66 Cruiser with Engine that Quits

[sralston]

Hi all,
My daughter has a 66 Cruiser with a 283 v8 and a powerglide 2 speed autotrans.
The engine runs great at idle and down the road. BUT when you first put it in gear at normal operating temperature the engine quits.
I have checked all plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, points, timing, vacuum lines(both of them).
I replaced fuel filter but no change.
Like I said it idles smooth. and if you keep it running to get it rolling it runs great down the road.
No matter what I have tried every time I put it in drive, low, or reverse the engine stalls.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP?
It is causing me quite the headache.
Thanks

[Dick Steinkamp]

Could it be something as simple as setting the engine idle up a little?

BTW, if the car has a Powerglide, it has been modified. In 66, they came with the Flight-O-Matic. It is a 3 speed trans, but starts out in 2nd gear unless you floor it. It would take a lot of work to convert it over to a Powerglide.

[sralston]

I tried that.
I feel I have tried everything but that only means I missed something.

Thanks for the info on the trans. The man who did most of the restoration said it was a powerglide. it only shifts once in driving and the car has a comfortable top speed of 60mph. anything above that the car really likes to drink the gas.
I will have to check into the trans and make sure what it is.

quote:Originally posted by Dick Steinkamp

Could it be something as simple as setting the engine idle up a little?

BTW, if the car has a Powerglide, it has been modified. In 66, they came with the Flight-O-Matic. It is a 3 speed trans, but starts out in 2nd gear unless you floor it. It would take a lot of work to convert it over to a Powerglide.

[sralston]

Ok, I did some digging and found that it is in fact a flight \-o-matic trans not a powerglide.

[dave smith]

you may have a bad converter if it stalls when you come to a stop

[Dick Clemens]

Sounds like my 66 Cruiser. My problem is the accellarater pump. Check your carb. to see if you have a squirt of gas when you hit the throttle. I have to squirt of gas down the air filter at the top of the air cleaner to start it when it stalls on me. Will fix accellarater pump soon. (excuse spelling)

[gordr]

A couple more things to check:

Bad vacuum advance unit on the distributor, or...

A good vacuum advance unit, but the ground pigtail wire for the distributor breaker plate is broken, and points lose their ground when the advance unit moves the breaker plate.

Also maybe a bad wire/flaky connection between the wire harness and the (+) terminal on the coil; engine moves a bit when put in gear, stresses a weak point, and presto! no spark. 283s from that era were known for weak left-side motor mounts, so have a good look at it.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[wagonairedriver]

Have you checked the throttle shaft for wear? I used to have a '53 commander Hdtp (yeah, i know, I still look around for a big rock to kill myself with when I think that I actually sold it!)that would idle and run fine, but when you put it in gear it would leak vacuum around the throttle shaft and die. very annoying

[sralston]

ok,Ihave checked all wiring to and from engine,I have replaced the carb with a GM reman.
The engine runs better with the new carb, doesn't quit when in gear now but it does run very rough. Sometimes it is running rough enough that it will stall.
It always starts right back.
Does anyone know the exact timing set for the 283?
Any other suggestions?
Does the trans have a engine idle control on it when put into gear?

[StudeRich]

Initial timing 4 degrees before top dead center with vacuum advance disconnected and plugged.
Point gap: turn allen screw in clockwise until engine misfires, then turn counterclockwise 1/2 turn or set to 30 degrees Dwell. Idle speed 475 in Drive. firing order 18436572.

Quick check of vacuum advance by disconnecting line and reading dwell, then connect and watch difference. Then watch and increase RPM.

Also, I would re-check for fouled spark plugs causing rough idle, or bad plug wires.

There is no "trans. idle adjustment" only the throttle cable adjustment for the trans. throttle pressure.

If equipped with a working dashpot, that would slow the idle return when slowing to a stop to prevent stalling.

The only other setting would be the fast (choked, COLD) and slow (Hot)Carb. idle setting and the idle richness settings.

quote:Originally posted by sralston

Does anyone know the exact timing set for the 283?
Any other suggestions?
Does the trans have a engine idle control on it when put into gear?

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[Dick Steinkamp]

In addition to Rich's suggestions, I'd do a compression check to look for burned valves. Also I'd look for a vacuum leak using WD40 or carb cleaner around the usual suspects.

Did you set the idle speed and idle mixture on the new carb according to the manual?

Be sure to set the dwell BEFORE you set the timing.

[sralston]

All better now.
I set dwell, wasn't out much. I set timing, I adjusted fuel mixture again and replaced spark plugs and wires just for good measure.
1 spark plug had a slight crack in the porcelin shaft I didn't see the first time I checked it until I was cleaning it this time.
She purrs like a kitten now.
Thanks for all the suggestions.