Thread: why is my 283 stuttering and coughing?

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As thesal's said earlier I'd stick a Petronix unit in and be done with the points. If it's an original distributor I would imagine that by now it has some side to side play and up and down play because of worn bushings and/or shaft. A new dizzy might not be too bad of an investment. I would personally stay away from anything with Accell stamped on it, but that's just my opinion.

yup... you can get a factory HEI unit that will drop in for pretty cheap now adays.... heck i put one in my ford even..... it made a difference on running quality, and she ran great with points

well, after new ac delco plugs, correctly gapped, plug wire inspection, new vac advance hose and a new fuel filter it runs the same. also it still pulls good vaccuum, so next on the list (starting with the cheap items) are dist cap, check ign, timing, condensor, ???

If you're happy with distributor wear and the cap, rotor, condensor is acceptable, Try changing coils. Diagnosing a prolem in these threads is tough. Coils do have an unruly tendency when a load is put on them and run well when at idle or no-load condition. There are still many variables that can make a new vocabulary come out of your mouth but start and stay with the basics. Then other areas can be be addressed if problem still persists. I've seen simple vacuum leaks internally at the intake manifold gasket do this. I've seen a slightly weak or cracked valve spring do this. It can be "pure hell" finding these buggaboos but it almost 99% of the time a silly simple solution. Hang in there.

P.S. does this thing still run a resistor at the primary side of the coil? Just a thought.

You also should check the advance weights in the distributor.

ok, so i went to kragens and got a cap, rotor and points. i took out the old points to compare them to the new ones and behing the actual contact points (holding it in the direction it is mounted) there is something threaded into that back plate. its like a resistor maybe? Can i use my new replacement points? its a stock '65 283 . here's a photo.

The can on the back of the points is the condenser and no you cannot run without one.

It Was The Vacuum Advance!!!

there we go that'll definately cause problems..... i'm glad you figured it out, it sounded like an ignition problem and it ended up to be one... good job... now you can enjoy your tuck again