All sorts of problems.

[FordPrefect]

Hey, I've had a rough time with my 77 lately.

1st, I think it's been pinging/knocking, so I've been playing with the timing a little, using a vacuum gauge. It didn't like to idle after warming up. It idled really low after driving for a while, so I kept tweaking the idle speed up.

My points were pretty worn, didn't really have enough on the rubbing block to open quite far enough, so I switched to the other set, as I've changed the dual point set up to a single points. Everything seemed ok, but then....

One day, after playing with the dwell, I didn't have a lot of power, and had some backfiring. Then it started dying at traffic lights, and when I got home, just died and didn't start for an hour or so. Plugs were whitish/indicating lean, I think.

I got it going again, the timing, dwell, etc seem ok, but there's a pretty steady miss, I think. Vacuum gauge climbs and falls.

Been chasing my tail for a while. I thought I got it under control, but when I pull the accelerator cable, the car just dies. It'll run if I put my hand over the choke. If I hold the timing light on the mark, the mark doesn't appear to move at all when I give it gas.

Do both sets of points advance the same? (mechanical advance, not vacuum.) Shouldn't I see the little timing mark move up when I hit the gas?

Coil is good, new cap and rotor on the dizzy, I've checked float level, been cleaning all the carb bits/idle jets, ilde solenoid functions, et. Might pick up some new spark plug cables if I can find them. I did replace the plugs as well.

Also, I put in a new fan switch, though it doesn't appear to kick on until the temp is nearly in the red. I'm thinking the temp gauge is hotter than the radiator.

I pulled the plugs while the car was running, it wanted to die each time.

When I put my hand over the carb or manually work the choke, it seems to pick up vacuum really well.

Sorry for the disorganized post, Just getting kinda frustrated.

[Shadoobie]

What I have done many times when encountering poor running conditions that you describe (in particular the pinging/drop off on throttle) is to establish an absolute baseline, in this order; static timing (crank, cams, aux shaft), then valve adjustment, then ignition timing, then set carb to baseline settings and go from there. It's a lot of work, but it will tell you wether or not your current setup is able to work on your car as it is. As for the temp gauge, I have tested mine on my '79 with a temp gun and I find that it reads about 10 to 15 degrees high. It hovers around the 0 in the 180 mark, but not past. You might want to make sure there's no air in the system.

[FordPrefect]

There is a lot of gurgling after shutting off the engine, might be an air pocket somewhere.

[bobplyler]

Maybe a vacuum leak?

[FordPrefect]

It's hard to dial in the dwell exactly, I've got it around 50 degrees, and the timing is at 10. It starts and runs pretty well, but as it warms up and the choke opens, it struggles and dies. If I manually close the choke, I can keep it running, kinda.

[FordPrefect]

I haven't seen the timing mark move at all while I rev up the car, is it possible the mechanical advance is stuck? I got a nice backfire out the carb on deceleration after I revved up. The little weights have a little wiggle, but I'm not sure how easily/far I should be able to move anything else. Right now it's just the weights.

I'm also not sure why the car would shut off after warming up if it was just the advance.

[FordPrefect]

Wow, ok. the advance was completely seized up, I pulled it off (that took a while, and a lot of liquid wrench), cleaned it up, and lubed with some grease. A little plastic washer sorta thing broke in half and fell off though, how important is that washer? It sits on the shaft between the weights.

I wonder what I've done to this poor car, driving it around with a non-to-poor-working advance...

I'll put the distributor back on tomorrow, and see what happens.

[FordPrefect]

Dizzy installed, runs great.

Until the choke opens, then it's death. I guess I'll have to go over the carb tomorrow. I figure it's running on the primaries, and not the idle jet... I've cleaned both idle jets already, but I guess it's time to pull the carb off the car and do it right.

[FordPrefect]

After installing a new fan switch, car temp gauge still reads nearly in the red before the fan kicks on. Bad temp sender or water pump?

Wouldn't cause this issue, would it?

[blazingspider]

Putting your hand over the top of the carb or the engine dying after the choke opens is usually a sign that you have a vacuum leak somewhere on the intake side.

[FordPrefect]

Working on the carb right now, mixture screw o-ring fell apart. I'm not sure that's the whole problem, but it can't be helping.

[FordPrefect]

Just to wrap this up, got the carb rebuilt, little spring inside the choke had come off, and she is purring like a kitten. Thanks all!