Hello All,

I have a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon W100 with a 440 in it that I am restoring. The truck will crank at first, I can even dump a little fuel in the carb and it fires right up but wont stay running until I can get constant fuel running to it. It will normally do this 2 or 3 times before the starter cranks slower, then finally not at all. Once it stops cranking the power wire to the battery is extremely hot. I've voltage dropped the system and its getting proper voltage all the way to the starter. I assumed the starter to be bad but have not replaced it yet.

NOW- today I just bought a 1981 D250 to use only for the body panels, but the kid told me that it just wouldnt restart one day and he had to have it towed home. Upon looking into it, this truck is doing the exact same thing as my 78 440. I've searched and havent found a fix to this problem. I will admit I am not the best at electronics but if anyone can help me out I would love to get them running!

Thank you!

 

Good spark on both, yes?

 

sound like you need to fix the fuel system on your truck so you can keep it running and get a voltage reading at the battery. most likely the couple of seconds that it is running is not enough to replacing the power used to turn the engine over. starters pull a lot of power and if you keep running them constantly something is going to get hot.

 

yeah sparks good, infact they both have new plugs and wires.

 

Voltage readings are all where they need to be, I did use an aircompressor to get fuel flowing constant to the carb but within 3 tries of the key the starter will quit spinning so I never got to the point where it would stay running. If I give it a little bit and try again the starter will spin and the truck will crank but then within a few tries im right back where i started

 

if they both have spark then they both probably have fuel system related issues. it happens all the time since they started putting ethanol in the fuel.

just because you have fuel flowing to the carb does not mean the carb itself is working.

 

Carbs are both working, I have verified this. The 440 has a rebuilt carb, new fuel lines, new fuel pump and filter as well. I'm thinking that because the power line running from the starter is hot then either the line is bad or the starter is bad and overheating the system. I dont see anything in the fuel system that could be bad other than the fact that I cant get it running enough to prime itself.On both trucks if I drop a little amount of fuel into the Carb itll fire up as long as the starter will turn the motor.

 

have you put the fuel line at the carb into a water bottle and see if fuel comes out? if you got fuel at the carb but have to pour gas in the carb then there must be an issue with the carb.

 

there was only fuel at the carb because I primed the system using an air compressor. The truck had sat for 2 years, and the fuel lines and fuel pump had been replaced. Therefore there was no fuel to the motor, but some in the tank. Without the starter being able to engage the truck for more than 2-3 turns, the fuel pump itself is not able to prime the system due to being a mechanical pump, not electric. So I CAN get fuel to the carb and get it to fire off that fuel BUT the starter has to get spin enough to do so. There is no problem with the fuel system.

 

how old is the battery?