Help!! Burb "sputtering" and dying again...

[GMCjunkie]

I thought the fuel filter incident was behind me,,, mabey not. Since I took that check valve out of the filter, My truck has been running fine, today it sputtered... It was low on gas, so I thought mabey its sucking goo off the bottom of the tank?? I put gas in it,, drove fine for a while,, then on the way home it started "sputtering and choking like".. then dying. I put'er in N and she fired right back up again, but still sputtered some, got'er home, pouring rain like a BIG DOG right now, WHAT in the world can it be NOW?? First thing Im gonna do is check that filter again. What else???
Thanks, junk

[dubie]

Gotta be the ignition module in the distributor. I had a car that did that and the module was the problem, so I had the cap rotor and module all done at the same time

[cdowns]

in tank strainer is still my bet

[fast71]

sounds like you sucked some trash up into the carb. it has happen to mine when I have run her low on fuel. Jodie you need to run two filters ,one in the carb and a glass one before the carb.that way you can see what kind of stuff your pulling from the tank.

[fast71]

Its been raining allday here in north GA

[7T1BURB]

...is that (along with cdowns) the fuel strainer "sock" located at the end of the pickup tube (of sending unit) inside the tank is clogged/choked or just plain gummed up. Demand ("pedal to the metal") requires more fuel. Had this VERY SAME problem occur on another vehicle and after chasing this problem for a month, it turned out to be the sock strainer on the end of the fuel pickup. Dropped tank as a last resort and there it was clogged....enough gas got through for "little demand", but not enough for "big demand". When was the last time you had the tank out and cleaned??? Something to consider and I hope this helps.
7T1BURB

[Pilgrim]

Alternative to dropping tank is cutting hole in burb bed for access to tank top. Cover with old license plate when done. Then your rare three door will be even more rare.

[crazy longhorn]

Was it pouring rain when the problems started?

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

Was it pouring rain when the problems started?

Crazy asks a good question.
I had a 1971 Monte that ran great. To this day I've never had a car that ran like that. Until it rained. It would sputter. Kill at low idle. It would just act like a pain in the butt.
I never changed that distributor over to a HEI so I had the old points and coil. An old timer at the shop I worked at said I should throw a coil at it.

That was the problem.

Kind of a funny story...
Not long after that we had one of those late February snow storms that drops 1+ feet of snow. Then it got warm out. All that snow melted all at once. We still had our fish houses out on the lake. The night it all melted we were up fishing. The water was over 1/2 a foot deep on the ice. Then it got windy. We ended up driving the Monte around on the lake in whitecaps! It never killed once even with water splashing up on the grill.

[walker]

If your dizzy got wet then that certainly could have been the problem. Other things to look at are: fuel pump for proper flow+ pressure(easier to just put in a new $15 pump); carb needle and seat( could be sticking, just happend to my air compressor and it leaked gas all over the garage); fuel pump inlet plumbing(dirty sock, happens to my tractor regularly, I just use air and blow backwards through the sock to clear it). Your dizzy could be having troubles of its own too. If its a coil unit I would take a look at the points and probably replace the condensor($2). Coils are pretty reliable but hard to test well, usually the problem is something else. If it is an HEI unit then the module is suspect. You may just put in a new module to see, if it is not the problem then keep the old module in the glove box for when it does quit.
Good luck.

[GMCjunkie]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Im not sure if my tank has this "strainer sock" yall are talking about. My tank is not the original, its a large 42 gallon aftermarket tank. And I have absolutely no information from the PO about it. Would it still have this strainer sock?? And would I drop the tank the same as the original, and is there an access hole/door on the top of the tank?? Thanks again
junk

Pilgrim.... I dont think Ill be cutting a hole in my burb bed anytime soon, but thanks.....

[cdowns]

the easy way to see if the fuel pump is supplying enough fuel is to disconnect the inlet line to the carb and run it into a container while cranking the engine for 30 seconds the factory spec is 1pint of fuel in 30 seconds

[Maximum Overdrive]

By chance you choke isnt acting up on it? I have a electric choke on mine and a few time it decided to do its own thing and would cause my truck to do what you describe.

[ryan68]

Ignition module did that to me too. Also I run 2 filters before the carb, one at the tank, and one after the pump. Clear ones so I can see what's going on.

[GMCjunkie]

Crazy Longhorn & Mrein3....No it wasnt raining at all when it happened.... and Ive never had a problem with it in the rain.

cdowns... the fuel pump is only a year old, but will do what you said to check it.

Maximum O... How would I check the Ele. choke??

ryan68... Is there any way to test that module?? if so how??

walker... Im not sure what youre referring to as a "dizzy" ??

Thanks everyone, You dont know how much your help and suggestions are appreciated!!! Im lost with out y'all!!!

[Blue Beard]

you might check the rubber hoses between the tank and fuel pump...

had one do the same thing and found that the hose was bad enough to create a flapper valve inside the hose. It would shut off the flow of gas.

