Crate 350 dies

PLease bear with me this might be a little long winded.. I have a new crate 350 (pre 1985) that has an Edelbrock RPM intake, and a Edelbrock 1406 carb. w/elec choke. I have noticed my hard starting after engine warm getting worse over time.

New parts: cap, rotor, coil, plug wires, plugs, carb has been re-tuned again that is air/fuel,float level,off-road kit, air and fuel filter.

the problem is cold starts are great, but once warm it will just stop running.. Then I have to wait 30 min. before it will start again. Could this issue be as simple as the choke? I have not been able to adjust the choke for lack of a .026 wire needed for adjustment according to the Edelbrock manuel.

I have checked the fuel pump (not yet with a FP gauge) it sure appears to be flowing enough gas. (gauge ck this weekend) which brings me to another issue. stock fuel pressure is between 7-10 lbs but the carb manuel says not more than 6, I tried a pressure regulator but was totally not happy with the results, so I took it off.

I have other things going through my mind but don't want to confuse this more then it already is.. If you have taken the time to read this thanx and I look forward to replys..

 Bill  

is it hard to crank when hot???? if so.. change the starter...  i bet it is tired... or a low torque... examine the starter.. see if the tab coming up from the large case is one layer thick or two layers thick...  two layers and it is more than likely a high torque starter...

before you order a starter... examine the heads of the starter bolts...   do you see stripes or numbers...
stripes indicate it is not a metric starter...   numbers indicate it is a metric starter..

as for the choke adjustment...  when it warms up ... usually 2 minutes... is the choke all the way open??? and stay that way.. until the engine has cooled for several hours...  

what kind if ignition system...   HEI????    when you last had the module out.. did you use fresh dielectric tune up grease under it.. so the heat from switching the coil is transfered to the housing and dissipated..

the pick up coils can also fail from heat ...   if the grease in the connector has turned green.. change  the pick up coil also..   its not green grease.. its the copper wires being eaten by acids in the grease...

try a quality brand fuel pressure regulator...  you could be just flooding the carb...    when this happens.. you might also want to carefully watch the oil level... flooding carbs can and have filled the open cylinders with gasoline.. causing hydraulic locks and piston, rod  damage..  it may also dilute the engine oil also..  

Well it cranks very good, hot or cold, choke does open all the way, need to ck when it the motor cools down..

It does have HEI, New module and used the correct grease, I will ck for condition of the grease and look for deterioration, would the module fail because of heat then cool and allow operation only to fail again?

The regulator thing should be solved by replacing the fuel pump with Edelbrock 1721 it pumps at 6lbs no reg needed..


You have been very complete in your reply, I will do more checking tonight. thanx so much..

 Bill  

yes the module will fail when it gets hot... and work when it cools off... have it tested 6 times in a row... it will build up heat and probably show up if it is a heat related failure..  

if you can stand the look of it, a factory/stock style fuel pump will be sufficient for the edelbrock carb and cost a fraction of the edelbrock "street" pump  
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i did love my chevette (first car) more than my first wife
my 94 4.3L Astrobrick would outrun the 99 5.4L f350 i had to drive for work

I thought once the ing module failed it was totally gone I have replaced that thing twice, (alum rad coming maybe sooner than later) checking the pump pressure w/gauge tomorrow and will also re-visit the ing module.

The factory fuel pumps that I have found around here have all been rated at 7-10 lbs of pressure, when my carb. says not more than 6lbs. If I can get away with it I really don't want to use a FP regulator. I think now it has to run a bit rich to compensate for the extra fuel pumping in the carb.

 Bill  

Bill, you didnt mention what car youre running this in, but i did see a similar problem in a 69 camaro. Turned out to be the rubber hoses at the gas tank above the rear end were rotted. the car behaved quite similar to yours, and sometimes would just die while you were driving.  

I have an 85 Jeep CJ-7,with a 350cid/350 auto....





 

Well it appears the problem has been solved.. I replaced the ignition module, drove it around town with no problems. Swapping a chevy in a Jeep has it's little problems, one of them is heat. Best solved by an alum radiator *** Looks like that will be the next must have item for my toy. I have noticed that my volts drop to a much lower level once the engine is warmed up. Not sure which issue caused the ign module to fail but checking my grounds under the dash will comsume the rest of the weekend. Thanx so much you guys have been much more thorough that I expected..

 Bill  

Looks like a fun ride, bill. I like the rocker covers you have. where did you get them?  

Thanx and it has been a lot of fun for sure, not yet where it needs to be but I guess it's really never finished. I got rocker covers and air filter with the motor as a set. I have seen simular sets offered from Jegs but not the same color.

 Bill