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pinkfuzzibunnies

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Hi...I own a 1975 dodge dart sport and I'm having some problems with it that the mechanic I was using just cant seem to fix. I do not know a whole lot about cars so if anybody who answers can please KISS it a little (Keep It Simple Stupid)...I'm basically just wanting to get an idea of whats going on so I can have a basic understanding of it and then get it to some other mechanic........

It has a new carburator, replaced spark plugs, oil change, and adjusted timing (all through this mech. I speak of) and I still have the original problem....it starts like a champ when it's cold, but after it gets warm if i stop at a store or somewhere and turn it off, when I go to restart it it has a lot of trouble getting going and keeps trying to stall...when I finally get past the trying to stall part it runs just fine.......thats the main problem

now after doing all this work to try and fix that issue and it still not being fixed when I am at a red light my car kinda shakes a little..not a lot, just a little....is that normal? and occasionally when I'm going slow I hear a pinging/tinking sound.....to me it seems like the carb or timing is still not adjusted properly but I don't know, this is my first classic car....

My other question, which is unrelated to all that, is when I first start it up and get going slow (pulling out of my apartment complex) I hear this metal popping sound kinda on the passenger side when I come to a stop...turning direction doesn't seem to matter...i thought it was coming from around the passenger side tire but then I would hear it underneath me sometimes...is that something I should worry about...it only happens when I first get going, so I haven't been to concerned about it, but I don't want my wheel to fall of when I'm on the freeway either...

thank you for any help you can provide...I'm really getting quite frustrated and have been screwed over by quite a few mechanics, so I just want to know what to do about this and get an understanding of whats wrong
 
pinkfuzzibunnies said:
when I am at a red light my car kinda shakes a little..not a lot, just a little....is that normal? and occasionally when I'm going slow I hear a pinging/tinking sound.....to me it seems like the carb or timing is still not adjusted properly but I don't know, this is my first classic car....

My other question, which is unrelated to all that, is when I first start it up and get going slow (pulling out of my apartment complex) I hear this metal popping sound kinda on the passenger side when I come to a stop...turning direction doesn't seem to matter...i thought it was coming from around the passenger side tire but then I would hear it underneath me sometimes...is that something I should worry about...it only happens when I first get going, so I haven't been to concerned about it, but I don't want my wheel to fall of when I'm on the freeway either...

thank you for any help you can provide...I'm really getting quite frustrated and have been screwed over by quite a few mechanics, so I just want to know what to do about this and get an understanding of whats wrong
Click to expand...
taking a guess this is a 225 /6. no , it should not shake when you are stopped in gear. few reasons are, the fuel/mixture is not correct, the choke is out of wack, the floats are not set properly, weak or excessive fuel pressure or the timing is not where it needs to be or there is still an ignition misfire. this is the time you need a service manual. you should also learn how to rebuild the carb and set the floats, and do all your own tune-ups, just because the carb is new doesnt mean its set-up properly out of the box. your "mechanic" should have never given the car back to you until it was running smooth as silk. did it even get a new fuel filter? also, you should learn how to set the valve lash, that could very well be the issue with the slight misfire and the ticking you hear. its possible you could have a slight vacuum leak somewhere as well. you could save your self a ton of money and heartache if you learn to do all this yourself, plus you wont have to rely on anyone else to fix your problems. these cars have very basic systems. plus you have a wealth of information right here at FABO. i have yet to see a problem here that nobody could not get fixed. as far as the wheel "popping" sound, get yourself a floor jack, lift the front wheels of the ground and shake them side to side to check for loose or broken suspension parts. you would be suprised how many "mechanics" dont even know where to begin adjusting a carburetor.

my last slant tune-up procedure went like this,
1) new plugs, gapped
2)wires,cap,rotor,timing
3)set valve lash
4)fuel system
5)carb service
6)vacuum line check/pcv

all this stuff is very easy to learn, dont let it intimidate you. a basic job like this can be done in a couple of hours. it is all outlined with every thing you need to know in the factory service manual , plus they can be downloaded as well. if you dont mind getting a little greasy, this is the way to go. all it will cost you is the parts and an afternoon.
 
