FastWoman

Herb, FAIW, a metric allen-head bolt might be better. Casual thieves might have a couple of pairs of pliers on hand, and maybe a wrench or two, but I bet not many carry metric allen wrench sets.

Nice, Eric! I'm impressed...

What Andrew and Zed said. I forgot about the relays. There's a black box on the passenger side of the engine comparment, mounted to the inside of the fender. There's a plastic cover inserted into the backside of it and a few screws securing the cover. Remove the cover, and look inside. You'll see several relays there. You can pull the connectors off and clean them up. I can't draw on too much experience here, but I THINK ECU failure is rather rare. Ztrain documents some cold solder joints in his that he had to re-flow, but I think his engine still ran. I've never heard of one flat-out going kapoot. I think may be rather common for them to fade away, but the engine should still run at some level. That said, I think fuel pump control is powered straight off of the ignition circuit, once the engine is running. I don't think the ECU is involved in any way except for sending the original 5 sec "start" signal. The fuel pump should keep running as long as the engine is running (assuming working alternator and oil pressure), irrespective of the status of the ECU. I agree with Andrew! Kudos for toughing it out. Once you get it running right, it will be a very reliable machine -- along the "use it or lose it" lines, of course.

Yeah, be gentle. Carbon isn't that big an issue. Oddly, carb cleaner can attack an adhesive used to seal the waffle side to the rest of the body (and might also attack a rotted O-ring around the idle mix screw). It doesn't attack the sealer TOO quickly, but does make it a bit of a gooey mess. I found that brake cleaner doesn't attack anything on the AFM but the dirt. I haven't tried throttle body cleaners. Squirt some oil around the shaft when you're finished.

I'm not fond of Holleys either. The model number should be stamped on the air horn. You can order a rebuild kit if you need one for about $50 (local auto parts store). I'm not understanding why you need to jump-start because of a bad choke, unless you just keep cranking until the battery dies. Try stomping on the accelerator a few times before starting -- assuming your accelerator pump works. That should kick it over. Whether it keeps running is maybe another matter.

FAIW, the local carburetor guru swears by Sta-Bil. He deals with ethanol damage everyday. My own personal approach is just to burn it up, use it up, or drain it. I sometimes use stabilizers, but only sometimes.

I doubt you're hearing the injectors spraying fuel. You might be hearing fuel rush through the lines. I suspect Steve is right, even though he doesn't think he is -- perhaps if your description is a bit off. When you turn the key to "start," the fuel pump will operate for 5 sec, IIRC. Then it will stop if there's not either oil pressure or alternator voltage. So if that 5 sec is needed to re-charge your fuel rail, I suspect the fuel is leaking down. You can test this by putting a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail, probably between the output of the fuel filter and the inlet to the rail. Pressure should hold for at least an hour, practically speaking. If it doesn't, your injectors (including cold start) might be dribbling fuel, or the check valve on your fuel pump might be letting fuel wash back. Once you get air in the fuel rail (from a bad injector dribble problem), it can take several moments of engine running to eject it, as the bifurcated fuel path can prevent the air bubble from being "burped" out the return line. (The bubble has to be consumed through the injectors on one side of the rail.) The solution is to replace injectors and replace the check valve. Another solution that I used is to install a momentary switch (e.g. pushbutton) that feeds +12V to the coil of the fuel pump relay. You can use this switch to prime the fuel rail prior to starting. Now that I've replaced the working components of my EFI, I no longer need to use my primer switch, but I'm still in the habit. I think it makes the start a bit faster.

Eric, the air temp sensor is actually a thermister. The spec resistance values are shown on EF-31 of the FSM. At 68F, it should read 2.25 - 2.75 kOhm. Resistance should go up as temp decreases (e.g. 7.6 - 10.8 kOhm at 15F) and down as temp increases.

If your engine is misfiring, then readings of almost any sort can be misleading. My engine was running EXTREMELY lean and misfiring because of it. As a result, my plugs appeared somewhat sooty, falsely indicating a rich running condition. I would think any misfiring could throw extra O2 into the exhaust and fake out an O2 sensor to read lean, even if the mix isn't lean. (I might be wrong about that.) I would think you need to be hitting reliably on all 6 cylinders for lean/rich metrics to mean much. Dunno. Perhaps the easiest/best way is to experiment to see what your engine "likes." You can pop the cover of your AFM and manually move the vane farther open or closed. Figure out whether your engine wants more fuel (opening the vane). If so, then it's running lean. If the opposite is true, it's running rich. Once you get your engine firing reliably on all 6, then the methods suggested above would probably be more meaningful.

If your volt meter is reading only 12V with the engine running and the alternator actually spinning, then you either have a bad connection to the alternator, or your alternator is bad. With your engine stopped, measure the voltage at the output post of the alternator. If you get a 12'ish V reading there, then the connection between the alternator and the battery is good. There's also a smaller voltage reference connection that should get 12V. I forget whether the engine needs to run for that. Anyway, alternator tests are quick, easy, and free at most auto parts stores. Your battery is fine, and your voltage regulator is internal to the alternator on a '78. I have no idea about the brake warning light. I would think that would be a separate problem.

all of the tiny holes that the fuel flows through. You probably need to order rebuild kits. Disassemble the carbs, soak the parts in carb cleaner, blow out all the tiny holes with compressed air, and reassemble with the new gaskets, O-rings, etc. Be very careful to put them back together the same way they came apart. Take pictures! Do one at a time, so you have the other for reference.

I would bet it's either bad gas or clogged carburetor passages.

