Engine suddenly quits running

Several times in the last couple of weeks I have started my engine (340) and left it idling for a bit when it suddenly just dies out. I don't mean a gradual shutting down but rather like someone flipped an on/off switch. When I try to restart it it is stubborn but will eventually restart although in yesterday's episode I had to use starting fluid. I pulled the plugs and most of them were wet. I suspect something is wrong with the carb such as a stuck float as I can also smell gas. I tried tapping on the float bowls with a rubber mallet but I'm not sure if it changed anything. When it is actually idling, it runs and idles fine. Does this sound like the result of a stuck float? Carb is a Holley 770 Street Avenger.

Watch the boosters and see if they start dripping, if may have bad needle n seats. Check the float level with it idleing.

If that isn't it look for an electrical connection causing that problem ,they are called high joints or high resistance opens, not conducting well all the time

If the floats were high it would load up before it dies. Sounds more electrical to me. Maybe pickup coil in the distributor.

look close at the connections on the coil itself.
i chased a problem similar to this one time, and it turned out the wire at the terminal connection [i forget if it was the + or - wire] was broken on the bottom, just being connected by only a few strands of wire to the terminal.

Distributor pickup. Ignition control box.

Assuming electronic ignition since no info was provided in OP.

Vaporlocking? Electric or mechanical fuel pump?

"Distributor pickup. Ignition control box.

Assuming electronic ignition since no info was provided in OP."

Yes, MP electronic ignition.


"Vaporlocking? Electric or mechanical fuel pump?"

Mechanical fuel pump.

Ballast resister?

as it's the MP system, does it have the orange or chrome box ?
at one time, the orange box seemed to have all sorts of problems. i don't know if the ones sold today have those problems sorted out or not.

I have had two autometer tachs do this . Started with the sudden shut off while idling then started backfiring on the return road , but ran great during a pass . Disconnected power and signal and symptoms went away.

There has been an issue with the Holley 770 Avenger carburetors..
Everything can be running fine, shut it down and then it wouldn't start even after several minutes of turning the engine over...
Acting like no spark or no fuel??
This happened on a friends RoadRunner 383 with the 770 Avenger.
I pulled the air cleaner and found that the choke blade was all the way closed even though the engine was warm.
Next I pushed hard on the choke blade back to reopen, hit the key the engine fired rite up..
I installed the Avenger many years back and never had this happen before, the RoadRunner always started rite up..
Don't know why the choke blade was forced closed but this happened a couple of months ago and everything has been fine since...

Juts my $0.02...

since you mentioned this, i just remembered i have a buddy that had the exact same thing happen last year to his race jeep. he had an autometer tach as well.........