Hi all, just thought I'd start out by saying that this is the first carbureted 305 I've ever built. Anyway, I just built a 305 motor to toss into a Sonoma, which had a blown-up 350. I used the intake, carb, etc from the 350. It has a 4-barrel Holley, I'm not sure of the size. The truck sat for a year and a half before I built the motor. I changed gas, tossed the 305 together with new rings, bearings, polished the crank, new damper, valve job, springs, oil pump, std. 305 pistons, etc...problem is the motor wont run. I'm nervous because I've tried to start it over a dozen times already. It'll catch, run for a second or two and die. 'Fiddling' doen't seem to help, it stalls whenever I open it up (at all). Only way to keep it running is with starting fluid (Don't want to do that). The motor is fresh, honed cylinders and new cam. I can already smell and see fuel in the vacuum lines, and don't want to contaminate the oil. I'm pretty sure there are no vacuum leaks. What should I do? I cant keep it running for more than a few seconds. I can't raise the RPM's over 1000. I see fuel coming from one side of the carb (front). But not the other. Also, there seems to be some linkage missing from the front pass side of the carb. Whoever originally built this should be slapped. I need to break this thing in, not break it! PITA already with the headers. Any suggestions?

 

Well if it runs with starting fluid, then the motor is OK. You have a fuel delivery problem. Either it isn't being delivered, or what is being delivered isn't fuel which is typical of a vehicle that has sat around for a long time.

If it's fuel delivery, start with a carb rebuild; check for fuel pump delivery by disconnecting the line from the carb; if all that is OK, drain the tank totally and put in fresh gas.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Just put in fresh gas. Had about 8 gallons, seven of which were removed. Stuff stunk. Topped it off with 93 octane and shook well. Things got oil and fuel pressure...I'll check the filter and if that's OK, tear the damn thing apart. As I said, fuel if only coming from the first 2 bores of the carburetor, not the rear. Now, I assume this doesn't happen until those rear bores open, but when I do it by hand, nothing. ???

 

The front two bores are called "primaries" and the back two "secondaries". The engine "primarily" runs on the front two bores, until a certain throttle level or load is given - then the "secondaries" open up to provide extra power. The condition you describe sounds normal.

In fact, it may not be your carb at all, but rather that the timing is not advanced enough. The starter fluid may mask that.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere w/open diff & slipping tranny. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

 

I already have experimented with timing...I decided to box the Holley and I tossed an old (but complete and working)Quadrajet on there. We'll see if it works. I'm worried though...Cyl#8 wasn't firing (header tube not hot) and there was gas out the exhaust. I can smell gas in the crankcase. Either way, I'm changing the oil before cranking it any more. Filter too. Should I be worried about the Cam lube, and the oil additive(break-in lube)in the crankcase...where can I get more? Thanks, just dont want to blow up this motor, it was a PITA to get it in. Forgive me, I know FI, not carbs. Just want it to run long enough to break it in...I'm getting a buddy at work to tune it...

[This message has been edited by dhirocz (edited April 20, 2001).]

 

The carb certainly isn't keeping #8 cylinder from firing when the others are.

No flame intended, but it may be time to go back to the basics: Spark plug wires in the right order and in good shape, cap & rotor in good shape, choke working properly (closing all the way for starting, opening slightly when starts, opening all the way when warm), etc.

A vacuum secondary carb will not squirt fuel into the secondaries when you work the throttle by hand. It requires a certain engine load to open them; which is done by the vacuum diaphragm, not by linkage (there might not be anything missing, in other words).

I'll have to admit I've never heard of a "break-in additive". I simply use a petroleum-based oil, preferably straight 30 weight. Change after the cam is run in. But, if you've gotten raw gasoline into it, change it after you've fixed the running problem and are ready to run in the cam.

 

My 305, which i just did a quickie flogging of bolt-ons had the same problem.. this was just a couple of weeks ago. What was it? Just the timing.

Jon

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82 Trans Am
Original 134,000 mile LG4
Holley 600 cfm carb, Weiand Stealth Intake manifold, no smog equipment, Hooker headers are in a box next to the car, and some true dual exhausts are gonna be fabricated soon, hopefully....