i got a 350 with a zz4 cam, power plus intake, 750 edelbrock carb and a regular gm hei vacuum advance distributor. i was wondering why when i take it out of park the engine goes to a really low rpm and then stalls. i also hve the stock torque converter with 323 gears any whelp would be seet , thanks

 

Has it just started doing this? Have you recently changed something on the engine? I'm thinking maybe timing, but more info could help.

 

i just finished with a rebuild and it idles pretty good but when i put it in gear it stalls out , if i turn the idle up excessively high it wont stall but i know that cant be the solution

 

Whats your cars idle speed set at when it stalls out and whats it set at to avoid stalling?

 

its idles at around 8-900 rpm normally but in order for it not to stall i have to set it at like 3000

 

Does it have a lopey idle? Whats your vacuum at idle?

 

Does it throw any codes?

It may just be a case of a clogged cat or bad fuel fuel filter. It may be you have a lean mixture, try setting it a tad richer.

 

Sounds like a vacuum leak.

 

i'm 99% sure that there is no vacuum leaks, fuel filter is new, but its possible that i have a lean mixture or couldnt also be too rich of a mixture also?

 

What does it do when it stalls? Is it an abrupt stall or does it kinda jerk and surge and then stall?

I imagine a rich mixture stall is possible...but I think it would have to be REAAAAAL rich for that to happen. Ridiculously so. How does it run if you get it moving down the road? Any problems above low speeds? I IMAGINE a very weak ignition could stall an engine under load just like a lack of fuel, etc. might.

Oh and btw....your first post contradicts itself in the distributor. If you have an HEI distributor, you don't have a vacuum advance....you've got electronic advance. Vacuum advance is for non-HEI (one step up from mechanic advance).

This post is getting REALLY long...sorry about that. I'm a little drunk so my thoughts are coming one at a time, so I keep adding paragraphs. You mentioned your converter is stock....how lopey is your cam? Do you have specs on it? A very lopey cam on a stick converter can be tricky to put into gear. The converter will grab so hard at such a low rpm (the converter on these stalls at probably 1200 or less) that it holds the engine back from idling normally and will stall it out. But still, it shouldnt take a 3000 rpm idle to keep the engine from stalling. 3000 rpms equals a neutral drop..... Btw....avoid putting it into gear at 3000 rpms. With a 350's torque, it's a great way to break a good transmission.

 

then y is there a vacuum port on my distributor? i thought that was for the ignition advance

 

o yea and it does run for a sec in gear then it dies

 

D'Oh...I forgot, yours is a carbed motor. In an 88. Meaning, not the stock motor. Then you have a vacuum advance distributor, and probably not an HEI distributor. No coil-in-cap distributor correct? Coil mounted somewhere remote....cylindrical coil? And describe 'runs for a second in gear and then dies'... We need precise details here man!

 

Are you sure that it takes 3000 rpm not to stall? At that rpm, you are far, far from idle. Not to mention your brakes won't even hold the car with the stock converter. If it is at 3000 rpm, what do the rpm's drop to in gear?

When you set your idle speed, make sure you set your idle with the car in gear. Use the parking brake and wheels chocks. If that checks out, then I would check your initial timing.

 

Simple inspection for vac. advance or not. Is there a little metal cone coming out of the side of the distributor? And he says hes using a standard GM HEI unit. Most every GM HEI i have seen is coil-on-cap design.

The specs of the ZZ4 are:

-208/221° @.050
-.474/.510 lift
-112° lobe seperation

Its by no means an "overly-aggressive" cam. and it should pull plenty of vacuum, otherwise GM wouldnt use it in their crates without a warning.

 

Yeah, that's not a crazy cam. Lot of exhaust lift, but not much intake lift...and the duration is wimpy. Should pull plenty of vacuum...maybe 15 Hg's at idle. Brakes will operate pretty close to normally at 15...

 

Ditto. For the V8's anyways. The sixes got remote coils. I'm only suspecting a non-stock distributor because according to his name at least, his car is an 88 and 88's dont come with carbed motors... And if it's a carb, unless its one of those electronic q-jets, it shouldnt have an HEI.

 

HEI's can have vaccum advance, I have 2 of em.. the computer controlled HEI's were stock in most if not all third gens though.. HEI simply refers to any gm dist that doesnt use ignition points..

 

ok , when i turn the idle upto around 2000 rpm the car will shift into gear and go , but if i turn the idle down to where it should be at around 800- 900, the car will idle really choppy and low like at 400 rpm and when i go to hit the gas to move it stalls out, i hope that is descriptive enough

 

it is an hei vacuum advance distributor, could it be possible that i have my air/ fuel mixture screws out of wack? i know the timing is at tdc, so it can't be that , it has to be the carburetor . it has a new mechanical holley fuel pump, the old one is out of the tank, could it also be that i used the tpi fuel filter on it instead of a carb one? thanks guys

 

I doubt the fuel filter would make THAT kind of a difference.... By it stalling when you're hitting the gas, it definitely sounds like it's not getting fuel to me. And when you hit the gas, it's letting all that air in and the motor isnt getting the fuel it needs, so it goes super-lean and stalls.

