'59 Plymouth Forum

Hi Guys - I'm sure one of you has solved this problem. 361 CI engine, with AFB 4 bbl. When engine is warm and I take off from a dead stop there is always a brief hesitation then it will take of smoothly. If I press the pedal hard it wants to die. Also when I hit the passing gear a huge cloud of black smoke comes out of the exhaust pipes and when starting cold there is a deposit of black soot on the ground. I rebuilt the carb., no help, I set the choke leaner, no help, I adjusted idle using a tachometer, no help, I installed pertronix ignition, no help, can anyone give me more advice or have a solution.
Thanks,
Dick.

Hi Dick,

It sounds to me like you have some engine wear. You did everything you could on fuel and ignition but black smoke usually means the engine is burning oil. Does your engine use a lot of oil? I have the same "problem" with my 318 when I hit the gas We do have a lot of rivers over here and the tunnels are perfect to hit the gas and hear the music from the engine, probably not too nice for the people driving behind me when they drive into a cloud of black smoke

Ron

Dick, the problem you describe with starting off plagues Faulkner too. Ron and Roger have told me I need to replace my carburator accelerator pump. Is there a chance you had a defective part in your rebuild kit? (Nearly got stuck on a long trip to Canada as a kid with friends -- replaced every part we could think of to get home. The culprit? The fuel pump just replaced before we left.)

I don't know if it could account for your other problems... I'm poking in the dark.

Dan

Ron Keij wrote: You did everything you could on fuel and ignition but black smoke usually means the engine is burning oil.

Hmmm... Is that right? I had heard the opposite -- black smoke meant unburnt fuel, whitish smoke meant burnt oil...

Dan

Acelerator Pump could be it. There are three adjustment holes on the pump actuator rod, mine is in the middle. What do the other two do. Will see if I can get a pump only kit. I do not burn oil, that black smoke is fuel.
Dick.

Dick Koch wrote:Will see if I can get a pump only kit.

NAPA Online has 'em, Dick:

http://www.napaonline.com/masterpages/N ... SubCatId=4

Dan

BTW, I just ordered the accelerator pump kit for my 318 -- along with radiator hoses and a 160F thermostat. After two minutes of kids with pimples at the Pep Boys, scratching their heads and asking me three times "you said '69, right?", I walked out and ordered online. NAPA has never done me wrong...

Dan

Dan - I agree, I have been dealing with the same NAPA dealer since 1961, in fact one of the owners wife worked for me at one time. They still have a lot of the old parts books and if they don't have it they do a national search to try and find it, I needed two front brake hoses for my AJA disc brake conversion and they found them in Californis. I walked into a Advance Store the other day and I swear SHE couldn't have been out of high school yet. Next thing you know the parts stores will have pictures on the cash register like McDonalds.
Dick.

Hello Dick,

Your problem sounds so familiar to me. Here’s what I think about it:

1. Acceleration Pump. Before you buy a new acceleration Pump check the current one. Just remove the air filter housing, push the throttle and lock into the front butterflies of the carburetor. (I’ll take you a picture tonight.) There are two little jets. If there is fuel coming out with a strong ray then you don’t need a new one. The 3 holes in the bracket allow you to adjust the amount of fuel that is injected every time you hit the gas pedal. The closer to the carburetor housing, the more fuel is injected, but this doesn’t cause black smoke.

2. Black smoke indicates that the fuel isn’t burned properly – oil would smoke blue. The cause of black smoke in your case (if every thing is well adjusted) is most likely engine wear. What is the compression on the engine?

Stefan

Dick, you most likely have a faulty carburetor. Black smoke is partially burned fuel caused by an overly rich mixture. Unburned fuel passed through a dead cylinder with little or no compression will not be visible. It sounds as though the needle and seat is sticking slightly, especially when hot, causing fuel to boil over. You might try setting the float level down a bit too see if it helps, also check the3 fuel pressure, it should be about 3-5 PSI. If the pressure is too high, it could cause this problem as well. ---John

Thanks Stefan & John - I will try your suggestions and report back, probably next week.
Dick.

Hi All,

John is probably closer to the cause of this problem. I assumed that the carburetor was properly rebuilt. Anyhow, here is the promised picture.

Stefan