66 Galaxie 500, 352, 4brl, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and Edelbrock carb, Pertronix ignition. It used to run great with this combo, but i pulled the intake off to replace the gaskets that were leaking badly. I "thought" I was very careful to stab the distributor exactly as I had pulled it. Even took a pic with my phone. I don't have a timing pointer on the front cover so its hard to tell you I nailed the timing perfect, but I know its close because it starts fairly easy. It did backfire through the carb a time or two though, but only when I first started it. I really do not think I am far off if at all. The problem is that after its been running a while, it seems like its loading up and it just dies. I can restart it with a little effort, but it will die again after a while and then when I try, if it tries to start at all, its almost like its dieseling and sputtering. It won't smooth out. Touching the gas just kills it. I don't have a means to look in the carb to see whats happening. (too scared to get out with it in Park. If you know old Fords you know what I mean...) Does this sound like timing? Fuel related? Fuel pressure? Can Edelbrocks be damaged by a backfire the way Holleys can?
"NO KNOWN FIX, FER THAT PROBLEM! SORRY. What will you take for IT? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Smokin' in tha' Smokey Mountains
Try timing it with a vacuum gauge. Been discussed on here many times. Plug the vacuum advance, get it started, and turn the distributor to get the highest vacuum reading, then retard it just a bit. If it runs good, great, If not, did you get all of the plug wires back in the right order and plugged in tight?
Cruzin along in my chev a while back, going great when it backfired ''LOUD'' after that it would only run flat out or idle (nothing in between) start ok, idle ok but no low or mid range throttle responce at all, checked EVERYTHING turned out a wire had come of the mother board inside the electronic distribitor and was just SITTING on the termial!! Pushed it back on and ''hey presto'' no more problems. cheers oggie
look over the petronix, then time with the vac guage. If all else fails sell me that performer rpm and the petronix. Maybe that will fix it. Seriously though, look over the ignition and then time with the vac guage. From what I under stand, the edelbrocks dont have the back fire problems with the power valve like the holleys do or did. Im not an expert so maybe someone with more carb experiance can chime in.
sounds silly but double check that the fuel line isnt kinked. ebrocks dont have a powervalve so no holley type probs, vac gauge is the best way to set timing on a ford, remember they like allot of timing. also the coil power and neg wire can be loose if its the old push on connector. whitey
that was my immediate thought. did you reroute fuel lines(near exhaust/other hot parts of the engine). kinked fuel line sounds plausible too
Yeah, the fuel line is new, doesn't come contact or come close to anything very hot. Has more space away from hot stuff than the original did. I don't think its running long enough to really get HOT hot I don't think, but I don't have a gauge. I thought maybe vapor lock too and still leaning that way, but not sure how since this all ran ok in the past.
one thing not asked here is, do you have a carb spacer to dissipate the heat? I had the same problem once until I put one on.The gas may be boiling inside the carb and causing the whole problem.
This may be as simple as a choke adjustment. Try messing with the choke, I have to reset mine for cooler weather when they reformulate the fuel mixture. Runs good til it warms and then loads up, choke is still mildly engaged. That's my scenario. Takes a while to heat up the choke, by then you have fouled plugs. Mine is also an Edelbrock carb.. Try tuning the choke.
i think your timing is too far advanced. had a high compression 72, hotrod ponco back in the good ol days. when i had the timing too far advanced, it'd barely crank when hot. you probably have a combo platter of timing/carb issues. do the timing first then tackle the carb.
Good stuff guys! Looking forward to messing with it this weekend. I thought about a carb spacer too and wondered if it could be boiling. I have one of those flat aluminum heat shields I haven't installed yet, but wonder if a phenolic would work better.
Hey, I’ve got a 66 with a 289 and I’ve been having a similar problem. Mine won’t idle. I have to keep my foot in it at stop signs and stop lights or it will kill, every single time. All the advice I’ve been given is that the gas we’re getting around here is junk. Between the winter mix and the ethanol I’m told it’s slowly killing my carb. Supposedly ethanol is horrible on floats. Can’t say myself as I haven’t torn it apart yet. I don’t know when yours was running good, but mine was running supreme up until it started cooling off, and then all hell broke loose…and I hadn’t changed ANYTHING. It just started being a ***** one day.
The only thing you really changed was where the distributor was located. Everything else you touched is just remove and install. Just loosen the distributor, and turn it clockwise a bit. If that makes it worse go the other way.
It seems pretty obvious the timing isn't set correctly. If you don't have a marker to set it with a light use the vacuum gauge method.
Have you checked to make sure that you put the dis. back in right? (the have been known to jump a tooth as you put them back in )put the motor on tdc #1 cylinder and check to make sure that the rotor is pointing to #1. If it is start the motor and turn the dis. a little and see how it idles, then take it for a drive find a hill and turn the dis. until it pings under load and then back off until it stops.
Swap the coil out, $25 to cross something off the list. Then return it when you find out its not the coil L
let it run until it's acting up, then touch the coil....is it waaay too hot. i'm having problems with my ignitor unit (and the one in my panel truck) and it was overheating the coil.
What was leaking? Water leak or vacuum leak? You said that you thought your intake gaskets were leaking? How was It running before you touched It? when was last time it ran well?
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