Ok,

I am having a little trouble with getting my engine to stay at idle, fist off lets start with this, I am running a Chevy 350 about a 70 model, a few days ago it started acting up, so I did a few things ,


First I replaced the ignition coil
Second I cleaned the spark plugs

When I started it up this morning everything was going great, I was able to get everything running, and now when I got the parking lot at work, it started acting up again,

Fist it would act like it wanted to die like it was not getting enough gas and too much air, now it I put it in neutral I was able to keep it going without any problems but as soon as I let go of the gas it acted like it was going to die and in fact it did,

I guess the next step would be

replace cables running from the distributor to spark plugs
Check idle mark screw on carburetor
Replace flue pump

After that I am stumped please help in any way

Thanks
Joe

Fuel filter?

Most likely it will be something inexpensive. Throwing parts at it gets expensive. Maybe try a can of seafoam in the tank. BTW, welcome and where in TX are you?

I never thought that about that, do I just need to remove it and clean it with a good cleaner, it just seems to me that it would be a little more harder than that,

I have added an additive into my gas today it will just take a few time for it to be effective, i just to get why it was running fine until the end of the trip,

im in the houston area

Joe

Fuel filters are just a replacement item. They are cheap and it probably needs to be changed anyway if it hasn't been changed in a couple years.

It's usually best to find out what the problem is before replacing things.
Since it's intermittant, and happens at idle, and you can keep it running with your foot, you've given good clues.

A weak fuel pump, or even a plugged filter, would mainly affect it at higher speeds where the fuel demand is higher. Idle doesn't use all that much fuel.

Since it's trying to die, not just going "thump thump thump" it's doubtful it's just one cylinder doing it - highly unlikely several plug wires are shorting out at the same time. It's possible one is jumping to another - look for whitish marks on the wires - burned insulation, dried smoke.

I suspect dirt or water in the carb. But before replacing/rebuilding it - try the Mexican Tune-up.

You may need help with the keeping it running. Rev it to about 2500, then put your hand or a CLEAN rag over the top of the carburetor, completely cutting all the air off. The engine will die, let it die all the way down, keep it covered completely till it stops.
It'll be hard to start, flooded bad, hold the pedal all the way to the floor (do not pump it) and crank till it starts again.
Now do it again. Sometimes it takes twice.

What you are doing is creating a super high vacuum in the carb, sucking out any water and dirt in the idle passages. Kinda like blowing your nose in reverse.

It helps a waterlogged carb or dirty carb about 80% of the time. Easy! Good trail fix too. That's why it's called a Mexican tune-up - often needed in Baja with the fine silt there. Some folks think it's a slurr.

New filters are always a good idea anyway.

Let us know.

I dont want to seem rude, or anything just making sure i can get a few questions out there to eliminate a few things off my list, is there a possiability that this could be a vacumm leak, i have looked almost about everywhere around the carb to make sure of it, just need to know where eles a leak could be,

So far i am going to replace the fuel fillter and i think it is time to replace the fuel pump, they are cheap enough, just need to make sure if there is anything eles i should check

I was also reading a few thing on the net about cleaning the carb, and one said to remove the air screws, on the car and blow some air in there get out any major dirt or anything is this a good thing to consider or am I just creating a problem

Joe

1. Start 'er up, and let it idle 10 minutes.
2. Pull the air cleaner off,
3. Put you hands over the carb throat[*]If it stalls, that's good[*]If it keeps running, that's bad.
4 If it stalls that means,
5. That there's no vacuum leak.
6. You're hands block the air from coming in to the carb throat.
7. If it doesn't cough, sputter, choke and die,
8. That means there's another source of air,
9. Or, loosely translated, a vacuum leak.
10. You're job is to find it.
11. Remember the Carb Cleaner (or water) trick,
12. For finding vacuum leaks?
13. Try it out,
14. It may help.

are you sure it's being starved of fuel and not loading up?

had similar symptoms with a dirty float bowl needle in my old Holley 4 brl. the needle would collect trash (due to bad fuel filter) and hang the needle slightly open. Thus flooding the bowl and carb. I could usually take the handle of a screw driver and whack the side of the float bowl a few times to dislodge the debris. if that didn't work, I had to pull the needle and clean it off, screw it back in and everything was fine.

Blowing air through the idle screws can't hurt - about the same results as the Mexican Tune-up.
Vacuum leak - carb, carb base, manifold trees - follow the vacuum hoses to where they go too - could be on the other end. Power brake booster too, listen close for an internal leak, step on the pedal - worse yet?
Sometimes blowing smoke through a hose finds the torn spot.

A burnable carb cleaner sprayed into a leak source will cause the engine to run faster - if the engine is already lean.
Non burnable things at best seal the hole temporarily unless a huge volume can get in, then it'll stumble.

Ha Ha - Had a guy once tell me he used soapy water and looked for the bubbles - he could "see" the vacuum leaking out!

LEVE -- He He -- the water in your area is so polluted it burns? Please, don't drink it!

Remember when some of the rivers in the midwest actually caught fire? I wonder if the octane's high enough for a Jeep?

No wonder Evion Water costs so much.

update

Alright first lets start off by saying thanks, I was able to find a vacuum leak, and a dirty fuel filter, so replaced filter fixed vacuum leak, and started running great was able to adjust idle and good to go,

but wait thats not it, ran to the store and found that under pressure/gear ran great if you left it in gear and just sutting at the light it wanted to die, and in fact it did a few times, so got home and adjusted idle, and still same problem put it and gear and let it idle, it would run then die, keep it in nutral and everything runs great, so im lost, please help

Joe