Good to know - I'll move it in the near future. Electronic distributor is coming tomorrow morning, I really hope this fixes it.

you can leave the filter under the tank but you'll never see it. It's good to trap rust from an old car. Under the hood, you see it every time you check the oil. And it can be placed away from the header to avoid any issues.

Dashpot has been topped off. I replaced the fuel filter in the same spot as the original (rear subframe) since I did not have a length of 1/4" hose to cover the gap that would be left out. I also was afraid of putting it in the engine compartment due to heat - was that a legitimate concern?

put the fuel filter in the engine compartment topside where you can view it when you check your oil. BTW, don't forget to top up the oil in the dashpot of the carb.

I'll definitely read up on the procedure a bunch. Today is my last day of work and the distributor probably won't be arriving until Tuesday so look for an update then.

In other news, someone had already installed a fuel filter on my car, and the pieces of hose where it made the connections were all cracked (but no leaks). Either way, I used vise grip pliers on either side, cut the cracked tips off the hoses (was going replace the whole thing but all three autopats stores were out of 1/4"???), and replaced with a nearly identical fuel filter from Pep Boys. Those guys have started letting me go through the racks behind the counter on my own -finally. I wonder what car this dinky part was originally intended for...

Putting it back in is the issue. I like to use a wooden dowel that fits snug and is at least 8" long so I can feel when it engages the geared drive inside the engine. The trick is to have it snug but able to release it once you put the part inside the lump. Sounds like you've got a bead on this already. Keep us posted.

Or as I like to call it, "that dohickey on the bottom"? Came right out with the distributor.

Rich, be very careful removing the dizzy not to drop the pull up the drive gear, or drop it into the gearbox. Look at an expoded view. This is if you decide to remove the dizzy. Also the dizzy is keyed. It's a slotted shaft that runs the diameter of the shaft, but it's off center. If it's not in right it won't work.

I just boxed up the 65DM4 I just took off my car, along with the coil & wiring, to send to Rich.  At least this way he will be able to swap out points and get a known good system for testing. Sould be on the way Monday moring next flight. He hears the song of New Orleans calling.

Don't mix up a fuel issue (choke) with a clogged or compromised vacuum line. Keep your focus on one issue at a time. And the ducelliers dizzys are problematic.

I'd try a paper clip unfolded and dig a bit into the carb, but you could also hold a thin piece of paper in front of the carb inlet and see if the paper gets sucked to that same inlet. If it's blocked,try the paper clip, or a drill bit by hand that just fits into the inlet. Don't drill it out, just gently rotate the bit into the inlet port to remove crud. Also, see if there's another port on the carb you could try.

The hole may be plugged, just put something thin down it to clear it out. Is that a ducellier (sp) distributor on that car or a Lucas one ? If it is a ducellier they are junk imo.

I helped a friend with a similar problem (now i have seen your video) and after replacing points ,condenser, coil etc it was the Ducellier dizzy that was the issue, replaced it with a good known Lucas one and it was fine (imagine that something electrical worse than Lucas) lol.

Also try revving it with the choke slightly out about 1/4 to 1/3 and see if that helps.

Woo! This is good news!

Yes, there's a vaccum line from the dizzy to the carb. It looks like they already attempted to rectify this since the rubber connector on the carb side is definitely changed. What happens if i don't feel a vacuum from the carb? How would I fix that?

Rich, Your video is good as it tells us what the issue is now. I'm not sure what's not keeping it from revving up. Is there a vacuum line on the dizzy going to the carb? It sounds like the distributor weights are not advancing the timing. Others chime in.

Check the vacuum line and see if it's sucking from the carb side. (pull the hose from the dizzy and put your finger tip on it while revving the engine. Next, I'd remove the hose from the carb and dizzy, and suck on one end with your finger on the other side to see if there's a leak in the hose. Weights in the dizzy can get stuck or you might have a broken spring on the weights that keeps them from doing what they are supposed to.

Look at the Haynes manual for an exploded view of the dizzy.

I'd not worry about motor mounts, engine oil at this time.

I posted a video after I tried a new ignition coil (16 bucks, no big deal....) and before I try adding a fuel filter.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ytM8ot0Wf4&context=C3927f71ADOEgsToPDskJhIlC81DX5rdS7yAkCSnnt

I'm going to guess there's a carb issue going on?

Manuel! I'm so sorry I didn't respond (thought I did, but I just found the draft on my phone) - Thank you! I have the hard copy of the Haynes manual but I've been reading up on the transmission. Trying to wrap my head around it

Rich, I sent you the Haynes manual and automatic trans manual on PDF, did you get them ?, I never heard back.

First of all, if your car has a mechanical pump, replace it with a mechanical pump.

It will be nice when you completely remove the ignition system from the equation.  considering the quality of most componenets anymore, this now means a pertronix kit, a 3.0 ohm pertronix coil, and a new +12V lead to power the ignition/coil.

It also matters what oil is in the car.  I can't recall you answering that question.  Lousy old oil, and by that we are talking 1800 miles, will cause the automatic to act up.

Another thing not brought up is engine and subframe mounts:  These are a wear item on minis, and all sorts of misfortune arises from unintended engine movement.  This is a far more acute problem on standard transmission cars than automatics, but then your engine stabilizers could be bad, the engine could be rocking, and a couple of different things could be at issue as a result.

The fuel line going to the carb float bowl should have some pressure.  

 

This is anecdotal and may not be of any use to you, but I got a tank of very bad gas last fall and it had so much water in it that the car would not run.  It turned into a major waste of time as I never would have expected that much water in the fuel.  A lot of time was wasted checking and rechecking systems that were in perfect order.  The lesson from that is that a car needs fuel, spark, and compression to run.  Stay with the basics, confirm them, and then move on.

I tested out the mechanical fuel pump and it looked fine. It's supposed to spurt consistently, not flow like a faucet, correct? When I went to take the hose off the float bowl, fuel started to squirt out of the hose. That doesn't seem right at all. It's starting to look like either my assessment of the float was incorrect or I should look at the braided line between the float bowl and the carb?

Hey, malsal, I did see your post - no tach for me. Spark looks good on the points. Ballasted ignition coil, I was looked at like I was a crazy person for insinuating such a difference existed. I'm replacing my mechanical fuel pump with an electrical pump, relay, and safety switch tomorrow (if I find an issue as per Minimike's post). If that doesn't work I'll try to figure out what he meant to adjust my timing. And if that doesn't work, I'll try out a cheapo coil from AutoZone.

Doesn't look like I'll be moving to New Orleans on schedule...

Re post.............