Need flathead help now cos I'm retarded.

If you don't find any problems with your Generator. I would again check for Vacuum leakage. Took me three weeks to find mine one time. I went through the same scenerio. You may consider popping off your carbs and intake and resealing everything. Three carbs and only one being used... I too would suspect the dummy carbs not being sealed off. Drives ya nuts huh?? You're now just starting in the (why in the hell did I buy a flathead) mode......
Be patient you'll find it.. Like I said..took me three weeks resealing shit. After finally going over things a million times. I wonder how the mechanics back in the day ever made Labor Rates

 

I agree with Petejoe. Also; if you are still 6v pos. ground, is the coil still 6v? Maybe changed for a 12v by mistake? A foolproof test for the possible leaking end carbs would be to take them off and substitute block off plates. Also; there is a ballast resistor under the dash. Is it good? Is it the right one? Also. What kind of reading are you getting from the plugs? Black soot, white, red/brown, oily black, etc? Fuel pressure 2-3 lb? No trash in the fuel or carb? Timing on the dot with vacuum disconected; 4 deg. BTDC at idle w/ vacuum hooked up? (A Mallory dual point with no vacuum advance only mechanical advance works best). Isn't trouble shooting fun! When you find the problem and fix it on your own you'll feel like you just got laid!


pigpen


Well we got trouble! Right here in River City! With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for.........(Sound of Music)

 

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Fuel pressure 2-3 lb?

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pigpen, brings up a good point. Are you running a stock fuel pump? If your runnin and electric pump, even with a regulator, I have seen them increase pressure to 7-8 at higher rpms. Stock pumps even with a duel or triple setup have always worked better for me.
If your runnin an electric pump hook up pressure gauge WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT WHEN YOU DRIVE for a test and see where your psi is..1-2 or 3 psi at the most..

Where those carbs always set to run on one?.. Dose a sharp manifold allow you to run on one? or would it be better if you blocked off the center and ran duels?

 

OK, I ran that car for 4 years without any problems so I am pretty sure it is not the car but the operator ( no offense) Make sure the choke is all the way in and not sticking. It has a tendancy to do it every now and then. Check the plugs and replace or clean if necessary. I ran her about 50 miles the day she went on the trailer and there is no way she has a miss. Make sure the choke knob on the dash is all the way in and the cable isnt binding. If it is binding take the cable out and spray it with some graphite. You might want to back the idle and air/fuel mixture screws off a half a turn due to the change in alltitude. Dont mess with anything else...I know it runs fine. If you still have problems call me this weekend when you can let me listen to what it is doing.

 

I would check the color of the spark, it must be blue.
And preferable "fat" but on 6V you can be glad if its blue.
What type of coil are you running, original?
The original coils are old and prone to brake.
Could have happened when you changed the battery.

Some weeks ago my friends 42 started to missbehave, running good att idle but when you put the pedal toward's the metal it was sputtering and jumping. The spark was blue actually!
But after some investigation the coil was the only thing left.
Since i didnt have a 6V coil i took a 12Vcoil and put a 12v battery at the passenger floor and connected the + to ground and the - post on the battery to the coil. And it worked perfectly. so then we got a new 6Volt coil from a VW (i know i shouldnt mention vw on this board so don't spam me )
Problem solved

 

picked up new plugs, so I'm gonna pull the olds ones and check em, then replace them before I try anything else. Then I'll try another coil. I noticed the sticky choke so that hasn't been an issue....no one thinks the elevation change might be part of the problem? I'll report back after I change the plugs and stuff....

 

firstly i`m not an expert when it comes to fixing motors...far from it...but the problems your getting are exactly the same as i was getting with my t...my t`s running a four banger not a v8 but hear me out anyway.....the motor would idle no problem at all but soon as i set off it started spluttering , cutting out...turn it off let idle away we go again same problem.....back in my garage i stripped down the fuel filter...pump and carb still had the same problem.....talking to a mate at work ...he said electrical.....he told me to put it in the garage and starting with one plug, remove it from the head but leave it connected to the ht lead...lay it on the engine and after turning out the lights ( do this at nite)turn the engine over...he said if there are any `leaks` in the electrical system it will light up the garage like a christmas tree...keep trying until you`ve done all the plugs.....went home did as he said...on the second plug it lit up.....problem distributor cap...cracked.....changed it , car run fine......dont ask me why it only did it on the second plug but it did.....just something else to try

cheers non technical monkey

 

the plugs were black as a turd, so she's running rich, fiddled witht he adjustment screws some, fired her up. She's idling quieter now but I haven't tried to take her up the road yet....