Thank you so much...since this post I had a friend look at my carb. and he saw that it has been JB welded and said he'd go down to the shop and demand my money back...I am disappointed...I've had so many mechanics screw me over :( I am going to learn how to just do all this myself...

can you tell me what kind of manual I should get or a good site to get it cause I got one at autozone before and almost nothing in it actually related to my specific car...
 
pinkfuzzibunnies said:
Thank you so much...since this post I had a friend look at my carb. and he saw that it has been JB welded and said he'd go down to the shop and demand my money back...I am disappointed...I've had so many mechanics screw me over :( I am going to learn how to just do all this myself...

can you tell me what kind of manual I should get or a good site to get it cause I got one at autozone before and almost nothing in it actually related to my specific car...
Click to expand...

Someone here can probably direct you to where to download the FACTORY service manual.

Re your hot start issue. It sounds like you have a heat soak issue. Especially in Las Vegas! That is when you shut off your hot engine and it sits for awhile. While you are shopping or whatever, heat is transferring from all that hot cast iron into the aluminum carburetor body making the fuel hot. Hot fuel causes problems and sometimes it will get hot enough to actually boil in the carb fuel bowl. Todays "gasoline" doesn't help either. You should be able to buy a carb insulator that will fit between the bottom of the carb and the intake manifold and come in various thicknesses, a typical one might be 1/2" thick. This will help to keep the carb cooler. Also, if you really want to solve it, you can plumb a return line through an orifice back to the gas tank to keep the fuel moving. Then it doesn't sit and boil. Maybe a change to a 160 degree thermostat might help too.

It would help a lot if you at least tell us whetehr it is a slant 6 (/6) or a V-8. (probably a 318)

Good luck and keep asking questions
 
pinkfuzzibunnies said:
Thank you so much...since this post I had a friend look at my carb. and he saw that it has been JB welded and said he'd go down to the shop and demand my money back...I am disappointed...I've had so many mechanics screw me over :( I am going to learn how to just do all this myself...

can you tell me what kind of manual I should get or a good site to get it cause I got one at autozone before and almost nothing in it actually related to my specific car...
Click to expand...

as KosmicKuda stated, they are available for download. you will have to do some searching unless the right member reads this thread. maybe you can PM 67Dart273 and he will point you in the right direction. dont get discouraged, there are a lot of "mechanics" out there that dont have a clue. check out E Bag for a factory service manual. the autoparts store bookshelves are basically a waste of money, as they dont get into details like the FSMs. good luck and keep asking questions, there is no dumb question here and there are folks ready to help :D
 
you need to do the fuel line mod... its very simple to do and has great rewards... also as said get a thick spacer for the carb to intake manifold...

this isn't your 1 barrel but somethin like this... see how the fuel line goes behind the alt and over the valve cover... the alt fan keeps the filter cool....
 

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JB Weld on the carburetor sounds absurd. It doesn't even resist gas. Feel free to flame that bozo on Yelp. He might have been endangering your life.

You can get a new 1 bbl carb fairly cheap on ebay (~$50) if you keep looking, or a member here could probably sell a proven one cheap, since so many upgrade to 2 or 4 bbl. I agree it sounds like a "hot gas" problem. An easy fix would be to wrap thermal shield around the metal tube where it passes over the top of the engine. You can get that at most auto speed shops or even regular shops. The carb spacer would help a lot too. Post a photo of your engine bay. The shaking you feel at idle is probably running a bit lean, which could also be from the "hot gas" issue. A popping sound from the exhaust at low throttle (slow) is often due to spark timing. Have someone verify that the vacuum advance rubber tube is connected to the proper port on the carburetor, and test that the diaphragm holds a vacuum (use a hand pump).

Ditto that you can probably find a FSM on-line. Chrysler can't complain since they no longer sell them. The Haynes manual is also pretty good. I found one "Chrysler RWD" in a thrift shop cheap or search for "Dart" on Amazon or ebay.

