changed fuel filter, now car won't start
 

Today, I replaced the fuel filter in my cordoba (76, 400 4bl). After I finished, the car won't start.

Started up no problem last night.

any thoughts, any help appreciated.

check your installation. This car would have had the fuel filter with 3 ports on it. One is a return line. If you hooked it up backwards the fuel would pump out of the pump and in to the return line directly without feeding the carb much of anything.

If it checks out you may have unhooked a wire going to the coil.

It doesn't have the 3 ports, it only has two. I believe that I installed it correctly, but if not do you think I can just flip it around? will that fix the problem? or did I foul the filter?

I think I checked all the wiring, though I will check again (it does try to turn over, it just doesn't fire).

Thanks

76 -

KInda easy to figure out.

1. Is the carb getting fuel - you should smell it or see it squirting.

2. If the carb is wet, then while changing the filter, you upset something else, coil wire, etc, etc.

3. Strange coincidence of unrelated events.

Archer

is there fuel in the carb remove the air cleaner and with a flash light shining down the throttle bores pump the throttle and see if you got gas coming out the accelerator pump. thats a start
also reversing the filter wont reck it for the short time it was installed there should be a arrow or a in out on the filter.

There is two wires to the coil that can be brittle with age. The steel fuel line runs along near there and if it jiggles a wire too much it might cause it to break off. Just do a visual check first to see if one is sitting off the coil.

Okay so you have the older style fuel filter. it works and has an arrow or is marked inlet on one side. Would still allow fuel through it.

The return lines started in 76, which imo was a good move on chrysler's part as it allows the excess fuel to return to the gas tank instead of putting extra pressure on the float needles. If your car didn't have one dont worry about it since there is a relief valve built into the pumps. Still I'm curious if you have a 1/4 return line that is plugged up with a hose.

A quick and easy way to check if you have fuel at the carb is to crack loose the fitting on the carb. If fuel leaks out it's getting to the carb. If the carb doesn't squirt fuel with the throttle depressed down the venturis you could have a gummed float needle.

Thanks for all the information.

I will check it out when I get home later today.

Check the coil wire. Remove the coil wire and see if the ends of the wire is green/corroided. Ive seen this more times than you can imagine and were towed in because they died on the road. Do a visual on all the wires around the fuel filter also the fuel lines touching the coil and gounding it out. Also could be the ballist resistor. The porcelain box on the fire wall with 2-4 wires. this lowers the voltage to the coil if it goes bad the coil doesnt get power and then you have no spark to start the car. Silly ??? did you have the key on when changing the fuel filter? like listening to the radio? If so check the resistor you could of shorted the resistor. BACK IN THE DAY the ballist resistor was the most common problem with a no start condition. People carried a spare one in the glove box all the time. RIGHT MOPAR GUYS???

Well after about three weeks away on business and traveling for the easter holiday, I finally got around to take a look at this again. Well after checking all of the connections with a meter and finding no issues, I checked the carburetor and didn't see any issues there. However, When I removed the air filter, I noticed a connection that was hanging from the lean burn unit. I plugged it back in and Voila! started right up!

Don't know exactly how it happened, but it must have come loose when I changed the air filter.

Thanks for everyones help.

check the suction side hose. once i had steel line on the suction side with a rusted hole very small. it would run at low RPM but fail at higher RPM.