**********1950 chevy 4 door stock 216, with carter yf************ So I just got whitewalls for my 50 chevy. On the way to the tire shop my car died about......10-15 times, plus another 20-30 times on the way back, eventually getting a tow home! What seems to be happening is: the car will run good for a few miles them putter out and die, then I re-start the car and it will idle very rough, if not just flat out die again. If the engine keeps running, as soon as I put it under any load (i.e. in gear) it will run for mabey 30 ft then die again and keep repeating this cycle of dying and me restarting it. I just cleaned out the gas tank, fuel lines, and put an in-line fuel filter on it. anybody here know whats going on? I'm thinking I need to have my carb rebuilt. Any help is appreciated ~ p.s.- fuel filter is brand new so it should not be clogged. ~ p.p.s.- after all of this my horn decided to start working, just thought I would let you know I thought it was pretty strange. ~ thanks, C.D.O!
are your intake manifold preheater butterfly valve stuck? A friend did have a similar problem......when he stopped ,waited about 5min., and ran again.....then stopped again. The carb got a lot of heat.....vaporized the fuel before it came in manifold. Also check your fuelpump, it could give the same apr.
What he said. Sometimes the spring breaks on them, my old Pontiac that happened and it ran rough as hell once it warmed up. What I did, so I could get home, was run some mechanic's wire around the counterweight on it that keeps it closed and tied it open and left it that way.
Look on your exhaust manifold by the outlet, there it should be at one of the sides a counterweight connected to a butterfly in the manifold outlet. If you can twist it easy, its not stuck, If you dont have a springtension when moving, its not function right whatever!
Just cuz the filter is new doesn't mean it isn't clogged. If some crud got loose it can plug things up right away. Make sure the rubber hose connection between tank and hardline isn't bent at such an angle it's kinked and flat which blocks fuel flow. Same at the front of the hardline, check for kinks between hardline and fuel pump. Make sure your tank is vented - a possibility, but probably not cuz it usually takes a while for an unvented tank to stop fuel flow. Your carb comes apart in three major components? Check to see if the gasket between base and mid-section is all there. Sometimes on Ford 6's, the bottom gasket can get sucked in creating a major vacuum leak. Got points ignition? Very possible the points are almost closed. Allows the engine to run, but not well and mimics a carb problem. This would be the first thing I'd check. A failing condenser does weird things as well. Most times a bad condenser simply won't allow the engine to run, but when they're not 100% they will allow the engine to run, but react strangely. Another ignition related problem that mimics a bad carb. So, check the points - set em with the rubbing block on the high part of the distributor cam. Usual setting is .014 - .016. Make sure your feeler gauge is clean. An oily gauge leaf - common - will transfer oil to the points. The oil insulates the points and most times won't allow the car to run or if it does run, it runs badly. (A worn dime is an excellent temporary feeler gauge.) Replace the condenser - get a good one with rubber sealed end and not the one with the flat cardboard end where the wire comes out. While you're at it, check the distributor internal wiring and make sure it's not going to ground intermittently. If you can, shoot the timing with a light after it's running steady - part of the tuneup process. Remove and plug the vacuum advance line - if there is one. Put a vacuum gauge on it (connect to full time manifold vacuum) and see what you have and adust the mixture screw for highest vacuum. Run the engine in a dark area and see if your plug wires are flashing over to each other or going to ground. Lots of possibles, but check the points gap first....
so i got my carb PROFESSIONALLY rebuilt, got/set new points, got a new distrib cap, and I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM!!! I dont really understand how to check the butterfly valve? should it just turn? how do you fix it if its stuck............ what else?..... fuel pump? thanks
You also may have a cracked hose or corroded line near the tank that's pulling air into the fuel line or debris clogging the pickup tube in the tank. You can confirm it's a fuel supply problem by disconnecting the line at the carburetor, connect a hose to it and put the other end into a bottle while someone else cranks the car over. You can do this with and without the gas cap to cancel out a plugged vent as well.
Just cleaned fuel system means crud freshly knocked loose...look at the filter regardless of age. A weak point is crummy breaker plate mounting, unless you have the type that turns whole distributor for vac advance. The ones with moving plate wear out their groove, and the floppy mounting allows points to close completely as plate moves eccentrically when vac advance comes on.
