1973 Plymouth Satellite won't start or idle
 

Hi everybody. I recently purchased a plymouth satellite with a 318 and it ran fine for about 2 weeks. Then, I was coming off the freeway and when I came to a stop it stalled. I was able to get it to start again but I had to keep my foot on the gas and it was very sluggish up until 35mph. I got home and parked it. I have changed the spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor and battery. I tested the coil and the alternator and they were fine. I can get the car to start but I have to keep my foot on the gas and it runs really rough. My wife is mad at me for buying a car that broke down instantly and wants me to get rid of it. Please help me save it before I have to sell it!!
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Well first off, welcome to Mopar Forums.
2nd get your testicles back out of your wife's purse. Just jokin man:D
3rd Change your fuel filter and check your timing.

i agree with polaradude its in the fuel system...and welcome...weman dont understand.. it quit running its a pos:mad::D

Sounds to me like a massive vacuum leak. If you have to step on the gas to keep it running, kind of tells me your getting fuel. What happens after 35mph?

Sorry, oh and welcome from your friendly neighborhood sweeperking

Did the car sir for long before you brought it?

Sounds like crud in the tank, you filled up, crud got mixed up made it's way the the fuel filter, may even have made it's way to the card and is plugging a jet or causing a needle to stick!

Change the fuel filter, the give the side of the carb a tap or two with the handle of a large plastic screwdriver to unstick and stuck needles and jets!

after 35 miles per hour the car would accelerate fine. But since I parked it last weak i can't get it to start again. It is quite possible the car was sitting before I bought it. is there something I can pour in the tank to break up any build up? Also, this car will not turn over in park sometimes, and I have to start it in neutral.

I have not had a lot of luck with gas additives. If the fuel system is really gummed up you may want to consider dropping the tank.

The starting issue sounds like the neutral safety switch. If it going bad it will not register the car is in park and thus will not allow the car to start. It's about a $16 part from YearOne.com.

Jake

If it was a vac leak, it'd die everytime after you revved it up, I'm pretty sure...

Drop the tank, clean it up and/or replace it, put in new lines, new filter, take off the carb and clean it out..


Those are some things to check anyways. The carb CAN get clogged.

ALSO, if your carb is leaking gas, that can make it die. Check the manifold to see if gas leaked down on the side.

I know every ones got an opinion here but I'm sticking to my guns on this one, I still think its a vacuum leak. If its fuel related why was the car running ok after 35mph and now it wont start. Check hoses specificly the big one going to the brake booster, also the one going to the pcv valve. Could also be an intake leak.

Sorry but I disagree here (again my opinion). With a vacuum leak if you can get the engine speed up it will stay running. If you can get it to idle/fast idle, try choking it and see if the engine speeds up.

Again, try choking it and see if it starts.

Maybe it's diff from a carburated motor, compared to a FI motor.

But on my volkswagen I ended up with a vac leak, and if i could keep it revved a bit with the clutch in then out fast, I could get it going. But the second i let off the gas, bam. Dead.

Actually what you described here is what I'm talking about. With a vacuum leak you have to maintain a high rpm to keep it going. Very difficult to almost impossible to idle a engine with a vacuum leak depending the size of the leak but again try choking (and not the chicken (lol)) and see if the engine speeds up.

On a differnt note, you must go thru clutches

Actually, No. I don't go through clutches. I just replaced the factory clutch a few months back with an OEM Sachs clutch and pressure plate.

I learned to drive a stick on this car, but I never really rode the clutch.


When i had the Vac leak, I was getting gas, took off fast to get into traffic *lump lump* doing the hydraulics. "What the F**K!?"

throw the clutch in, rev it, dump it, does the same thing. So i got into a parking lot under a street light (dark out), popped the hood. One of the air ducts popped off, clamp loosened up. tightened her up and away i was.

F**Kings German cars. Been nothing but problems. fix one thing, two more things go wrong. Good thing I work with a bunch of ASE Senior master techs and can get parts at cost. Although, being A1 certified probably doesn't help me any. Still learnin stuff everyday

Yeah. That sounds like a vacum leak.... able to run good after 35 MPH
But, since we don't know the history of this car, it is hard to t-shoot.

Sounds like this is a classic case of a car that needs restoration and done properly as the wife holds the ultimate outcome of this Mopar.

I'm glued to my seat...... tell us more quazirra

Just a tip to get around the wife, and this may sound pathetic, but I pack pb & j or sneak leftovers out of the house and can convert about $300/ mo. of lunch money to mopar money under the radar. Add this to a legitamate hundred here.. hundred there and you should be able to tackle anything.

Well I replaced the fuel filter. It seems to be getting fuel. I took the spark plugs out, (which are brand new), and they are coated in carbon/fuel. My ignition coil gets extremely hot just from me cranking the engine. Is that norm? could it be the ICM?? If it was a vacuum leak wouldn't I hear it??

I can get it to start by holding down the gas but once I release it it dies. Sometimes it even has some blowback in the carb.

You've flooded the carb and fouled out the plugs.

If it was that bad of a vac leak you'd hear it. I still say its something wrong with the carb. Take off the carb and pull it apart. Used compress air and blow out all the passages and whatnot.

don't lose any of the pieces...

If the carb was plugged how would I flood out the engine??

Everttime you "step" on it, you're allowing more fuel to be dumped in.

It keeps dying, and you keep trying to restart it.

Ya gotta start the car first to hear the vacuum leak. My guess here is that you probably flooded it trying to start it so what you probably need to do is pull all your plugs, clean and check gap, allow the cylinders to dry out, fog the cylinders, crank it over a few times make sure the choke is wide open and dont touch the throttle. Replace the plugs and then you should be back to square one. Now figure out your original problem. Remember these forums asr chocked full of opinions and some of them may conflict. It's up to you to pick one that your comfortable with.

Thats the same problems I in 1976 when I had mine .I could never figure it out ,of course I was young and in school.finally sold it for a chevette when the oil crisis hit . excat same problems good luck.

I had the exact same problems back in 1976 when i had mine .coud never figure it out. finally sold it for a chevette when the oil crisis hit.

Sounds like an EGR valve is sticking open.

You didn't mention fuel filter change. Usually fuel filter problems are just the opposite. They run fine at idle but lose power and cut out on acceleration. I'd say the EGR is a good possibility. 318s also had their share of timing chain problems.