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Wired up to the radio switched power, working nicely, a bit tricky getting everything connected and the dash back together, especially as I also ran the nylon tubing for the oil pressure gauge at the same time. Hoping no leaks there when I eventually get it connected at the engine.
What's next on the list.... Fuel tank venting, previous owner deleted all the charcoal canister and such, the replacement fuel tank I installed doesn't have any vent. Thinking the simplest option is a vacuum/pressure relief gas cap, something like this https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c...p/sta1/10819dt
Also noticed an oil leak from the back of the engine, looks to be coming from the intake manifold area, but not sure yet. When I connect the oil pressure gauge been there I'll try and clean everything off and take a look.
My guess is your oil leak is coming from the valve cover gaskets. Intakes rarely leak on them and if they do it's minimal. Yes, clean it off good and see if you could see the leaking while running.
Today's hopeful task, install the oil pressure gauge, the tee should be here at some point later today, I just hope there is enough room for it all. Looks like the distributor vacuum advance is right over where the oil pressure light is plugged in, fingers crossed that once I add the adapter to connect both the light and gauge there is enough room. That might also be the source of the oil leak, the connector looks a little wet with oil, I'll look at using some teflon tape when I re-install everything.
I moved the coil out of the way, hopefully gives me a little more room to get a socket in there to remove the existing sensor. Not sure yet on the size, I have read 1 1/16" but I also have an oil sender socket with the slightly rounded shape available.
Ideally, I can get this done today and go for a drive (if it stops raining at all, ever).
The oil sensors have been the source of many leaks.
I had seen that a few times while looking into how it comes out and installing a gauge. I got the sensor out easily enough, it's definitely pretty grimy back there and wet. But, not sure yet if it is leaking out from around the sensor or somewhere else in that area. I wiped it down as best I could, somewhat tricky to really get in there and clean it, while also trying to avoid anything too much falling into the hole the sensor came out of. Still waiting on UPS, says the adapter is out for delivery, but it also said it would be here Tuesday...
Assuming that gets here soon I can start figuring out getting it all back together and the gauge hooked up. It'll be nice having that extra bit of information, I know in my sons 67 Mustang anytime I have driven it I found the oil pressure gauge to be really helpful to glance at.
Edited to add - well, the adapter arrived and good job to anyone who can get that installed. I was able to get the adapter in and the original switch back on top, but could not get anywhere near getting the nut on the side with the hose and compression fitting. I feel like I need 3 hands the size of a 3 year olds hands to get in there.
Fought with it for an hour, frustrated I gave up and put things back as they were and went for a short drive. I may end up farming this job out which bothers me.
Originally Posted by Kuvasz101
This truck is shaping up. You're doing a good job!
Thanks, I hope so. Getting a lot of really helpful advice from you and others who have replied to my constant questions!! I have wanted an old truck for as long as I can remember, which given I am 2 years older than this truck, must also make me old!!
Last edited by Abcdefghii; 04-05-2024 at 05:25 PM.
What if you remove the distributor? Those distributor shafts are slotted and only go in 2 ways. Mark which way the rotor is facing and replace in the same position. You'll just have to time it. If you don't have a timing light. I marked the base of the distributor with the engine with a punch or paint dot and just reinstall.
That's likely what I'm going to end up doing, just getting that little bit of extra room to (hopefully) get 2 hands back there will be very helpful.
I might though, rope in some more experienced help with it, simply because of the timing aspect. I'm confident enough to remove the distributor, putting it back correctly is that will make me nervous.
Mopar v8s are pretty easy with their slotted shaft opposed to gear distributors like the slant 6. With the cap off notice which way the rotor is facing and reinstall the distributor rotor facing in that direction. At the base of the distributor you could use a marker, punch or white paint to the line on the distributor base to the block line you made prior to removal. I've done this many times and 99% of the time the timing is on the mark or just slightly off making no difference in performance. But, if you're not certain sending it out is an option.
Been away for work the last few days and thinking about this, my oil switch only has a single wire coming out the top of it, I assume this goes to the light in the dash. Everything I have read says that if I have the light in the dash and the choke heater, that I need to keep the original switch in place on the engine for the choke heater to work.
Here is where I get confused, with only a single wire coming out the top of the switch how exactly is the choke heater even impacted by this? If it is not actually connected, then surely I can just do away with the light in the dash and just run the gauge? Ideally, I would retain both, but for simplicity (arguments sake) can I not just run the gauge? Perhaps I am completely wrong and the choke heater is somehow connected, but I simply cannot see how it is.
The single wire is basically a ground. If you ground that wire, it completes the circuit turning the light on. The oil pressure switch under oil pressure separates the connection and the light goes off. Years ago, choke heaters weren't connected to the oil switch. People would turn the ignition on to listen to the radio etc and the choke would open often preventing the car from starting. I thought the ones that effected the choke had 2 wires (grounds) coming off the oil switch. I would disconnect the oil pressure switch and see if your choke heats up and has power to it. If it does, your choke isn't controlled by the oil switch.
