[FWDLK] Dave Stragand's DeSoto Engine Problem

[Richard Woodside <rwoodside@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, Dave:

I forwarded your post to my own mechanic, with my observation
that it seemed odd, to me, that you had changed all the ignition
parts other than the spark plug wires themselves, although your
subsequent "spark-checks" seemed to indicate that there was fire
in the wires, no matter how old.

Anyway, here's the brief reply I had from my mechanic:

  "This one does seem like a challenge.
   The puzzling thing to me is that the spark plugs were changed
and
continuously checked throughout this work and found to be dry!!
    I would expect with all this cranking that they would be
flooded with
gasoline or fouled with oil from soaking the cylinders.
    Engine compression at 100 psi is enough to fire."

Dave, my experiences with my own cars would also make me cautious
about firing up a car that had had a LOT of cranking, because all
that unburned gas should be washing past the rings (especially
where your rings might not be sealing perfectly) and finding its
way into your oil pan. Once it does fire up, there is a risk that
your oil will be thinned out or, even worse, so gassy as to go
kaboomb when the engine temp gets up high enough. No doubt you'll
worry about changing the oil, to get the gas out, after you get
it to run for more than 60 seconds.

Let us know what happens next, since you will likely receive so
many different suggestions, based on what worked on other
people's cars, that they will seem like a whole school of red
herrings, ONCE you know what is actually wrong with YOUR car.

It might not be any one thing, though. The only car that has
really stumped my mechanic was my 77 Chrysler Town & Country,
with a 440, and a mere 16,000 miles on it. He worked at the
dealership in those years and knows those Mopars inside out. We
went through a lot of "maybe it's this -- fixed that -- no
better" on that car, until we even got the intake and heads off,
re-did the heads, and still no improvement. Eventually, it did
run great, but there was no one single thing that we could point
to as the culprit. Went through two new carbs, new timing chain &
gears, all electrical stuff, re-done heads, every blessed thing
checked and double checked, including the valves and pistons when
the heads were off, until it started running fine. Dunno whether
it was one single mystery or the cumulative effect of a bunch of
non-optimal stuff.

A few weeks later, we went for a road test, because I still
didn't think it was right on. Discovered a new, defective, spark
plug, so only running on 7 cylinders. Now, that 440 is REALLY
great.  But what a painful (and expensive) journey.

Keep us posted, will ya?

Dick Woodside
13 cars and no two problems ever the same cause