If the sound you hear is high-pitched, it is probably just sheet metal, which is not a big concern. It could be the dust shields on your front disk brakes (most cars had in 1975) or the heat riser shield around the exhaust manifold. The later especially since you hear it as the engine is warming up. Deep, thunking sounds are of more concern, whether from the engine or the suspension or wheels. It is also common for an exhaust pipe or its hanger to slightly bang against the frame and make a scary (but benign) sound. A wheel coming off would usually be due to a bad bearing, but that will make a squealing sound first and the wheel would wobble a lot before it came off. I think it would also have to be missing the cotter pin so the nut could unscrew. I have had wheel bearing totally fail and wheel stayed on. Ball joints can be totally worn and still not make much sound except when you go over railroad tracks or speed bumps. Same for control arm bushings. If you jack the wheel off the ground and pull it all ways and feel and see no play, both the suspension and steering are probably fine.

The unfortunate part of buying a used car is that you don't know the history. Therefore, you end up checking things that may be perfectly fine, and changing fluids just because you don't know. Most brake shops offer a free inspection, which should include the wheel bearings. They usually try to scare you and upsell you, but only if you are naive. That would be the first thing to check for peace of mind. Don't let them sell you new shocks unless you really need them (car keeps bouncing after a speed bump).
 
805moparkid said:
you need to do the fuel line mod... its very simple to do and has great rewards... also as said get a thick spacer for the carb to intake manifold...

this isn't your 1 barrel but somethin like this... see how the fuel line goes behind the alt and over the valve cover... the alt fan keeps the filter cool....
Click to expand...



Got a side view of the rerouting of the fuel line ??
 
805moparkid said:
you need to do the fuel line mod... its very simple to do and has great rewards... also as said get a thick spacer for the carb to intake manifold...

this isn't your 1 barrel but somethin like this... see how the fuel line goes behind the alt and over the valve cover... the alt fan keeps the filter cool....
Click to expand...

I agree that the hard starting sounds like hot fuel vapor lock especially when it dont do it on the cold start. The pinging at low speed is too much initial timing. A rough idle can be anything but as said motor manuals have much to offer but setting an idle is best done with a vacuum gauge. Set the idle speed that your engine requires in park or drive (the manual usally states one or the other or both). Then adjust the air fuel mixture until absolute best vacuum reading is achieved by turning the screw very slowly starting at one turn out and usually not going further than 2 & 1/2 turns to 3 turns out. But remember if you reset timing or idle set screw you have to reset air fuel mixture screw/screws to max vacuum!:rock:
 
805moparkid said:
no but its a 90* out of the pump and a 90* over the valve cover... then if running the 1 barrel or front exit float bowl add another 90... all done...
Click to expand...

Just looking for creative ways to run my lines when I get closer to that point !!But I'm guessing a 1 barrel isn't going to work on my application anyways !!!:violent1:
 
The metallic popping sound could be the exhaust flapper banging around in the manifold, my first slant did that when idling in gear ( 650 -750 RPM range ) when cold. Just about drove me crazy for a long time until I saw the weight bouncing back and forth with the hood up one day while scratching my head trying to find it...
...oh, and a good test of the hot start issue is to drive the snot out of it for about 10-15 min, park in your driveway, open the hood immediately, wait for 10-15 min ( the usual heat soak time ) then see if it starts normally. With the hood up it should bleed off the heat that normally would boil the fuel. I did the fuel line / carb spacer mod with great success here in FL.
 
Thank you all so much! You've deffinately helped me and I'm not so intimidated by it knowing I have some kind of network to ask my questions. My original plan was actually to do all the work ourselves but I was just being lazy and wanted someone else to do it...I suppose this awful mechanic is my motivation. First thing first we're gonna get a manual and a good carb. , set everything properly, and tighten up underneath (to me the metal popping sound just seems like something needs tightened, we'll find out) then we'll go from there...

I do LOOOVVEEE this car though....pristine body, all numbers matching, and I specifically wanted the slant six cause it would be easy for me to learn on and I read a lot about how great and "indestructable" the engine is. My husband got it for me from a snotty 17 year old that wanted a v-8 instead, fine by me! I'll take him!
 
BillGrissom said:
JB Weld on the carburetor sounds absurd. It doesn't even resist gas.
Click to expand...

I used it to re-glue the jet wells on a Thermoquad and drove it for several years until the throttle shaft was too sloppy to keep running.

I also used it on a 2280 Holley where the fuel line goes in. Fuel bowl was almost stripped out. Ran that for a couple of years on my slant.

Time to set valves and do a good basic tuneup.
 
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