1978 Dodge 440: Gas has funny smell, Backfiring, etc

[BelleStarr71]

Just purchased this beast. We are brand new at this so any help is greatly appreciated. Already replaced battery, but driving it from Lancaster OH to Columbus OH it decided to not start after driving it for 3/4 of the distance. The gas smells off. Engine tries to catch, but just won't. Thinking maybe bad gas? Need plugs and wires?

[rgatijnet1]

BelleStarr71 wrote:
Thanks yall. we tried the starter fluid and it tried to start. then poured good gas in carb. it started for a few seconds each time. i belive it is a clogged fuel line. going to replace and clean it all up.

Change the fuel filter and that may be all you have to do since it appears the ignition is OK.

[BelleStarr71]

Thanks yall. we tried the starter fluid and it tried to start. then poured good gas in carb. it started for a few seconds each time. i belive it is a clogged fuel line. going to replace and clean it all up.

[OhhWell]

Maybe they put fresh gas in it and it has been running fine. It sounded like a wife looking for info to help her husband. Who knows.

have heard in the past that bad gas can cause backfire in older engines.

[Born_To_Travel]

The last year Mopar used points was 1974... This is a 1978 and has first generation electronic ignition...

[John_Joey]

It's only been 24 hours.

[2bzy2c]

I sort of get the feeling that someone that is a "New member, i.e. first post" are the most likely to never provide follow up. I hope this person has the class to provide some follow up

[2bzy2c]

Hmmm- another "Ask and Dash?"

Any updates??

[garyp4951]

I had this same problem before, and it was water in the gas. Shortly after I filled up, the truck started backfiring, and shooting flames out of the exhaust.

[Emperor]

The ballast resister is in the circuit to drop the voltage from the battery voltage of 12 volts to 9 volts. That is why it burns up the points when you jumper the ballast resistor.It can cause the engine to no start if the circuit is open and the points have no voltage.

[Matt_Colie]

As a member of the ancient motorhome owners group...
Yes, I bet the fuel in the tank(s) has gone bad. If you can't get the tanks emptied and refilled, it might be possible to rig a temporary fuel supply to get the rig home.

While that alone may be your current problem, be ready, if they have not been replaced in any recent decade, any rubber part is likely to be a problem. The most apparent of these will be the fuel lines that were never intended to put up with the stuff they sell as motorfuel these days. But, the most important to watch will be the rubber brake lines. These can fail lots of way and some don't show. The brake fluid should be flushed even if you don't change out the rubber lines.

Matt

[SkiingSixPack]

Born To Travel wrote:
Another thing those late 70s Mopars were famous for was the ballast resistors going bad.. . Back then everyone carried a spare in the glovebox.. To test it unplug both ends and take a ohm meter and check the lower one from end to end and the upper one from end to end.. If either reads open then it is bad.. One side is the start circuit and the other side is the run circuit..

Our old 1977 Dodge went through 2 of these. We kept one in the glovebox after that also. I checked mine by using a small nail we had with us to bypass the resister. It started right up, so we called the closest auto parts store and they had 2 of them. Bought both. Lucky we did!!! The second one is still probably gong strong.

This was the only time the old motor home stranded us. We had to have some carb work done and we just always had issues with re-starting after it was warm.

Good luck!!!

[ezcamping]

A friend of mine bought an old car that had been sitting for a long time. It had some gas in it and he filled it after he bought it. On the way home about halfway it started to sputter and backfire and lose power. Pulled over to the side of the road and tried to diagnose problem. After about an hour of trying different things it started back with no problems. Drove home and just as he got home started doing the same thing. We couldn't figure it out for a long time until finally we noticed brown dust coming out of the exhaust and on further inspection figured out it was rust.

The gas tank had rust and crud in it and after driving a bit it would all come up off the bottom of tank and get in the fuel. After sitting awhile the crud would settle.and it would run again. Long story short check the tank for crud.

[wildmanbaker]

I think Scott may have it correct. If it will start when it cools off, more than likely, the timing chain is stretched, and needs to be replaced as a full set. I recommend a double roller chain set, with gears. GMs are also guilty of this problem. If the ignition box goes bad, it usually just dies and will not start. There is a test procedure for the boxes, but I do not remember it off the top of my head. A good "Motors Manual" will have this information, and others for trouble shooting.

[2bzy2c]

Born To Travel wrote:
Another thing those late 70s Mopars were famous for was the ballast resistors going bad.. On the firewall will be a rectangular white ceramic looking thing with a plug on each end.. these acted like a fuse for the ignition system.. When they went bad it would not start.. Back then everyone carried a spare in the glovebox.. To test it unplug both ends and take a ohm meter and check the lower one from end to end and the upper one from end to end.. If either reads open then it is bad.. One side is the start circuit and the other side is the run circuit..

So true. I was going to write about that, but felt I was not able to give a good description of it. Back in the day, I drove a tow truck for auto club. I always carried one. Came in handy more than once.

However, the resistor will have nothing to do with the backfiring. Just the starting.