help with fuel problem?

to start off with i know very little about what i'm talking about. ha!!

bought a 49 lincoln from a guy who bought it from another guy sort of deal and in the process i'm missing some information but this is what i've come to know. the car will idle and rev high just fine. the car drives and accelerates fine but after i reach 25mph the engine just dies on me. After the car stops it will start back up and i can run it up again. i achieved the same outcome three times in a row on the same occasion before giving up. guy at my work knows a bit said i was probably emptying the bowl. that made me realize that the previous owner mentioned that the car had an electric fuel pump but that he didn't think it was working because of an electrical issue. so after some searching i found the electric pump (something like what is found in this thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317642&highlight=solid+state+electric+fuel+pump ) attached to the underside of the frame a few feet from where the fuel tank sits. there's and in-line fuel filter between the tank and pump. the pump was disconnected so i plugged it back in and found a toggle switch hidden next to the steering column in the car. after some fiddling around i was able to get the fuel pump to kick on when i flipped the switch. i get a ticking sound. guessing that's right? i took the car back out and turned the pump on. This time instead of completely dying when the car ran up to about 25 mph it just bogged down and wouldn't let me go past that point. so.... i'm pretty sure that my issue is with the car not getting enough fuel, but i have no clue where to go from here. is the electric pump not filling the bowl enough or is it the mechanical pump not keeping up? should i try and clean something? should i try and replace the electric pump? opinions are welcome and any help is appreciated.

 

Plugged filter ,plugged line , non-vented cap/tank. If there are rubber lines/flex hoses they maybe colapest [sp] blocked. Disconnect fuel line at carb and tank and blow through it from tank end.Can't blow the other way through the pumps 'cause they have one way check valves in them . Also if fuel smells sour drain IT. burning sour gas can cause valve to stick.

 

sound like a fuel filter or something going on with the carb
it could be as simple as the float is set to low
you never said if you rebuilt the carb or not but that usually can solve some issues
i had the same problems with my 54 when i first got it going it was the carb filter clogged

 

the guy before me said he was planning on re-building the carb but came across one that was already re-built.

 

ya rebuilt but when the one i had was rebuilt also but it sat up for a while cheap insurance too
try to take the fuel liine off the carb and turn on the fuel pump to see what kind of flow you have (in a bucket or something)
it should flow with some pressure even at full flow
that will rule out the carb
if not start from the carb back

 

Check/replace the inline filter before the pump to make sure it's not partially clogged. If it is, it could be letting enough gas flow to keep the car idling and running at low rpms but starve as the car needs more gas. The pump could also be doing the same thing...cheap enough to buy an new one to try (and a good spare if not the problem now because it will be in the future).

 

I would check the fuel pick up screen located in the gas tank as they are very prone to getting plugged up. It will let a small volume of fuel get thru just enough to run and idle just fine but when you exceed that it will do just what you have described. let it set for a few minutes then fire right up and then go thru the same routine again.

 

FIRST! Leave the gas cap off and try it.

 

i just caught on to something you said you have a mechanical pump in front of the electric pump? thats what it looks like in the picture, i've never tried to push fuel through a mechanical pump iv'e always byp***ed it, i wonder if this could be part of your problem. maybe something in the mechanical pump blocking fuel? would like to know how this works out for you

 

Elect pump behind mechanical pump is the normal way. Mechanical pump don't restrict flow through. Ninety percent of people useelectric as a backup to mechanical.