Toronado.org

hey guys..need some advice..

thats the situation:

got the car after it was sitting in a barn for 4 years...the former owner didnt started the car during that time
new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, new ignition coil, new oil and filter, new battery, new exhaust manifold gaskets....i've put some oil in every cylinder...engine started after sitting for another 3 weeks...got some fuel leaks at the carb and some dirty reving...bought a rebuilt OEM carb after that (old qjet was from a 1974 pontiac) and new ignition points (set the gap according to shop manual)

now i can't get the engine running...after putting the new qjet on the block i was struggling with all the vacuum hoses...the car has the TCS system..but the old carb didnt had the fittings for it so the vacuum hose from the distributor goes directly to the manifold.

so..to get a clean slow idle...i plugged every vacuum hose and fittings...engine ran with high idle rpm (dont have rpm tach so..i guess about 1.000 rpm) for about 3mins...then stalling...and silence....so..what was that?? i looked over it..first..the slow idle adjustment screw was not hitting the throttle arm..i've changed that. at second...i adjusted the mixing screws..shop manual said..6 full turns out....and after that could see that the air horn gasket on my qjet was a little wet....was not able to start the engine again..only cranking, short rough idle and dying after some seconds....then no starting anymore...ecxept with a little starting fluid into the carb....but its dying instantly

couldnt get any further coz my battery died after cranking the engine that much...

what i'm going to do now?

pullin the carb for some adjustments (float bowl level etc., acc pump didnt shoot gas)
plug every vac hose and fittings again ...AND fittings for TCS
inspect the spark plugs..maybe they r fouled...after all that cranking etc.
any suggestions??

car is all original, no mods except the bypass of TCS system...qjet is #7040252. i've changed the fuel filter....fuels lines are completely new (carb to gas tank)...and the gas tank had a full resto (in- and outside)

it was the first time fuel rushed through the carb after the rebuilt..

luckily old cars are easiler to diagnose then the complicated newer EFI cars. Start with basics. Air, Fuel, and Gas. I always say "as long as we're breathing we know the engines got air" LOL That said, check the following: Make sure your distributor hasn't rotated due to a loose hold dont nut which may have cause your timing to go out of wack. If that it is tight and the timing is more or less on the mark (Put a timing light on the #1 spark plug wire and point it at the timing marker. It should more or less be on the scale withing a few degrees. If not adjust the timing. If you are NOT getting any spark you will NOT get a timing reading. so... recheck your points and connections. Being the car sat a long time, perhaps the fuel pump is shot. It sounds like your not getting fuel up into the carb or enough pressure. If the fuel pump checks out you might have a bad ignition switch! YES believe it or not I had this with my 66 Toronado. She'd be running like a clock then all of a sudden it would missfire, stall or backfire. I later found that my ignition switch and some wires were poorly connected and it cause the plastic on the switch and plug to melt thus a poor connection between the ignition coll and switch there by causing intermitent spark and the missing/stalling condition! Let me know what you find!

pr129tbird wrote: Air, Fuel, and Gas.

Yup.... I know I had a problem with one of my cars... I thought it wasn't getting gas... turned out it wasn't getting fuel! (J/K We all know what you mean... Air, fuel and spark)

From the described problems, I'd check spark first... It's one of the easiest... then fuel would be next. You could check to see if something got inside of your exhaust pipes too I suppose...

thx guys...i keep u posted.

will try to get her running this weekend

Took the carb off today....intake manifold was filled with gas!!! spark plugs r black....Not oily or wet..only black. Needed to raise float bowl level as well cause it was too low. Fuel filter is clean. Goin to check for any leaks tomorrow...float bowl didnt lost fuel as it was full as i removed the top plate

Hi Kay, it's Carmen, I think the needle valve may be stuck open? That'll just allow the gas to continue pouring in. I've seen it shooting out on a few of mine over the years.

hey guys, hi carmen,

found no leaks so i put it back on the engine...but now the gas is shootin out of the carb. gonna disassemble the carb again and see if the primary needles are stuck

I didn't mention the carburator because you said you put a rebuilt unit on so I'd assume that was working ok thus I ruled it out. SOunds like your flooding up!

pr129tbird wrote:I didn't mention the carburator because you said you put a rebuilt unit on so I'd assume that was working ok thus I ruled it out. SOunds like your flooding up!

yeah..i bought that carb as a "rebuilt"...but i learned that means quite nothing!

there are plenty of horror stories around the internet about so called "factory rebuilds"

Production-line rebuilt carbs are worse than a worn-out original carb. They're a disaster you special-order.

You need four things to keep an engine running:
1. A BURNABLE FUEL/AIR MIXTURE
2. COMPRESSION
3. SPARK ACROSS THE PLUG GAP, AT THE RIGHT TIME
4. A FREE-FLOWING EXHAUST

You have probably proved everything except the fuel/air mixture, but it wouldn't hurt to double check 2, 3, and 4.

First Guess: Carb needs total overhaul and re-calibration.