Technical Tired of walking home....fuel problems?

The motor is a 46 ford flathead 8 with duel stromburgs and both carbs were rebuilt. The motor has adequate compression, the dissy was taken apart cleaned, new points, rotor, condensor, plugs and wires. I mounted an electric fuel pump, tested the pump and approx. 3 lbs, mounted a fuel pump pressure gage and set at 2 1/2.
Initially the car runs and performs very well yet after the motor warms up, when you are pushing it on the road, it shuts down and can't be started. The last time I looked down the carbs and could see that the excellerator pump was working. Funny thing is it never dies in the shop only on the road.
The fuel pump is mounted approx in the middle of the car and below rhe bottom of the tank....is this correct?
I am totally lost and tired of walking home.

 

If you mean that as soon as it died, and won't restart...that you still saw the squirters working?

If it was squirting, I would have pulled a plug wire to see if the spark was gone.

If gone, then I'd be looking at a bad coil, or a bad condenser....more likely the coil.

 

get one of these;

 

May also be a plugged tank vent or restriction in the line or tank? Some carbs will still have a bit of reserve in the accelerator pump even though the jets are exposed. Will it try to fire when pumping while turning it over?

 

The condensor was replaced , yet I never did pull a plug wire. I will replace the coil tomorrow...I have an extra one.

I also did think of a possible vapor lock so I removed the gas cap yet it still died. It will not fire after stalling even when pumping.

 

Could be coil then as F&J suggested.

 

Ok, thanks I will try replacing and let you know the results.

please look at my other thread " Blow by hole oil leak??

 

Gas cap or not, has no affect on vapor locking. Vapor lock is when the gas vaporizes in the line from heat. The new gas mixture will absolutley vapor lock more easily than old style fuel.

back in the 60s, my school friend had a 46 and delivered afternoon newspapers after school. We went along at times, and that car would vaporlock often, on warmish days. He carried a spray water bottle to cool the stock pump and lines.

I'd try doing some tests on it, rather than throw parts at it. Sure, if you have a coil, try it. But if it still dies, look in the carb again, and see if the squiter works in a solid stream for at least 3 or 4 shots, then try starting it.

If you have a copilot, then you can do a spark test with one guy cranking, one guy watching the wire closely.

 

Thanks for the advice. Is the location of the fuel pump, about center of the car and below the lowest point of the gas tank correct?

 

most elect. pumps are pushers. locate as close to tank as possible. Also try dumping some gas into the carbs when it dies. if it starts you know it's a fuel problem. If not, I'd look at the ignition.

 

If its a stock ignition... it maybe a bad Coil. it Boils out. Do a search for skip rebuilt coils you wont be sorry.

Maybe.... remember just becuase its new doesnt mean its good when it comes to condensors.

Just for fun... Check your plugs for rich condition, but my bet is the coil.

 

Condensers these days are hit and miss, as for finding a good one. I run old ones before Id trust a new Chinese one.

 

Also I noticed bubbles of air going through the glass filter and then through the clear fuel line to the carbs....what is this IR caused from and could the air have something to do with the stalling?

 

But when its cool you can rev the engine and all is good? But when its hot or at running temp it fails?

 

Yes, yet always when actually driving rather than sitting in the shop

 

Or when the coil is hot. Do you have a resistor inline with the coil? Coil should only have about 3v going to it. Granted this is if you have a stock ignition system, which i am guessing as it has not been mentioned.

 

It is a stock ignition and I am not sure if there is a resistor or not. Where would the resistor be located?

 

Under the dash. Turn on the ingition (dont need to start the car but dont leave it on for a long time) and put a meter on the coil to see what is being sent to the coil.


Itll look something like this..

 

give me 10 min. and I'll let you know

 

4.60 volts

 

wishing luck on the fix!

 

Thanks Miguello, I will try everthing you mentioned tomorrow. When the fuel filter is mounted near the tank should it be lower that the lowest part of the tank......this is how I installed.

 

A mate had the identical problem with his 36 recently.. turned out to be a fuel line running too close to his exhaust..
his car would cut out after a short burst at speed or when he stopped at lights.
when it cooled down it would run fine.. I guess heat sink from the exhaust transferred to the fuel line would boil the fuel..
we too noticed small bubbles in the fuel pump bowl indicating the problem was starting to occur even at idle when warmed..
just a thought..

 

does not matter.

 

After dealing with the exact problem on the '38 I'd venture a bad or dying condenser. All of the ones available new today are junk. After trying two new ones that both quit after about 10 miles I replaced mine with an old one off a 1961 283 (was what I had available at the time). It fired instantly and hasn't failed since.

Frank

 

I would be looking at my fuel lines, see if it is close to heat, that could cause a vapor lock issue. as the others said it could be electrical. does the motor still spin over?

 

I'm in the "bad coil" camp, having cussed my stock '47 along for most of a summer. Someone suggested the coil, and that fixed it.

4TTRUK

 

What kind of electric fuel pump? I have had trouble with the little $30 pumps foaming the fuel or something. It would stall and then 10 minutes later would start and run for a while then do it again. Not sure if it was*****ing air in the body of the pump or what. Switched to a Carter electric and the problem went away.

 

"If it can't*****, it won't blow". On my '40 the pickup tube in the gas tank gets a partial restriction (crap in the tank), that allows for a fine idle but , at speed needing more fuel it dies, running itself out of fuel. I pulled the line off the elec. pump to the tank and blew compressed air back to the tank 5-10 lbs. at most until I heard it bubble the gas tank clearing the line.

This roadside ritual takes place about every 500 to 5000 miles! (air tank in trunk is now standard equipment)

Waiting for a back-ordered USA made aftermarket tank.

I chased everything electrical but mine came down to fuel supply.

Food for thought...

 

Give me a few days and I will definetly give this a try. Thanks