Tired of fighting with this car. Anyone want a crack at it?

I may be way off track here but nobody has mentioned it yet.... possibly a frozen stator in your torque convertor? would cause high engine load, detonation at idle, and stalling. easy to rule out just unbolt the convertor from flexplate.

 

I agree with Ratrod37. Start over from the basics. Have you checked compression when it gets hot. How many miles does this motor have on it? Make sure your foundation is good before you spend more money.

 

when you first start it how hard is it to start? after it runs and dies how long does it take before it will start again ? when it does re-start does it fire up quickly or does it have to crank and crank?

im leaning towards either the timing chain or the breaker plate in the distributor

 

A neighbor brought his truck over a few weeks back for a very similar issue. its a bigblock ford. he had just done a tune up on it. I found that when the engine warmed up, the metal strip on the parts store brand rotor would actually start to straighten out from the heat and lose contact with the distributor cap terminal. a motorcraft rotor fixed it. your problem really sounds like an equally stupid ignition problem.

 

my dad had a 55 mecury, the gas tank was rusty and after about 5 miles of driving would stop, leave it sit for 15 min and you could drive another 5 miles, rust in the filter would be sucked up and block the fuel flow, as it sat not running the rust would float back down the the bottom of the filter and off you go.

 

I had this exact experience years ago with a late 60's Cadillac. Engine would start, idle, falter and eventually die. Difficult or impossible to restart immediately. Checked the timing chain and marks TWICE-I was younger then. The falling vacuum gage told the story-it would start out about normal, and steadily drop until the engine stalled. Dropped the head pipe and it ran fine. It had some sort of a double walled exhaust pipe and the inner layer had collapsed in the middle of the pipe. Looked fine from the outside.

 

Lot's of good ideas so far, sounds to me like you need a fresh pair of eyes to look at this problem. It's likely something basic, but not obvious (timing chain, muffler, fuel line, pump, filter).

We could fix it for sure, just did another FE with weird issues yesterday (it was a intermittent locking up PS pump) but probably not on the phone, if you have a way to get it over to our shop in Wylie we'll be more than happy to help you out.

Shop number is 972 351 0153, Chris has it today and he great mechanic and knows FE's inside out, give him a call.

 

Someone here on the hamb says something like...if it acts like a fuel problem,it's ignition.If it acts like an ignition problem,it's fuel....

 

what he said

 

Put the credit card and the parts down!
1# compression test.
Verify timing marks via piston stop
#2. Fuel pressure
#3 visually inspect fuel lines, rubber hoses can suck air and not leak fuel.
# 4. Vacuum gauge diagnostic
#5 when it stalls, didyou loose spark or fuel?
Most important thing to remember is new parts doesn't mean good parts 100% OF THE TIME.

Changing parts is foolish guessing
The car isn't fighting you, it has a simple mechanical problem. The shotgun approach isn't going to help fix it.

 

I had a similar situation a few years ago with a 65 Chevy small-block 350. Turns out it was a bad seal on the intake gasket.

 

BOTTOMFEEDER is onto something,...You didn't say how long it would run, before problem happens....Coils can become "heat soaked", and when it happens,..there is no restarting the critter ! I once owned a 47 Ford (stock) and it gave me headaches for an entire summer ! 4TTRUK

 

I had a problem something like this recently.It was nothing but a bad ignition condensor!!!! I replaced it and got a bad brand new one. Finally I figured it out after several guys HERE told me it wasn't a condensor problem

 

may sound dumb, but have you checked the gas tank vent? the wrong gas cap can choke the eng out.

 

Had exact same issues with the wifes 1971 1000cc mini. Replaced lines , pump , points , condenser , plugs yarda yarda ya ,,, the wider farming district got to hear all sorts of language , , , took me 3/4's hour to drive it a 5 minute distance to the local service garage. They spent 1/4 hour on it , , , Faulty Condenser !!!
Just got back from a 12 day , 3187 mile (5100k's) round trip of New Zealand for a Charity Run , , , CAR RAN FAULTLESS .

In saying that , removing the fuel cap sounds like the easyest thing to try !!!

What have you tried in last day or two ? Lets here some feedback

Shrapnel

 

Quick and easy way to find an intake leak- start it and spray carb cleaner around the base. When the idle changes, you've found the leak. It usually works. Its worth a shot and it doesn't really cost anything.

 

HEY! did you get it to stay running? send help. i've worked on projects for hours..............and then had that (oh) moment. silly rabbit.

 

Haven't got to get back to it since late Friday evening. I did find some of the intake bolts had loosened so I tightened them, but no real change in its behavior. I also found the points breaker plate is worn at the pivot point so I will replace it.

I have a long list of things I never thought of as well as rethinking some things from the past that I am going to revisit.

I think its going to be several things contributing before its all said and done.

 

I have read all 4 pages and didn't see anything in reference to the hot idle screw on the carb. If the hot idle speed is set too low, this could cause this too.