I found this post while searching around with a wiring diagram, while I believe it is for an 85, not sure if it will be vastly different to an 81. However, if I am reading the diagram correctly, it appears to show the oil switch with 3 terminals providing the power to the choke.
That would make sense. I recall when they went to oil sensors for chokes it was notably different with more wiring. I would think an older model 318 that only relied on manifold heat would work fine in your 318, say 1977 or earlier that didn't use electric chokes. The electric choke sped up the process a bit during warming. I'm sure it was all done for mileage. I recall these electric chokes creating quite a hesitation problem when cold. The 6 cylinders heated up fine without the electric assist. We would disconnect them every time we saw one connected. Customers who came in for an oil change couldn't get over how much better their car ran after new oil. Of course we didn't mention the electric disconnect. LOL
I half wonder if it is another of the things that the PO butchered, so if you recall I had the wiring burn up that seemed to go to the choke, so I wonder if at some point the PO removed the wiring that came from the oil switch to the choke, instead wiring it to the alternator. Perhaps the switch failed and all they had available was one with the single wire, so they just swapped that in, who knows. Either way, I believe I might be fine to just remove the switch. I might just try it and see, would certainly make life easier trying to get things attached back there (maybe) for the oil pressure gauge.
In my opinion only. Lights serve a purpose of knowing you have oil pressure after changing the oil or on startups. The light goes out and you know it has pressure. The gauge on the other hand does both. You just need to watch the gauge after oil changes or startups and see if you have pressure. The added bonus is you see how much pressure.
On my old Mopar I have the car completely stock appearing with all original look which means no gauge. I hooked up a gauge to check while cold and hot. It was good so i went back to the idiot light just for originality.
Funny thing here, the light does not come on, at all, so, the switch at the engine might be non functional anyway. I think I am still going to need to remove the distributor, was looking at it and with that in the way I cannot get anywhere close to easily reaching in there and am concerned to cross thread something if I don't have it lined up correctly.
The most frustrating thing about it though... that I am having a hard time with it. My brain tells me, this is easy, unplug connector, unscrew switch, apply PTFE tape, add tee piece, reinstall switch and pressure gauge and done. Nope. Oh well, if I end up having to get help with this, it's only 1 thing out of a good number that I have managed to do on my own.
Last edited by Abcdefghii; 04-11-2024 at 11:16 AM.
With the key on run, ground the sending unit wire to the block and see if the red light comes on. If it does, your sending unit is bad. If it doesn't the bulb may be burned out. On my Dart there was no power getting to the circuit board. I had a hard time under the dash (age thing) so I put a bulb and socket in where the bulb goes with the hot to ignition source and the ground out to the sending unit wire. Looks and works good.
Trying to decide this morning whether to rebuild the carb, replace the carb and whether to swap the divorced choke set up for an electric choke set up.
Driving it over the weekend, the idle seemed off and I was told it was putting out some black smoke, not enough to see while driving, but enough that you can see it standing behind the truck with it running. So, it's back to running rich, my first thought goes to a combination of things, primarily being the choke itself and that the fuel pump may be too powerful for the little Holley to handle. The choke as we know does not have the heater connected, so takes longer to open, the fuel pump I have is an electric Holley unit that says "Supports up to 700 Carb HP (HP Rating @ 6 PSI at 13.5 Volts / 10.4 AMP Draw)" what I am not sure though is, does that mean the pump is continually putting out 6 psi, which may simply be too much, I have read that ideally for the carb it should be 2-3 psi, so if I am sending 6 psi, it may be way more than the carb can handle.
I am not against rebuilding the carb myself, but without detailed instructions, am nervous to do so. If I pay someone to rebuild it, then I am likely at a similar cost to simply buying a rebuild one in the first place.
Ideally, I would just go EFI, but that's considerably more expense.
I would first look very closely at that choke. I'm guessing it's not opening.
1. I would first check to see if the choke is actually open when hot idling. It should be wide open.
Note: 318s needed the electric assist. The 225s ran much better when electric assist was disconnected.
2. Those 318s had a problem with the exhaust crossover inside the intake manifold plugging up from
the valve seals leaking. That would prevent the choke from heating up properly.
3. That pump at 6 psi I would think is fine. I'm a by the book guy and like to use what's called for but...........
4. Those floats also could be set too high or defective. Sometimes the floats get gas logged and sink down.
5. Needle and seat is also a culprit, not shutting off the fuel when the float rises, kind of like a running toilet.
6. Rebuild kits come with instructions on setting the float etc. Instead of rebuilding I would try just popping the top off, clean the jets out with carb cleaner.
