as long as i dont put the air filter box on, attach the vacuum advance to my distributor, or remove my vacuum gauge from the engine it doesn't die in drive. :16suspect I need some advice on what to fix here. First thing in the morning im getting a new timing light, and cleaning out the air filter because its pretty dirty. And from there i need some advice on what to fix.
You need to be certain you have no vacuum leaks. Then you need to make sure you have adequate fuel delivery. That "butterfly valve" you are referring to, I am assumeing is the choke. Be certain it is staying wide open when the car is running(since it not operational). Dont mess with the timeing or carb adjustments till you checked the above and confirmed that all is correct or you will make more problems for yourself before discovering what caused the original problem. The original stalling problem sounds to me like you have a vacuum leak or a fuel delivery problem.When was the last time you put a fuel filter on the car and how dirty was your air filter. Air filters need to be pretty gunked up before they will keep the car from running. Good luck!!!
I haven't made it as far as changing the fuel filter yet. In the 2 months I have owned the car I have been focusing on the major glaring issues caused by the previous owner being a complete moron under the hood of a car. and yes the butterfly valve is part of the choke. so if anyone could shoot a picture of how the choke should look on a carter yf carb that would be awesome.
Oh, my dislexia strikes again, or it my lack of sleep. Lol. Start with basics. Make sure u have proper fuel pressure. U might be able to use ur vacuum gauge if it reads positive pressure, maybe check the tools instructions to make sure the gas want ruin the gauge. If u have fuel pressure check for proper volume, that can be found in a good service manual. Or a more knowledgable member. Real question. If ur car has the stock thermostatic air cleaner give the hot air bypass a quick check see if it is clogged or sticking to the hot position if stuck in the hot position. That is sucking air off the exhaust manifold, too much hot air in an engine coupled with hot engine bay in warm spring temps can cause an engine to run rich. Hope this helps.
It sounds to me that the choke isn't opening and the engine isn't getting enough air. With the vacum line off it might be getting enough air to keep it running. First make sure that the choke is open. It might be stuck, or need adjusting. It might also not be hooked up linkage wise. You need to get it running with the air filter off first. Then replace the air filter. Always look for the easy things first and then move forward from there.
