Stalls in Neutral

[Thor64]

When I shift into neutral (manual transmission) to stop, my engine almost dies - it will if I don't give it a little gas - and the air is heavy with the smell of gas. Here are a few details:

-'72 350, rebuilt ??? years ago
-brand new Rochester Quadrajet from Summit
-brand new fuel pump, filters, and lines
-gas tank is clean as a whistle
-plugs and wires appear to be in good working order
-new vacuum line between the carb and the distributor
-HEI distributor looks old, but has been working well
-timing is good
-truck was running like a champ until this problem arose

I have a sneaking suspicion that the HEI is on its last leg, but my last two classics had points, so I'm not as familiar with this system as I need to be.

Any suggestions on what to check?

Thanks in advance!

[geezer#99]

Well, Duhh!!
Smell gas, check float!!

[jjzepplin]

What kind of fuel pump? Could also be too much pressure.

[Longhorn 70]

Keep it in gear and the pedal to the floor all the time..??

Seriously it does sound like it is either float too high, choke is pulling on, FILTHY nasty dirty air cleaner element, or running too rich. I would bet one of the first two.

Start it and let it warm up.
Take the air cleaner off.
Run it in the driveway with brake on and in neutral.
You may have to turn the idle speed screw in on the throttle side of the carb up to keep it running.
Watch the top of the carb.

If you see gas pooling, dripping or spewing from the top of the carb, float too high or stuck needle and seat.

Wiggle the choke plate and make sure it doesn't fall closed or if the choke isn't straight up, it may be pulling on or failing to pull off.

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by Thor64

When I shift into neutral (manual transmission) to stop, my engine almost dies - it will if I don't give it a little gas - and the air is heavy with the smell of gas. Here are a few details:

-'72 350, rebuilt ??? years ago
-brand new Rochester Quadrajet from Summit
-brand new fuel pump, filters, and lines
-gas tank is clean as a whistle
-plugs and wires appear to be in good working order
-new vacuum line between the carb and the distributor
-HEI distributor looks old, but has been working well
-timing is good
-truck was running like a champ until this problem arose

I have a sneaking suspicion that the HEI is on its last leg, but my last two classics had points, so I'm not as familiar with this system as I need to be.

Any suggestions on what to check?

Thanks in advance!

Why do you shift into neutral to stop? [Unless to allow left foot to operate brake pedal while right foot keeps pumping the accelerator just to keep it running.]
Sam

[Longhorn 70]

Any luck on a fix? Just curious.

[Thor64]

Thanks for checking back in Longhorn70.

I tried the one thing that has worked well for me in the past - driving it...everywhere, every day. I thought that maybe it sat too long while I was working on it earlier this year. It ran fairly well for a few weeks, but started acting up again. It got to the point where it wouldn't crank - a problem I had a few years ago that prompted me to buy a new carb from Summit. I took the top of the new carb off to make sure everything was functioning properly, put it all back together, bolted back on, and it fired right up. It idled great for a few minutes and then died. Now it won't start without a shot of starter fluid and a heavy foot on the pedal.

I don't smell gas like I used to, but there's obviously something still amiss...further suggestions?

[Daner]

Had a 98 Dodge with 318 v8 manual tranny with similar problems. Would die at stop signs and low on power. It turned out the spark plugs were almost gone. I'm thinking they had 6 digit miles on them.

[Thor64]

Unfortunately, I don't stretch its legs on the highway as much as I would like, so the plugs may be pretty fouled up. I'll take a look - thanks!