 

Black plugs can come from weak electrical spark. If the motor fires up and runs at idle but runs like crap when you gas it or under a load it's most likely ignition. A condensor a bad one that is will cause this problem, so will incorrect gap on the points. Condensors are cheap, try a different one before you go any farther. If you check the point gap use wire gages not flat feeler stock wire is far more accurate. The above post about a cracked dist. cap would cause the same issue as well. My guess is electrical.

 

I had the same shit happening on my 59ab .It turned out to be the condenser.
4 bucks at NAPA.

 

ok, after changing the plugs, rotor button, points, and fiddling with the carb adjustment screws it seems to be ALOT better, don't know what part or combination of stuff helped. It's still running rich though, so I need to get that fixed before it blackens the shit out of these new plugs.
I know holley jets have been the same for a LONG time, I've got a 4 barrel laying around, what are the chances these jets might work better for me? I have to take the thing apart to see what size they are, but they would fit right?

 

OK - Ichoptop mentioned an altitude diff - if you're running rich, it could be the altitude difference (was he at a lower alt than you are?) - you can screw in idle adjustments a little, but if you're going in more than 1/2 turn, you have other issues (assuming the car was running well for ichoptop!)

 

Have you run it with the aircleaner off? Try it and also look to make sure the choke is wide open. Black plugs means it is firing and the mixture is rich. Just find why the mixture is rich.

 

the car came from the mountains of colorado to flat ass north carolina. jetting is still probably one of his problems. sounds like there may still be another few small ones to. change the condenser for one its cheap and if it don't do shit your only out a few bucks right. someone else remembered ballast resistor to. i tried calling greg for you twice but have yet to get up with him. he works even more than me so it's hard sometimes. i'm gonna try again soon. just getting to where i can talk and not spit blood all over the place...ken....

 

If it still has the paper filter element that came with those air cleaners, that could make it run rich. They are notorious for poor air flow.

 

OK let's take the aircleaner off and see if that leans it out some.

 

Will you post the final outcome and what actually fixed the problem? Thanks.

pigpen


"Velly interestink" (Artie Johnson, Laugh In)

 

The aircleaner looks good, I drove it to work today without a whole lot of problems besides me and the clutch not getting along (been awhie since I had a stick shift, and never had a 3 on the tree). I can't seem to get the hang of first. It's definately still running rich, haven't had time today to play with the carb any. Think I'm definately gonna have to re-jet....
The exhaust still pops a little and i felt a few small shudders on the way home, but theres definate improvement.

 

First is not synchro in the older three speeds. You have to come to a complete stop to go to first without grinding; same with reverse. The exaust pop can be a burned valve. (Or a crossed pair of plug wires but it would run really badly in that case).Lots of work to fix but it's only a hobby, right.


Good luck, pigpen

 

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First is not synchro in the older three speeds. You have to come to a complete stop to go to first without grinding;

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You can learn to double-clutch first so you can downshift on the move...takes some getting used to, but it is nearly a lost art.

 

Can you explain this "double clutchin" for some of use younger, pimpled faced punks? I would like to learn, for I also have a 3 speed. (Double Clutchin' 101!)

 

I know you can't go back into first without being at a complete stop, I wa saying the clutch is giving me hell going from a complete stop back to going forward again. Reverse is easy, and everything after 1st is easy, but first wants to choke down on me alot.

 

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I know you can't go back into first without being at a complete stop, I wa saying the clutch is giving me hell going from a complete stop back to going forward again.

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Oh don't limit yerself! Yes you can go into first w/o being at a complete stop by double-clutching. It will even help some for that "stiffness" at a stop.

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Can you explain this "double clutchin" for some of use younger, pimpled faced punks?

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I used to double-clutch my T5 when 3rd synchro took a shit - limped along like that for a year! (what I get for using a NWC 6cyl T5 behind a stroked 351W!).

1. Step on clutch pedal
2. Put shifter in Neutral
3. Let up on clutch pedal
4. Step on clutch pedal
5. Blip throttle & put shifter in gear

When you get good at this, you'll be able to downshift quickly to 1st w/o coming to a complete stop.