[CatHunter]

OK, thought I would test the waters on these forums again and see if someone might have a good explanation for my newest Cougar head cramp

Just got a brand new 600 cfm Holley and installed it the other day and BAM cougar runs great.... finally! Idles right, revs right (nice and smooth) etc. Even under load it seems grea t until I finish up and pull my gas line (a short feed) into a jerry can beside my cougar.

I simply reconnected my stock fuel line and then put new fuel in the tank, fired it up (started perfectly) reved it up a bit, let the idle drop and all seemed fine as before, but then I dropped it into reverse and/or drive and it bogs down immediately and stalls

Timing it dead on as well.

So it would appear I need a new fuel pump or a new fuel line or some way to clean out the original line etc. OR... perhaps it's something I'm over looking.

ALL options are welcome in solving this issue.

Cheers

CatHunter

 

[doctordesoto]

you have the wrong gasket under the carb----vacuum leal

 

[Bad69cat]

Could be a vac leak or lack of fuel I guess. Check your oil to be sure it doesn't smell like gas......what type choke - could be closing or not opening....

 

[CatHunter]

Vacuum pressure has tested and confirmed there are no leaks, all gaskets are new, motor was recently rebuilt. Oil changed recently, no water in oil. It's running a holley 600 cfm (brand new), properly tuned according to Holley's official you tube specs. Gasket under the carb is not brand new, but newer and is not a cheapy one... that could be part of the problem (maybe) ... I tested for air leaks according to various sources online and it seems to show no signs of any leaks or vacuum issues.

Almost everything on top of the motor is brand new including (coil, all plugs, all plug wires, rotor, rotor cap, ignitor replaced points, new carb, new fuel lines, new inline fuel filter, new starter relay, new regulator)

Side note for today; Changed out the newer fuel filter and did an oil change and it seems to run much better, but still has some issues starting from cold.

 

[woodsnake]

Could be lots of things, that a new carb has just compensated for..Where is your initial timing set? Did you disconnect the vacuum hose from the distributor when you set it?
Do you have a vacuum guage and a timing light? Very few people can actuall tune a car by "ear" and get it right....

 

[Bad69cat]

Doesn't really matter whats "new" - what matters is whats right......can't help you out if we don't have info that really helps to pinpoint problems....slapping on new without knowing it's needed leads to tail chasing

 

[CatHunter]

Yeah, I see your point guys, however I'm confident and quite familiar with the tools required to do things right and have fairly good knowledge around muscle cars in general (by no means an expert though).

Yes, I set the initial timing at 6 degrees as per the specs in the manual I own. I also own a timing light, disconnected the vacuum hose line, plugged it, put the car in neutral and then set the timing accordingly. Timing is bang on I'm sure.... however I've seen and heard lots of 351 C owners say to set the timing at 10 degrees. What's your opinions?

Also own a vacuum guage, everything checks out perfectly (again according to the manual)

----------------------------
UPDATE PROBLEM SOLVED
----------------------------

Anyway, I have a good note for all of you reading or anyone having similar problems. I'm not as smart as I thought I was... go figure.

We discovered today that the "coil" we were using was not compatible with the ignitor we swapped the points out with. It ran, but started really hard etc and never seemed to idle right.

So we through in a new MSD coil and external resistor and whala! Starts instantly... revs perfectly, idles bang on now and doesn't stall under load.



Thanks for your comments, I'll do my best to contribute on these forums when possible

Here is a shot of my Cat for those who enjoy seeing other Cats

 

[Bad69cat]

Good deal - so what ignition are you running then? Pertronix or something I would guess? what lead you to the coil as the culprit? I ask this as some others have been having trouble with the conversion and am wondering what resistance it calls for.

 

[CatHunter]

Yup a Pertronix Ignitor 1. I threw on the MSD coil in place of a stock (standard) coil and it starts like a champ now, from cold or hot. However, there is a slight chance that when I replaced the Coil I also changed the wires as the MSD coil came with an external resistor which provided new wires. Maybe it was a wiring issue ... but I doubt it. I simply think that the Pertronix ignitor required a higher voltage to be thrown at it, along with a resistor to meet the proper criteria.

 

[tmh]

Did you run a dedicated switched 12v supply to the Ignitor? Or are you trying to run it with the old points feed, which is using a resistor wire and is too low of voltage for the Pertronix to operate correctly? The right way to do it is run that old coil feed the same as before, but instead of connecting the Ignitor's power connection to that same feed, connect it to a switched 12v that's only on when the key is in the run position.

I just went through the same thing when I installed an Ignitor II and the car started running like crap. Turns out if you talk to Pertronix, they'll send you a troubleshooting guide. And you can find info on the net without going to them, too.

Lots of people say that it's BS, that they've been running an Ignitor for years off the resistor wire with no problems whatsoever. Maybe their resistor wires are out of spec, I dunno. But if you follow the test procedures that Pertronix outlines, if you're like me you'll find that the voltage from your resistor wire is below the spec for the Ignitor, and all you have to do is give the Ignitor its own 12v feed instead of the lower voltage from the resistor wire.

Good luck, hope your cat runs like a champ