^ +1 The 1977 saltwater-cooled 318 engine on our powerboat has probably sat up every winter for 3+ decades in a brutal, moist, salty environment, with heavy condensation every night. The outside of the motor looks somewhat like a 17th century ship's anchor in its raw state, pulled by divers from the ocean's bottom. I recently did an R&R on the intake manifold, and the valve assembly, push rods, etc. were in amazingly nice, rust-free condition. There was only a touch of surface rust on the #1 exhaust pushrod, where some salt water had dribbled down from the riser over the #1 cylinder. I was truly amazed. After seeing the condition of the internals of that 318, I have nearly zero worries about any other motor that sits up.

Sledge, did you manage to make any progress? Just wondering...

I think you're right, Evil Turkey. The biggest ding I've ever gotten in any car was in my '75 280 right after having it repainted. I think it was put there with a hammer (seriously).

^ yep! Eric and I have some pretty long threads going about these issues. My long and meandering "purs like a kitten" thread chronicles what I did to straighten out my engine. Jenny has a very long thread going about her '76, and she's in the process of doing what Eric and I did. I don't know how new injectors would compare to old injectors. I suppose the old injectors could have deposits in them, but they might also be worn. Whether the end result would be more fuel or less is hard to say. In short, what Eric and I did was to put EVERYTHING right (to spec) with the fuel/intake system and then to correct our lean-running situations by adding resistance to the coolant temperature circuit.

Funny plate, Leonard! I can see how it would be for a niche population, though. I don't think many kids/young men would want to steal it.

Wow, that's a DEAL, Steve!

+1 Idling is hard on an engine and especially the exhaust, counterintuitive though that might be. An occasional drive during the winter is a good thing. It's even better if you do a little bit of hard accelerating (pedal to the metal) after the car warms up. This is different from revving the engine in the driveway.

Argneist, if you build computers, you can work on the Z. The connectors inside computers are much finer and more delicate. Nothing will fall apart, perhaps except for some of the fuel injection connectors in the engine compartment. However, you can easily replace those (see prior link in this thread). I think you'll do fine, once you get over your fear of the car. (It's pretty hard to blow anything up. If you want to be ultra-conservative, just pull the negative cable off the battery whenever you do electrical work. Then it will be near impossible to blow anything up.) The intermittent problem you describe in your last post sounds like classic dirty/corroded/loose electrical connections and/or dirty/corroded switches. Think of it as a rnd() function in your wiring. If you can find a digital fuel gauge with a long cable, go for it. However, there's a lot to be said for just laying the thing in the passenger seat, rather than screwing it to your dash. Personally, though, I really doubt your fuel pump is bad. Usually anything with an electric motor either works, or it quits. There's not much inbetween. If the pump operates correctly in the driveway, it'll almost certainly operate correctly when you're driving. The electrical connections are more likely the culprit (assuming you have fuel pressure problems at all).

Every year is a bit different for the fuel pump circuit. In the '78 (my year), the fuel pump runs with the key in the "start" position and then remains running if there's output from the alternator or oil pressure. If both the alternator goes dead and the oil pressure dies, the pump will shut off. This is controlled by a fuel pump control relay (a different relay from the fuel pump relay). Both relays are located inside the black box on the inside of the passenger side fender in the engine compartment. If the '77 is at all similar, your fuel pump control relay might be out. Earlier models (I don't remember how much earlier) have a fuel pump shutoff switch in the air flow meter that shuts off the pump if airflow drops below a certain rate. You should download a copy of the '77 factory service manual. You can find it free, but I forget where.

If I were you, I'd monitor the voltage right at the fuel pump. Put a ring connector at the end of a long wire, and connect that to the (+) terminal of the fuel pump. Run that into the cockpit, possibly around the back of the car and under the hatch door. Then wire a test light between that wire and some ground point in the cockpit area. Better still, just verify all of the wiring. It's not that hard. FAIW, the AFM has a fuel pump cutoff switch. Some people have trouble with that cutting out at low idle. It takes a bit of adjusting to stop it from happening. Regarding the fuel gauge, you would really do a permanent installation of another instrument just to debug your engine? That doesn't make any sense. There's nothing dangerous about running a fuel hose, especially if you secure it with a few zip ties. (Just be sure to bleed the air out of it, first, though, or your fuel pressure regulation will get sort of sloppy!) If it worries you that much, just pay the $4/ft for the fuel injection grade hose. It will still save you money over the permanent installation of an expensive gauge you don't need.

Well, if you simply need to diagnose a problem possibly relating to fuel pressure while you're driving, you could always run a long fuel hose from that T-fitting, out through your cracked hood, and into your window. If you need to close up the car, just roll up the hose and tuck it back under the hood. Theoretically you should only use fuel injection hose, which is about $4/ft, but I think you could get away with regular fuel hose for maybe $1.60/ft just for the testing. If your fuel pressure cuts out, remember that the problem could be electrical! I suppose you could also run some wire from your fuel pump terminals to a light in the cockpit. If the light flickers or goes out, then you're losing power to your pump. FAIW, there are two very large connectors on the cockpit side of the firewall on the righthand side. The fuel pump supply runs through one of those connectors. Mine was charred and melty (inadequate connector), and my fuel pump kept going out because of failure of that connection. I finally had to snip the wire out of that connector and connect with a bullet connector. Problem solved.

This method works. I've used it on an ancient marine engine with no timing scale or notch (both rusted away): http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/tdc/index.html I bet you have a notch, but you can't see or feel it because it's filled with dirt/crud/rust. Put the engine to TDC, and hit the crank pulley with sandpaper or a wire brush, and I bet you'll find a notch. Then hit it with a dot of white paint. (Liquid paper also works.)

Maybe a different shade in the same color family? Maybe a maroon?