any idea what would cause my 360 to stall out? the idle is set as high as i can get it without destroying my trans when shifting into gear. I have a new battery, voltage regulator, and alternator, so I doubt its not getting enough power. When i hit my brake pedal though, it does seem to lose a bit of power. Vacuum problem maybe? I'm stumped

 

Vacum sounds like a very good place to start. If you have power brakes and stopping affects the idle a brake booster leak is a good guess.

 

A bad PCV valve can cause this if it lets too much exhaust gas into the carb at idle it can choke the engine. It can also be caused by vacuum leaks, worn timing chain or carb problems

 

the problem isnt a constant problem. it comes and goes. if i hit that gas at it starts to sputter, itll start going again fine for a bit, and then it sputters again. once it dies, its a bitch to get it to start back up and stay running, you have to keep your foot on the gas, but if you let off, it does. if i let it set for a few minutes though, it starts back up. im so lost.

 

Does it happen when it's cold and hot?

 

not sure. havent driven it when cold much. i would say mainly when its hot? could it be my coil is going bad? i just replaced it, but its an autozone part, and from what i hear, theyre reman. parts are junk. the thing runs fine until i try to drive it, and then it dies. i know my power booster has a 30% vacuum leak, but it didnt kill the motor before.

 

They don't re-man coils, they're just junk. Sitting still does the engine stumble if you pump the brake pedal? Did this problem just manifest itself or has it progressively gotten worse? Any smoke evident when starting back up?

 

Couple of things to play with:

Check the timing. Do that first.

After it stalls out, pull one of the spark plugs and make sure it's not wet. It could be the float needle in the carb is leaking and flooding the engine.

Is this a stock fuel pump, or electric? If it's electric, what pressure is it supposed to produce?

 

i took the car in a few weeks ago to have the brakes fixed, and they replaced the calipers. they also adjusted my carb and set the timing. the thing ran great before, and they said they had it running better, but since i got it back, its gotten worse and worse. it started when my electrical system was frying itself. my battery was getting hot, and i melted 2 starter solenoids, which in turn kicked on the starter while the engine was running. anyways its a pretty new problem. i replaced everything that shorted (solenoid, starter, voltage regulator) and it idles fine, but yes if i put my foot on the brake, the engine loses power. the last time it died and i finally got it started again, there was some black smoke, but only when it started. its running almost like theres something in my gas. i opened the hood last night to check my thermostat (i just replaced it and was looking for leaks) and the engine bay stunk of gas. not sure about the fuel pump

 

its a 65 tbird, so im guessing its a mechanical fuel pump

 

Sounds like a carb flooding issue. Could be either from an internal carb problem, or a misadjusted auto choke (if equipped).

Having a leaking booster is not good, but with a carb flooding issue, the extra air is actually helping out a bit...... Still, both items need addressed, to regain optimal engine performance.

 

First off you need to fix the booster. It also sounds like you could have an internal carb. problem such as a bad float. However you need to fix the known bad parts before chasing others. Some problems can mask others.

 

thanks guys. im going to start with the power booster and go from there. im gonna have to have some one else do it though. i hurt these a PITA on the old thunderbirds (bolts behind the dash or something like that.