Stalls when trying to put Winnie in motion

[Dr. Dan]

Hi.

I'm trying to get my 76 Minnie Winnie (360 Dodge) up and running after it had been sitting unused for four years. After ensuring that no more crud is in the fuel system, and rebuilding the carburetor, it starts up and idles smoooth. The rub is that when I put it in gear and press on the accelerator...PFFFT! it stalls. The engine starts up right away, but won't run under load. It also seems to idle awfully slowly (wish I could give you an RPM). Gas in the line is clean, what I can see of the insides of the lines is clean, new fuel filter. The engine wouldn't run before cleaning out the carburetor, which looked horrible inside when first dismantled.

I think I might have something out of adjustment or not attached quite right. I did have the vacuum hoses marked before removing the carb and I know I have those right, I think it is something slight. Any ideas?

This is my first motor home and it belonged to my parents; lots of fun trips and it is still like new inside. I'm eager to get my retro-Bago on the road again!

[The_Handier_Man1]

Dan,
Congrats on getting it running.  If you rebuilt the carb you must know where to adjust the idle and does that not speed up the engine?  Does the engine rev up good when it is not in gear?  I'm sure others will have more input on this so keep us informed on what you are trying.  I almost forgot to ask if the accelerator pump is working.  Looking in the carb with the engine not running you should see fuel squirt as you step on the gas peddle.  Have you checked that?  Les

[Arberg0]

For what it is worth i think you have answered your own question many years ago i had the pleasure but at the time it was not of getting a transit van caravanette for those in the usa its like a chevy van with the roof that you can open up and sleeps 2 . any way to get to the story it has by default a very underpowered engine a 1.6 overhead cam and is rear wheel drive top speed about 60mph and about 20 to the gallon . the reason i mention rear wheel drive is that i had the same issues when i first got the van it had been stood for 5 years  and number one the brake drums had locked on causing it to stall if i put it in gear and tryed driving but it whould startup great .how i cured it was just to move the van a few feet to make sure the back wheels were turning then tryed again it made some scrapping sounds at  first but soon eased off also i am sure and i think my freinds will  correct me on here if that has a prope shaft it could be seized as well  maybe a goood can of wd 40 and spraying and greasing any nipples at the backend would be in order wish i still had that old van now so easy to work on but well nowi am in the usa living i will find a good one one of thease days


arberg0 aka william  8)

[Dr. Dan]

I adjusted the fuel mixture screws on the carburetor and it helped a little. The motor home is now driveable but it still sputters and sometimes stalls out under load, like right before the automatic upshifts, and when climbing. On a flat road and steady speed it runs very smooth. I also discovered that I can avoid the hesitation and stalling if I accelerate gently and upshift manually, judging by ear when to shift. More than a pain in the [swearword deleted], but still can't drive safely. Hopefully this extra info will steer toward the source of the problem.  Thanks folks!

[toddabney]

Hey doc, have you checked the fuel pump? I once had a old international truck with the same symptoms. A new fuel pump fixed it, and it's not an expensive fix either. Keep us posted. Have fun with your retro bago.... Take care, toddabney

[D20T_73]

Your on the right track with adjusting the mixture screws. Whichever direction, whether "tightning" or "loosing" the adjustment screws keep going.  Adjust it a half a turn at a time. Keep going until you can put your foot into the accelerator while in gear (and at operating temp of coarse) and she accelerates without bogging down (these motorhomes arn't hotrods but they still should beable to be punched from a dead standstill and not die out). If you go too far it will start to bog down again..just reverse it and get back to that sweet spot.  Another more accurate method is to take a vaccum gauge and hook it up to a manifold vaccum line. Adjust the mixture screws so that you get the most vaccum(without adjusting the idle).

Another thing to check is whether you have a good seal on the mount gasket.  You can check this by spraying a little bit of starting fluid around the gasket (not carb cleaner...it will eat away the gasket).  If there is a leak the engine will rev for a few moments. WD40 might work...im not 100% sure...

What does your air filter look like? if its been sitting for a while it might need replaced.

Check your vaccum advance...that is the vaccum line that hooks up below the distributer...trace it completly back to the carb.  When i got my Winne from my uncle they had replaced the carb and failed to plug in the advance...a vital part of the timing as well as the overall running of the engine.

Did you adjust the float levels in the carb? how far into it did you get?  That might account for the lack of power while going up hills and such because the carb doesn't have enough fuel to supplement the extra horsepower...i doubt this is the cause...but something to check if nothing else works.

I'll keep thinking of other causes of these symptoms...let us know what happens

[D20T_73]

Oh, and also check the linkages between your carb and your trans. Theres either a linkage or a cable or both...just insure that they are both hooked back up to the carb like they should be.

[D20T_73]

Just one more thing...lol..(my mind gets on this stuff and i can't stop!!)..Check your spark plugs. after sitting that long it wouldn't hurt to change them. Goodluck finding them though, my 318 plugs are a pain to find. Insure they "seat" the same way. Mine taper with a 45, verses the gasket style. And while you are at it check your distributer for cracks or any bad connections. Wires are hard to tell whether they are bad or not...for $30 for a set its usually good to just replace them with your plugs.

[Arberg0]

your mind is on the money D20T_73   I think we are all of the mind here that at the very least a part service would be in order due to time standing plugs wires air filter and fuel filter i seem to remember its made of paper and can get damp and rot  We have a storm gully at the back of our property and about 3 years ago now i laid up my mercury for the winter only to find out that a family of rats from that gully had made there home under my hood what a mess they made took me a few weeks to  fix car was never the same again so if you dont have furry freinds to worry about were you are dampness can do a lot to nice ht cables makes them track all over the place and a bad condenser or coil can do the same things as you discribe but i would at least pull the plugs and check to see the colour at the tips a nice light grey would be nice and you dont want a sooty black thats for sure  i would buy new leads thats a given and check cap for cracks to


arberg 0 aka william 

[Dr. Dan]

UPDATE:
Thank you for all the suggestions, folks! I still have some hesitation (mainly after it went down in elevation from Denver, Colorado, to Omaha, Neb.) So I'll look through your ideas and keep tinkering.
I had a mechanic go through the carb and he set it in a cleaning bath for a few hours and adjusted the float. I had failed to do that. Live and learn! Ironically, I passed on the bath solution kit at AutoZone because it seemed too expensive, and used spray cleaner instead. That worked OK - it got rid of all the gunk, spider webs, mouse fur:) , etc., and got the bowl, jets and valves. But only the bath could get the big culprit of some very tiny holes deep within the carburetor body below the fuel jets. I spent a dollar to save a dime, so to speak!

The 360 now has fresh platinum spark plugs. I also plan on giving my Winnie the second new fuel filter in about 1000 mi. My reasoning is that since the first replacement had to take old fuel through it, it probably will clog up quicker than with "normal use."