Clean off the metering rods that go through the jets, pull out the idle screws and clean, and flush the holes. Don't forget to clean the float seat and needle. Those carb
bowls in my opinion were made wrong. It's a deeper well in the bowl that collects crap. You'll see it when opened.
1. I would first check to see if the choke is actually open when hot idling. It should be wide open.
Note: 318s needed the electric assist. The 225s ran much better when electric assist was disconnected.
2. Those 318s had a problem with the exhaust crossover inside the intake manifold plugging up from
the valve seals leaking. That would prevent the choke from heating up properly.
That's what I am thinking of doing, likely tomorrow sometime, just start the engine with the air cleaner removed, maybe go for a short drive to make sure it is fully warmed up and then see if it is open entirely. This is what I am looking into as possibly replacing the divorced choke with - https://www.carburetor-parts.com/ele...t-choke-cu1274
I have read many times about those exhaust crossovers plugging up, swapping to that electric choke I think would also help since I don't believe it relies so much on that heat.
Originally Posted by Kuvasz101
3. That pump at 6 psi I would think is fine. I'm a by the book guy and like to use what's called for but...........
Good to know, trying to avoid finding somewhere to put a regulator, while not difficult to install, finding a location for it is one thing and it also brings in another possible point of failure down the road (regulator issue, fuel line connections).
Originally Posted by Kuvasz101
Instead of rebuilding I would try just popping the top off, clean the jets out with carb cleaner.
Clean off the metering rods that go through the jets, pull out the idle screws and clean, and flush the holes. Don't forget to clean the float seat and needle. Those carb
bowls in my opinion were made wrong. It's a deeper well in the bowl that collects crap. You'll see it when opened.
Is this possible to do with the carb installed on the engine? If not, I will need to order a new gasket before pulling it off and cleaning it out. Not a big deal, but just something to remember, obviously, pulling the top with it on the engine though would be much simpler.
Ordered, I also threw in a rebuild kit into the cart at the same time. Even if I do not rebuild the carb right now, it will be something I am sure needs to be completed at some point.
Hopefully, when the parts arrive the instructions are well written, but we'll see. I have worked on 1 carb before, a small single barrel on an ATV I have here. But, it was a very basic rebuild kit and nowhere near as involved as the Holley would appear to be. But, the satisfaction of getting the Holley rebuilt and running nicely, yeah, that would be a pretty good day!
Almost forgot, new arm-rests.
My original plan had been to make them double the height of these, but then the height would block that seam on the door panel and look kind of weird. The idea was the bottom piece would remain wood, top piece be wrapped in vinyl and the wood would sort of be an accent piece. Anyway, with the decision made to go with them just single height, I decided to simply stain them to as close as I could, match the dash wood grain. I think they came out great, if I end up hating them, I can easily remove them and wrap them.
Last edited by Abcdefghii; 04-15-2024 at 10:58 AM.
Take a look at this.... After a 30 minute drive, got home, left the engine running and pulled the air cleaner lid. The choke looks barely open, assuming it should be vertical.
I actually moved it some manually and the engine started to rev up a considerable amount, so I let it back behind them switching off.
That is your problem. I'm quite certain your carb is fine, the choke is choking too much.
It began to rev because the high idle cam on the carb is activated by the choke closing.
I'm guessing if you held the choke open and gave it a shot of throttle it would come off the high rev
cam and idle right down.
Time for that conversion choke.
OK great, I'll have to wait a few days for the choke conversion kit to arrive, ETA is currently the 22nd, (it's coming from about as far away from me as possible, while still being in the same country). But, hopefully with that installed it will run a good bit better then I can take my time to rebuild the carb when ready.
I figure I will go ahead and swap the choke over, then assuming it is running nicely, leave the carb rebuild until the weather gets colder again and I won't be driving the truck as much.
And, as always, because I have a number of projects of various size rattling around in my head, I pulled the gauge cluster today as I need to replace some of the bulbs as well as see if I can get the green film over the turn signal lights back where it is supposed to be. Most videos I have seen show the gauge lens held on by bolts, mine is held on by push pins, which being 40+ years old, are incredibly brittle, broke 2 already, not even tried removing any more yet as I know they will simply break. Are replacement plastic pins available? These are what I am talking about:
If they are not available, I figure swapping to machine screws and nuts will be fine since the plastic is not threaded.
Second, while I have the gauge cluster out, is there a way to test the gas gauge? Every now and then, the gauge stops working, sometimes even on the same drive it can be working, then not, then come back on again. Just wondering if there is a way to test the gauge on the bench, the sender is new so I am hoping it is nothing on the tank side of things. Maybe a loose connection on the sender? But, wanted to see if I can verify the gauge is good (although even that might be tricky, since it is inconsistent that it does not work) before I put it all back together.
04-03-2024, 06:03 PM