Have you Replaced your condenser? I spent much money on my Chevy powered pomtiac, replacing carb rebuilding the dizzy , points, leads, plugs only to find out it was an $8 condenser so bear in mind it might be a cheap part that may cost you if you dont replace it
Exactly... I had the same problem with mine... it was pumping but just not enough.... I could crank on it and get the carb bowl filled and it would run for a bit then cut out. Put a new pump on it was a night and day difference in pressure.
An old guy once told me that 90-percent of fuel problems are electrical, and I have yet to prove him wrong. Check your coil, and the condenser. Also, you don't say, but is the new fuel filter a clear one? I like to have a clear fuel filter up buy the carb to help diagnose fuel issues. With a clear inline filter between the pump and the carb, you can immediately see if your fuel problem is at the carb, or from the pump back. Once the engine starts, will it idle for a long while? If it does, your fuel pump is going bad, and it's flowing just enough fuel to keep the engine running and fill the bowl, but then under more consumption, it can't keep up and the car dies after it empties the bowl. -Brad
just went through a similar problem with my '38.. New dual intake w/2 new Stromberg 97's, New Mallory distributer and plug wires, new electric fuel pump. After a very frustrating couple weeks trying everything I (and a couple of other knowlegeable people) could think of I decided to change the already new condenser. After replacing it the engine rolled over once, fired and never sounded so healthy. A lot of times its the simple things and just because you've replaced something check again. So much of the ignition and fuel replacement parts are made off shore today and not worth the price of the box they are packaged in. BTW, the condenser I put in to make it run came out of a box of discarded used junk I had on the shelf. The auto parts stores were closed and I just wanted to try something...........anything Frank
If your fuel pump is old enough to have screws holding it together, there is a reason for that. They used to sell diaphragm kits for them. Diaphragms of that era were not long lived. Rebuilding fuel pumps was a DIY thing.
OK lets see... I replaced the points AND condenser.. yesterday. As for the fuel pump, I would say its original. My fuel filter is clear. The strange thing is, the car will start, idle, and run well for a mile or two, then it will die out and barely idle. How do I check if my coil is bad? Also, yesterday while trying to get the car to turn over after it died the Ignition button started to smoke when I would push it in, so now I got something else I gotta fix...........
Check the coil ... check for the spark in plugs when its becoming bad running. Is it sparks in all plugs? does the spark be weaker than when even running? I suppose with the clear gasfilter you see gas pumping? I rather think the gaspump is okay, its function, or not.. and you could run a couple of miles, under load..! Have you tried to give some choke when it become rough? Well, do you have converted to 12v ? happend to me too, seems like 12v on this switch was not great....seems like a bad starter could burn it! ( at least in mine..) The butterfly exhaust valve when stuck is only to get lose with WD-40 or something. Or you need to take away the butterfly inside manifold, if youre not driving much in coldness, you dont need it....but could get lower MPG. I live in Norway,using car also in the snowy winter, and my valve is broken..function okay but needs longer time with choke to work.Also slighter difficulties at start..
Well I bought a new fuel pump today and installed it, the car runs GREAT! and I THINK I found out what the problem was........................ LOOKS LIKE MY FUEL PUMP WAS TRYING TO PACK A LIPPER!!!! also the gasket was ripped...
when I dropped the tank I cleaned the tank and all the lines but forgot about the fuel pump for some reason..... so far.. dropped the tank, blew out the lines, new points/condeser, new dist. cap, professionally rebuilt carb, and nos fuel pump...it still "puts" a little bit but its gotta be something electrical, I dont know what yet.....
I'll bet you a dollar that your pump fills back up. I had that same problem on my '54 Buick. It's a low-mileage original that sat for years. I replaced the tank and blew out the lines. The problem was the inside of the lines were dry all that time, and got really fine rust inside. Once I started driving it, the rust went into the pump and up into the fuel filter. The rust you have is a lot chunkier than mine--mine was fine like talcum powder. It'd be in suspension, like mud, until the pump would plug, then it'd settle like concrete in the clear glass filter. You'd literally have to scrape it out with a screw driver, and just two minutes ago it was wet and muddy. Replace your fuel lines. -Brad
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