Just a thought, and a cheap fix if its the problem.

Good luck Junkie..

[cheatham]

Also check that choke pull-off isn't broken or deteriorating- this fixed the same problem for me.

[ChevLoRay]

Modules in the HEI are good, or they aren't. If they are bad, it won't start or it will quit while running. If you have to replace one, be absolutely sure that you use the heat sink compound before you install it. Heat will kill a module if there is no heat sink compound between it and the breaker plate.

I had to replace my HEI because the wire to the reluctor would open up (break in wire) when I let off of the gas and the vacuum advance moved the breaker plate in the HEI. The engine didn't sputter though. It would just shut off, and then I could restart it. Took about 3 months to figure it out.

I would consider a crack in the distributor cap, a burnt cap (where the rotor sits) and/or rotor, maybe some carbon tracking inside the distributor cap, if this only happens when it rains. Other possibilities are plugs going bad (may be gas fouling), loose plug wires, wires that are too close to the headers, or cross-firing of the plugs by wires that are adjacent. Always cross the wires somewhere between the distributor cap and the plugs. This isn't swapping wires, it is merely meant to prevent having plug wires be parallel to each other for their placement, i.e., in a wire loom.

The pick-up tube sock (strainer) can be a real pain. Usually, the engine will run fine for a little while, then trash/rust/etc., will be sucked onto the sock and shut off the flow of gas. The engine will die. After letting it set for a few minutes, the vacuum in the gas line will be lessened and the sock will relax. This will allow fuel to again be pumped until it is blinded-off by the trash, again. If it is just sputtering, I doubt that the sock is the problem. This is the type of problem that shows up after sitting all night, or all day, then trying to drive to work or home....and it just quits. It is really aggravating, when it is the problem. However, I don't think they will "sometime" allow fuel to cause a sputtering effect.

Choke pull-off's can cause problems, but it would usually mean that the choke would not open enough or it would not open at all, creating a rich condition. It might sputter, or it might die when it warmed up. I doubt that it would happen while it was running normally. But, check all of the vacuum hoses to be sure it isn't one of them that has deteriorated. Usually, vacuum hoses that are bad will show up as a miss at idle, yet the engine will run just fine when accelerating.

[Yukon Jack]

Dizzy is short for distributor. Is yours an HEI or the original points style? Knowing that will help these guys in giving you suggestions.

Definitely do what cdowns recommends on seeing how much fuel your pushing through the fuel pump. Any idea how old the gas tank is?

If you add another fuel filter, I wouldn't go with the glass style. The break too easy and can make a quick barbeque of your beautiful burb! Go with a plastic one - they have sorta clear ones that you can still see whether they have fuel in them.

Good luck Jodie!

[busterwivell]

I agree with ChevLoRay, I've had module problems (AMEN!), but NEVER anything but just shut off while running, or not start at all, and definitely would not start, restart without replacing. In my experience, they are either good or junk, no in between.

[cdowns]

the reason i suggested the flow test was to determine if the tank is plugged with crap

[fast71]

Jodie , blue beard might be right I have had that happen also with cracked hoses. they suck air and then and cause an air pocket . I dont know if its something in the air but I drove my truck for the first time in a week today (low on fuel) and it did what yours is doing . I filled her up and it stopped but I think mine sucked some trash . Ilooked at my glas filter and it had some rust in it. GOOOD LUCK

[jimfulco]

Clear plastic (not glass) in-line filter for 3/8" line: Wix 33003

[GMCPaul]

cdowns is steering you right in my opinion, that 30 year old varnished fuel sock on your fuel sending unit, combined with sediment in the tank are plugging the sock and starving it for fuel.
I have to drop our 69 Panel truck tank this weekend for the exact same problem. While I have the tank down swapping out the sender I'll drain it, clean sediment out then re-install.
GMCPaul

[GMCjunkie]

My gas tank is not the original.. its an after market tank, Im trying to get ahold of the PO in Ca to get some info on it, I DONT want to drop that tank if I dont have to.

I just checked ALL my hoses and lines from the tank to the carb, found one little hose that went from the line to the fuel pump that was trashed, I replaced it, but it wasnt the problem.
I checked the plugs and the plug wires, all vacuum lines are correct. I had my son crank the engine as I caught fuel in a jar from the line, it pumped fine, both cold and hot.

My Burb has HEI.

Every since "D*ck head" "rebuilt" my carb it has ran like crap, it was runnin ok before he "rebuilt " it, I had it rebuilt for prevenitive Maint. As I was preparing for a surgery run for my daughter, like I am now. Since he "fixed" it, it has never started right up like it used to, and now this, will have the carb checked out too I guess, will still check the things left on my list tho first.
Thanks again guys, keep the suggestions commin,,, I HAVE to get my truck road worthy... My daughters surgery in in just over 2 months, its gonna entail 4 trips to Texas, Im terrified of breaking down. Thanks again, Ill check back in soon.
junk