Traveler wont start

7

77TravelerNC

New member
77 traveler
345 w/ 407 a/t 4wd
Holley gold box ignition.

Recently purchased a Scout that has been sitting for 6 years.
Replaced the fuel filter, added new gas, replaced belts, hoses, etc.
Rebuilt carb.
I was able to get it to start with starting fluid but it would die right away.
Adjusted float on carb.
Replaced spark plugs, coil, distributor cap, rotor button, gold box.
Did not replace the wires (budget issues)
cant get it to start now even when using starting fluid.
I do have a spark but it looks orange not white or blue.
Checked the resistance on the coil and it is correct.
Any suggestions?
 
Well since the cap was replaced my first guess would be to check that the wires are in the correct order. Please note that this is timed on cyl #8 not #1 as most engines are.
 
I am new to this site and am in need of some help. I just bought a 1977 loadstar sundance, drove it home today. The truck ran good all the way home, even though the carb wasn't just right. Once I got it home I started to tune it up, air filter, fuel filter plugs, even though it looked like it had recently had a tune up. Found the proper gap for the new plugs, once I got them in I started the truck, fired right up but doesn't want to idle, so I set the idle screw up a bit to keep it running. Go in it to move the truck to change oil and filter and it died. When I went to start it back up it would just crank and not fire. I checked the distributor, it has the pertronix upgrade in it, had the Holley dust with silver box. I go to town and get a new coil as it looked like the only piece of the ignition system that hadn't already been replaced, put it on, truck fired right up, took fuel good, I held throttle open some to let it run a few moment and continue on with my service, once I let it idle back down it died, will not start back. The coil that was on the truck was one that required a external regulator, that had been unhooked, the one I put on has an internal. Could the old coil with the regulator unhooked have burnt the pertronix up in the distributor? I think I have a fuel and fire problem both. I removed one of the plugs and cranked the engine, orange spark, not blue. This truck has a 7214a Holley 2bbl on it, can I buy a new replacement? Thanks for the info in advance. Sorry this message is soo long.
 
Welcome to the forum. In the future, I recommend starting your own thread for best results. At first blush, I was thinking you must not know the difference between a loadstar and a Scout traveler...lol.

What engine does this truck have in it?
When you replaced the spark plugs, were you careful to maintain correct plug wire routing order? Best practice is to only have one loose plug wire at a time to avoid mix ups.
The pertronics module is intended to operate without an external ballast resistor in the power feed, provided the primary resistance of the ignition coil is adequate. For a v8 engine, a coil with a 1.5 ohm resistance measured across the primary terminals works fine. The prior "gold/silver" box ignition system has the same requirement, as it too is a breakerless system. What you say was unhooked on the prior coil, was likely just an noise suppressing capacitor for reducing ignition noise through your high fidelity, am sound system. Modern shielded plug wires have made that device unnecessary.
An external resistor is generally used in conjunction with breaker points as protection for the contact set and the coil. Words printed on the exterior of a coil canister don't take that distinction into consideration. It is up to the consumer to know enough about their ignition system to correctly determine whether or not an external resistor is required.
There are several generations of pertronic modules. The overload protection has gotten better with each successive installment. The first generation modules have no overload protection. One thing that will damage those versions very quickly is to leave the ignition powered while the engine is not running. It doesn't take long to fry them that way. We don't know what version you have at this point. If you can see any model number on the module, that would help in making the identification.
As for your carb, I think it must be a model 2210. Pictures would confirm. Direct replacements for that model aren't readily available. It could probably be overhauled with the correct service kit. If this was a Scout, I'd be suggesting the owner not waste their time and instead get an aftermarket Holley model 2300 list 0-7448 as a replacement. I imagine your application incorporates a governor to limit engine speed. I don't know if the aftermarket Holley would be a good choice in your case. Need to know more about your engine.
 
Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it! My engine is the mv404. When I replaced the plugs I did them one at a time. You are right on my carb, another number I found for it was a Holley number 2-752. The pertronix kit in my dist is if memory serves I'd a d57-121 on the module in the dist. I have noticed the new kits I see online that number has changed. Should I have twelve volte on the ignition wire going to the coil? Thanks again
 
Yes, switched 12 volt to coil pos. Best measured with the wire loose from the coil terminal. If you have a multi-meter that is capable of measuring resistance in ohms you can probe across the coil +/- terminals to determine your primary resistance. This is also best done with no wires connected for accuracy.
 
I'll check it. This truck still has the silver box and all on the firewall, with this pertronix upgrade is the stuff on the firewall still hooked up or just there for looks? What are your thoughts on the carburetor?
 
Ok, I unhook coil, tested ignition wire , 12.6 volts at battery and 12.3 volts at coil. Checked ohms on coil they tested 3.4, so I grab the coil I took off of truck, it tested 1.3, put it on, truck fires right up running good. Let it run about 3-4 minutes rev engine up good a few times, when truck comes back to idle it dies, will just crank no start back.
 
It seems like you've had your best results when the engine is cold. Then things go to shit as the engine warms up. Do you agree?

So, is the choke working? The plate should be closed on your cold start and then open as the engine warms up. If the choke plate doesn't open, the engine gets too much fuel and not enough air. That can be somewhat overcome while you have the throttle applied, since the engine is able to burn more fuel at higher revs. At idle speed, though, it could be flooding out on an overly Rich mix. Since I can't be there to hear, see and smell what's going on, all I can do right now is make some wild guesses. You're the eyes, ears and nose on the ground. The more detail you can provide, the better. I do think that reverting to the previous coil was the right call. The remote amplifier aka silver box should have been bypassed at the time that the p-tron was installed. You should be able to verify that pretty easily by examining the silver box wire harness.
 
It doesn't smell like gas when it dies. Actually the choke isn't coming on all the way when I start the truck. However I removed the fuel line going to the carb a few minutes ago and even the line started to loosen up it sprayed fuel all over the place, a lot of pressure. I finished removing the line to see if there was a inline filter going into the carb, there wasn't, is my carb stopped up? Before I drove it home yesterday when I filled it up I added a bottle of sea foam to the tank, could it of broken some crap loose in the carb plugging it up?
 
The Holley carbs don't have integrated filters. Any filtration would be externally attached to the fuel supply line. Does the truck have an electric fuel pump? The fuel shouldn't be under high pressure. Most Holley carbs work west when the fuel pressure is between 5 and 7 psi. That's what engine driven pumps are designed to provide.
 
No the truck only has mechanical engine mounted pump. I am going to get a new carb and see how it does, not luck so far in finding a rebuild kit for the one I have.
 
An oem Holley 2300 will have a fine brass screen behind the fuel inlet fitting. Just cleaned the one on my '73 loadstar 1700 last week.
 
Thanks for the info. There is a place in ohio that has rebuilt carbs for a long time and has the same carb as on my truck rebuilt and ready to go. Should I go with that or look to one of these 2300's instead? Also what is this motorcraft conversion I am hearing about? Thanks
 
Whats your time worth ? If you can get a carb ready to go, bolt on & work ! Then do it .. What carb are you talking about here in ohio ?
 
Does it crank? If it's not starting did you try t9 gravity feed the carb t9 see if the fuel pump is not working?
 
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