And by your timing, you set it at 0 degrees of advance then? Try upping it until you hear it start pinging (better to do this with the engine under load because it might not ping at, say, 6 degrees with no load, but a loaded 6 degrees might start pinging) , then back it off a little bit...see how it does then.

 

My advice would be to set your timing at 6*-8* base timing, and to hook your vacuum advance can to the passenger side port on the front of the carb (ported vacuum)...

 

How many degrees of timing do you have rght now, while the car in gear? Change that and adjust your idle mixture if you havent already done so.

 

Yes ...sounds like no advance to me also...HEI is non computer controlled.....had an old IHI scout that I rebuilt the 4 banger in it...perfect idle..put it in gear died......turned out to be a very sticky distributor that was cured with some wd-40...check the vaccuum advance is connected to the carb and distributor as suggested,,,,,

 

My car will idle fine in park and then die when you put it into gear if the idle mixture screws are too lean.

 

sweet guys thanks for the help ill let you know the results soon, my setup will prolly get me 350 hp with 10:1 compression and 202 160 valve heads and a perdormer eps intake dont ya think? probablay gonna hook up a msd 6a soon.

 

350 at the engine is definitely VERY possible. 350 at the wheels is a tad trickier...but you might be close to it. Maybe 325+

 

Do you have a locking torque converter? If so, might be the lockup switch.

 

He said he's got the stock torque converter... And I know what youre thinking.....but a converter lockup, even if it's broken and STAYS locked....it CANNOT lock in 1st gear. 2nd and up, but it won't lock in first.

 

Correct, there is no fluid routed to the lockup solenoid until second gear... even if it was stuck shut, it shouldn't lock up before second...

 

my friends camaro does the same thing but i am blameing it on the stall we adjusted everything and looked over everything like 100Xs. atleast your brakes r still good, my firends car sucks at brakeing at low speeds, will never ever stop on a dime, but its no to bad up high. so ya like i said we r blameng the stall, when u fix this problem please let us no what was the problem.\
good luck!

 

Low-rpm braking issues sounds like poor engine vacuum due to a high-lift or high overlap cam, or vacuum leak, or a faulty power booster.

 

Definately has NOTHING to do with the torque converter...

 

Lol...yeah, if the converter is stuck in lockup...you'll notice VERY quickly. It's like shifting into 3rd gear immediately after shifting into 2nd. Except you haven't hit 3rd yet. And you'll hear grinding noises, etc. sometimes on decelerations and turns. I know. I wired a lockup switch and accidentally left it on one time.

 

I was actually referring to the other guys brakes not working being related to the torque converter (Nope)... But yes, the converter lockup being stuck on would be about as unnoticable as a 747 parked in your driveway...

 

Well,try unplugging your vac advance, set your timing to 4* , turn your idle down so it allmost dies, then turn your idle mixture screws out untill your idle is where you want it.

 

irocpower88
sure would be nice if you would give us an update...

 

Yeah,Don't leave us hangin

 

Hookup a vacuum gauge to that carb and tune for highest vacuum reading.

 

BTW, I have seen a lockup convertor installed on a non lockup 700R4 and it would lock up intermittently and stall the vehicle. The fluid could be routed to the lockup clutch in the convertor at any time. Don't rule this possibility out.

 

well got the motor running good, but now i have too low of a stall on my torque converter. i knew i should have got a new one. thanks for the help guys

 

Irocpower88 said: "I just finished with a rebuild...". I'm in the same "circle": engine rebuild - too much air into the motor - engines dies at idle in gear. What happens?...


Denis V.

 

Glad to here What was the problem?

 

Lol, stock converters on cammed cars suck SO bad. I've got a stock converter behind a cam with 220/220 duration at .050 and .498/.498 lift...it sucks. At low speeds in higher gears, the engine starts to lope and "bucks" the transmission. Thunk thunk thunk thunk---downshift.

Whenever ya get one....stall it to about 500 rpms before your powerband. If your car gets a full-solid powerband pull at 3000, then stall it at 2500. You dont wanna stall it INTO the powerband, but right before it to give the engine time to come into it. And a stall too far below it is a waste.

 

the timing was off and i swiched the 750 edel to a 600 edel and that seems to match a lot better, im seriosly thinking about ditchin the 700r for a wc t-5, what you guys think of that?

 

Yes, It's as Nixon describes: At low speed, tranny is doing ....ThumP! - downshift...

(Mmm, I can see a Ford in the Nixon's post....)

 

Lol, yeah, that's the Rustang I had to sell the Camaro to get. One engine and a lot of money later, it's in the 13's. Still needs a tranny though.