 

it will run ! it will all be worth it,i promis?

 

A couple ideas....
I had an old Chrysler several years ago that would do the exact same thing. On that car, the problem turned out to be a small length of neoprene fuel line that a previous owner had spliced in to replace a section of rotted out stock steel fuel line. Over time, the neoprene hose had become porous. Fuel wouldn't leak out, but air would leak in especially when the engine was under any load.

On another old car I had - an OT '71 Ford LTD beater, the nylon 'sock' strainer on the fuel pick-up inside the gas tank had become plugged. The car would start and idle and then run out of fuel and stall and not start again. After sitting for 15 or 20 minutes or so, enough fuel would gradually seep through the plugged up 'sock' that the car would start and run for a few minutes before stalling out again. The proper fix is of course to drop the tank and replace the sock. Another 'quick and dirty' way to solve the problem that is probably *dangerous as hell and I'm absolutely not recommending that anyone here do*, but worked for me ('Do as say, not as I do, damnit! ), is to disconnect the fuel line from the suction side of the fuel pump and blow the line back with a blast of 100 psi shop air. The blast of air will either blow the sock clear or blow it off the suction pipe entirely. Either way, the fuel flow problem caused by the plugged up sock is solved.

Mart3406
================

 

*Take the gas cap off first.

 

A buddy of mine had an issue quite similar to this in a 1954 Ford we pulled out of a field. Sometimes it ran great but other times it acted like your car did. We went through the stuff like you did but didn't find anything until the gas tank rusted out. While removing it and dumping it out we saw about a dozen petrified bumble bees come out of the tank. Put the new tank in and never had another problem. Apparently one of bees would get sucked up to the fuel line, block it and kill the motor. After the car died and the vacuum went away it would usually start up after a few minutes. Little bastards kicked my ass for about 6 months!

 

Ok here's my two cents worth, My buddy had a 59 chevy truck that sounds similar to your problem and his gas cap vent was plugged or he changed it out with a non-vented cap and it would sit a while and eventually get some air back into the tank and then after start up again it would run great and he would try and run a bit and then it would die. Easy to check out just leave the cap off for a bit and try it. At least you could rule that idea out.Cost Freebie.yruhot

 

If the intake bolts were loose, there is a good chance that the gaskets have failed. If they're not squeezed tightly, they can be sucked out of position. As others have said, since they are under the valve covers it's difficult to check them without removing the intake manifold. Due to the size and weight of the intake manifold, it is easy to move the gasket when setting it on.

Hope you solve your problem.

 

I had the same problem and just fixed it today.

Small Block Chevy, crate engine, HOZZ4, very low miles on it. Maybe 5000. Edlebrock Quadra Junk 1901 with the same mileage.

It would start but wouldn't stay running. If I pumped the accelerator it would try to pick up a little and die.

Pulled the carb apart and it was all cruded up.

These new fuels can't sit long even using Stabil.

Flushed the fuel tanks, rebuilt the carb and all is well.

Anyone else having trouble with these ethanol added fuels the EPA is mandating? They sure seems to draw water and or crud.

 

Read you've tried, but didn't notice if you'd replaced ALL the rubber hose on your fuel line. Even fuel hose will eventually break down inside, causing it constrict flow. Also make sure all connections between the steel line & rubber are clean & smooth - could cause a slight air leak in line, also causing your symptoms....

Good luck!
Rich

 

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM????? Every time I have to fix an engine that someone else worked on I have to fix the original problem first and then fix everything else that they "FIXED!!" Slow down and go back to the beginning.What was the engine doing that made you start working on it?

 

check the negitive battery cable to the engine. i'll bet it's corrode or loose, or both. the plugs have to have a good ground to continue firing. as current runs thought the circut, heat builds up and increases resistance. the whole currcut breaks down and now the plugs won't fire. it's an easy check and it doesn't sound like it's been looked at. steve

 

Well, I believe I can safely rule out 1 thing. It is most definitely not a fuel delivery problem. I T'd in a pressure gauge and was getting 8-9 psi! I watched the gauge all the while it was started and running until it was normal temps. I added a fpr and dropped the pressure down to 3 psi. Unfortunately I never experienced any changes in behavior. Runs pretty fairly smooth, but still fights or dies as soon as I put it in gear.

I checked the trans fluid and it wasn't registering. It does however really jolt when it is put in gear. This has me thinking more about what delco666 mentioned with the stator in the torque converter. Now I gotta go hunt down some type F.

Ignition coil I should note has remained fairly cool to the touch throughout.

While it was running, I squirted some soapy water around the carb base, fittings, and any where else I would expect a leak, but it never made any difference. I am not ruling out a vacuum leak possibly on the underside of the intake at the heads.

For those thinking I am just shotgunning it, I assure you I haven't. I hate throwing money at something unless I am sure of the issue, but this has acted like so many different things.