Diagnosis

[BoatMan]

While I have a ton of (mostly blind) faith in myself to be able to fix anything. I have a hard time diagnosing problems since this is my first classic car. And being 27- I didn't grow up with these.

Drove my 1966 Chrysler 300 to and from a car show this weekend (1 hour each way)- perfectly fine. Had to move it to get into my garage yesterday and engine was bogged down when I started it. Had to keep my foot on the gas to keep the idle up. When I let go it stalls. Very low rpms at idle.

Oil leak on front left side of motor- not sure where from yet but on inside of hood and around engine bay. Levels are still fine via dipstick.

Radiator fluid still full/not leaking

Tire blew on the way home if that makes a difference.

What are some things I can check before just taking it into a mechanic?

 

[GJS]

Was the engine warm or cold when you moved it?

The reason I ask is that if it was cold and you accidentally kicked it off high idle too early, your choke would be closed which means when you hit the throttle it'd be starving for air which would create a rich scenario which would bog it.
If it was just recently shut off, the engine bay temp would have risen due to the cooling system being stagnant which could create all kinds of reason for poor idle quality and bogging.

 

[BoatMan]

Was the engine warm or cold when you moved it?

The reason I ask is that if it was cold and you accidentally kicked it off high idle too early, your choke would be closed which means when you hit the throttle it'd be starving for air which would create a rich scenario which would bog it.
If it was just recently shut off, the engine bay temp would have risen due to the cooling system being stagnant which could create all kinds of reason for poor idle quality and bogging.

Cold when started

 

[GJS]

Cold when started

Did you let it warm up at all before putting it in gear? It may just be that it kicked off the high idle cam too soon. They need a little more open throttle when they are warming up... hence the high idle cam on the carb.

 

[Carmine]

Look for a vacuum line that came off the carb, distributor, etc.

 

[Davea Lux]

While I have a ton of (mostly blind) faith in myself to be able to fix anything. I have a hard time diagnosing problems since this is my first classic car. And being 27- I didn't grow up with these.

Drove my 1966 Chrysler 300 to and from a car show this weekend (1 hour each way)- perfectly fine. Had to move it to get into my garage yesterday and engine was bogged down when I started it. Had to keep my foot on the gas to keep the idle up. When I let go it stalls. Very low rpms at idle.

Oil leak on front left side of motor- not sure where from yet but on inside of hood and around engine bay. Levels are still fine via dipstick.

Radiator fluid still full/not leaking

Tire blew on the way home if that makes a difference.

What are some things I can check before just taking it into a mechanic?

Might want to check if the carb is flooding. Might have knocked a piece of crud loose that is now fouling the needle valve. This happens a lot on older cars that have sat around for an extended period.

Dave

 

[LocuMob]

Might want to check if the carb is flooding. Might have knocked a piece of crud loose that is now fouling the needle valve. This happens a lot on older cars that have sat around for an extended period.

Dave

I've experienced this with my cars that sit too long.

 

[Yatzee]

While I have a ton of (mostly blind) faith in myself to be able to fix anything. I have a hard time diagnosing problems since this is my first classic car. And being 27- I didn't grow up with these.

Drove my 1966 Chrysler 300 to and from a car show this weekend (1 hour each way)- perfectly fine. Had to move it to get into my garage yesterday and engine was bogged down when I started it. Had to keep my foot on the gas to keep the idle up. When I let go it stalls. Very low rpms at idle.

Oil leak on front left side of motor- not sure where from yet but on inside of hood and around engine bay. Levels are still fine via dipstick.

Radiator fluid still full/not leaking

Tire blew on the way home if that makes a difference.

What are some things I can check before just taking it into a mechanic?

I don't know how long you've had it, or what it ran like before this issue but there are a number of such causes. If you're going to spend good cash having a mechanic diagnose it there are some things you can check yourself. some will depend on the tools on hand.
1-First and foremost the fuel lines for sucking air at any rubber joints
2-Plugged sock at the pickup in the tank ( not sure if this is your cup of tea or not as you have to "back-blow" the line
3-Plugged main fuel filter
4-Bad fuel pump or worn pump pusher rod
5-Crap in the carb bowls
6-Some type of issue with the idle adjusting screw or linkage
7-Vacuum leak in and around the carb ( possibly the choke pull-off vacuum line or other vacuum lines at the manifold)
8-A bad load of fuel with water in it.

It sounds as if you have to maintain a higher than normal rpm to keep it running and that indicates fuel delivery or vacuum issues almost as if the pump can't keep up or there's crap in the fuel delivery system or possibly water in the fuel. If you can't check things out yourself, it's off to the mechanic. You'd be surprised what small things can cause such a big problem, after all it ran before so what's changed?

 

[Davea Lux]

I don't know how long you've had it, or what it ran like before this issue but there are a number of such causes. If you're going to spend good cash having a mechanic diagnose it there are some things you can check yourself. some will depend on the tools on hand.
1-First and foremost the fuel lines for sucking air at any rubber joints
2-Plugged sock at the pickup in the tank ( not sure if this is your cup of tea or not as you have to "back-blow" the line
3-Plugged main fuel filter
4-Bad fuel pump or worn pump pusher rod
5-Crap in the carb bowls
6-Some type of issue with the idle adjusting screw or linkage
7-Vacuum leak in and around the carb ( possibly the choke pull-off vacuum line or other vacuum lines at the manifold)
8-A bad load of fuel with water in it.

It sounds as if you have to maintain a higher than normal rpm to keep it running and that indicates fuel delivery or vacuum issues almost as if the pump can't keep up or there's crap in the fuel delivery system or possibly water in the fuel. If you can't check things out yourself, it's off to the mechanic. You'd be surprised what small things can cause such a big problem, after all it ran before so what's changed?

Another item that is a frequent problem now that we have oxygenated fuels is corrosion of the lead seams on the carb floats. This causes fuel to get inside of the floats and they become "heavy" which results in the float not closing the needle valve tightly, which in turn causes an over-rich idle and stall out. The best way to check for this condition is to pull off the top of the carb and remove the floats. shake them and if you feel liquid sloshing around inside, that is probably the cause of your idle issues. You will probably need to replace the floats if they are badly corroded.

Dave

 

[GJS]

Good calls, guys. I hadn't considered that the fuel system hadn't been gone through yet.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

First check that choke is closing when cold and throttle is depressed. Start the car and make sure choke.pull off is opening the choke plate slightly. If both of those check out then go to rear of the car and see if visible black smoke from tailpipe. A helper in the driver's seat is a plus.
These can be done in about 2 mins with air cleaner removed. If that all checks out normal report back or carry on with the above list

 

[mrfury68]

Not much I can add to what has already been suggested. I do think it is really great that a 27 year old has a 66 300. Many of us grew up around these cars but we learned as we went along, just as you will. Best of luck & keep us posted.