First the problem, then what I've heard about it (and yes, I'm sending money for a star :-) )

The Vehicle:
1976 FJ40, stock 2F, 78 distributor (vac advance not hooked up due to stock carb), new radiator. Parts new within the last year: Distributor, condensor, fuel pump, gas tank. Parts new within last 2 weeks: Fuel filter, radiator, cap, rotor, plug wires.

The problem: Really hard starting. Misfires a LOT. But it phases in and out, sometimes not much, sometimes it won't go over 50 from all the misfires.

What I've heard: I heard it might be related to the idle fuel solinoid. At least, I've heard people say they had a similar problem and that solved it. I've already run an entire can of carb medic through the carb, so I'm pretty darn sure it's not plugged...I got to fiddling with the cable connections, though, and they seem to be mostly good but there is one that seemed to stick a littele (fast idle/choke connection). I'm pretty sure it's not the distributor because I had it out of the vehicle and completely dismantled at Mark Whatley's about 2 months ago and it looked basically new (because it is :-P) The coil heats up a little bit, which it's supposed to do (right? :-P). I do have a condensor on the distributor, though, since when the PO had the semi-electronic box thing go out, he swapped to a condensor.

Anybody have any ideas? If it means the carb is dead, I would probably rather swap to a 78 carb to go with the distributor and actually attach that vac advance (and then hopefully do an HEI upgrade if something else doesn't give me problems first :-P)

Anyways, I could really use everyone's ideas here, and any directions you might be able to give as well! Thanks!

Oh, and new spark plugs last month, and I pulled them out 2 days ago and they still basically look new :-) (new PCV valve last month, too) ...And I replaced ALL the vac lines last month.

loosen the distributor clamp and, with the engine running, rotate it to where it sounds best. or, advance it unil it starts missing, then retard it till it starts missing, then set it in the middle. this is a half-assed way of setting timing but try it if you havent yet. I put in a mallory dist in mine and timed it like this...worked great. (i hope)

hth
-MAx

Woohoo, no longer a newbie! :-D

Anyways, it's not the timing. It was Whatley-timed a month ago, and it's still dead on where it should be.

I think, though, that there might have been something plugging or jamming the carb that I couldn't see...on the way to work today, about halfway in it stopped misfiring. It still runs like crap from my fiddling with the carb, but whatever it was/is it seems to have let off for the time being...Let's hope it's permanently gone! :-)

(gawd I can't wait for a fuel injection kit that's c.a.r.b. legal...)