66 C10 292 Trouble I'm Stumped!

[junk4cash]

Hey guys. My 66 with a stock 292 is giving me some running issues. I'll try to make this short.

One day on the way home it started to bog in 2nd and 3rd gear. Hardly made it home unless I was in 1st gear. I checked fuel filters and all were good. Checked fuel pump flow and was good as well. Changed dist cap and rotor as well as points. Next day fired up and drove it for a few hours. The day after, I noticed it was a bit hard to start but finally fired up. Drove it 30 mins and parked. Started home and was stranded on the side of the road after backfires and stumbles like I was out of gas. Finally nursed it home as long as I stayed on the gas. Next day I checked the fuel pickup in the tank and all was well. I buy my gas at QT and have never had bad fuel but put a can of heat in and nothing. Now here is the really strange part. Fed the fuel pump from a mason jar full of new gas and she ran fine in the driveway. Today I was going to drain the tank and refill but tried the mason jar again just to be sure. Truck ran for a few then died then wouldn't restart. While trying to restart, it sucked a ton of fuel out of the jar then finally started with a huge backfire then another then died. I'm at a loss...

[Tazimafied]

I would check the distributor. Make sure the points are lined up where they are supposed to be. Then rotate the crank to TDC on number one and make sure the rotor is pointed the right direction.

If all that checks out pull the distributor and check the gear on the cam and shaft for excessive wear.

If all that checks out you are going to want to pull the rocker cover and rotate the engine by hand to see of there are any stuck valves. If everything moves like it is supposed to the next culprit would be the timing chain.

Not sure where to go after that but maybe one of your findings will point us in the right direction.

[junk4cash]

I appreciate it. I just went out and she fired up and ran for 45 or 50 secs then died like she was out of gas. I guess that's what pointing me to fuel delivery. So damn odd. I replaced points and condenser. Do the thin wire from the coil and the short wire from the condenser sandwich together under one screw under the cap? That's the only thing I couldn't remember if I did correctly. Thanx again.

[buds56]

It sounds like your condenser is shorted, starts cold, runs for a minute or so then acts like a fuel problem.
Its a lot more common problem now as they (points, condensers )sit on the shelves longer, and the quality isn't there any more in old tuneup parts due to the lack of demand.
I personally have had about 4 bad ones in the last ten years and maybe had 1 bad one in the 20 years before that.
Its also possible you pinched a wire installing the points and condenser.

Hope this helps.Bud

[junk4cash]

Originally Posted by buds56

It sounds like your condenser is shorted, starts cold, runs for a minute or so then acts like a fuel problem.
Its a lot more common problem now as they (points, condensers )sit on the shelves longer, and the quality isn't there any more in old tuneup parts due to the lack of demand.
I personally have had about 4 bad ones in the last ten years and maybe had 1 bad one in the 20 years before that.
Its also possible you pinched a wire installing the points and condenser.

Hope this helps.Bud

Yes, I wondered about that. My buddy told me to grab the "one shot" deal where the points and condenser are one unit but I grabbed what they had and got them in separate boxes. The thin wire to the coil was old and brittle. It was pinched under the cap. I replaced it but am wondering if the condenser is bad as well. Would that cause it to run for a few then die? I will double check my gap on the points as well.

[Tazimafied]

A bad condenser can cause the short run issue. I just had that issue with my HEI unit on my 76 K5. I was sure the condenser was bad but replaced the entire distributor since it was seriously worn out. It was just it's time.

You could eliminate future headaches by installing a retro fit electronic ignition kit. It would only add a wire from the distributor to the negative terminal of the coil.

[TJ's Chevy]

I agree...check your points and condenser, also check your coil. A bad coil will work fine when cold, but when hot won't. Has happened to me several times. New points, condenser and coil are pretty cheap.

[Ronw435]

You can check to see if it is a fuel delivery issue by having someone use an ketchup bottle with fuel in it ( the one's with the small tube that screws on) and when it starts to die force feed the carb to see if it picks back up and runs. Used to do that on I/O's to try and determine if it was a fuel delivery problem.

[63burban]

Collapsed fuel hose?

[junk4cash]

Ok so mystery sort of solved. We spent Friday night going through everything. Swapped carb, swapped points and condenser... checked fuel flow.....and nothing. Finally noticed we were not getting spark. Gave up that night and my buddy got back on it this morning and then called and said she was running great and I could come pick her up. I asked what the hell the deal was and he said he started from scratch and noticed the distributor was off by 2 teeth. He took it out and reinstalled and now there are no issues. It has more power and runs smoother than ever. My question is how in the hell did the distributor move 2 teeth if I have never ever messed with it? It ran for a year and a half with 0 issues and then one day it started running sort of bad and then ran like total crap the next. I've never loosened the bolt or attempted to change the timing since I've put the new used motor in. Im happy but still stumped.

[mattbert56]

If you spun the motor up quick and the gear on your distributor is worn then you could have skipped a tooth or two. Hot rodding old motors has its consequences. Glad u figured it out. also someone earlier mentioned to check the timing chain. 292s are gear driven from camshaft to crank Shaft by two helical cut gears. Iv seen nylon, or fiber gears? that Iv been told to shy away from. might not be related to your problem.. But figured it's good knowledge for anyone with an inline motor.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by mattbert56

If you spun the motor up quick and the gear on your distributor is worn then you could have skipped a tooth or two. Hot rodding old motors has its consequences. Glad u figured it out. also someone earlier mentioned to check the timing chain. 292s are gear driven from camshaft to crank Shaft by two helical cut gears. Iv seen nylon, or fiber gears? that Iv been told to shy away from. might not be related to your problem.. But figured it's good knowledge for anyone with an inline motor.

Definitely a v8 guy who said timing chain. haha! lol Yes the fiber gears are a no no, you can get Iron or even aluminum gears easily.

[mattbert56]

The aluminum seems like that would quiet it down A bunch. Hey sweet gmc by the way t.j

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by mattbert56

The aluminum seems like that would quiet it down A bunch. Hey sweet gmc by the way t.j

Thanks man! yeah I'm using aluminum gears on my 292 inline 6 I rebuilt for power. Have yet to see how they perform as it is still sitting on the stand. lol

[mattbert56]

Should be fun when it's all done man!

[junk4cash]

Originally Posted by mattbert56

If you spun the motor up quick and the gear on your distributor is worn then you could have skipped a tooth or two. Hot rodding old motors has its consequences. Glad u figured it out. also someone earlier mentioned to check the timing chain. 292s are gear driven from camshaft to crank Shaft by two helical cut gears. Iv seen nylon, or fiber gears? that Iv been told to shy away from. might not be related to your problem.. But figured it's good knowledge for anyone with an inline motor.

Thanks for all the great info. Drove it home last night and yo work today. Runs great. Will keep an eye on things and hopefully not have to deal with this again.

[mattbert56]

Let's hope you dont. happy truckin man

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by mattbert56

Should be fun when it's all done man!

Heck yeah. lol It'll be neat for sure.