I thought I would start a new thread on this problem as I put my first thread in the wrong forum, you can see that thread here:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324907
Car is a Canadian 54 Meteor with a Ford 239 flathead (original engine was a 255, Canada got the flathead one more year).
So, the problem is (still is) that it is hard to start, but once running runs not too bad at all. The engine history is completely unknown, but it is absolutely spotless outside, and I suspect it was possibly rebuilt, and maybe they never got it running right, like the problem I'm having now.
Compression has improved greatly from 50/60psi across the board to now the worst has 85psi, and four or five are at 105psi. This is since I've been running it in the garage, and short drives around the neighborhood. My seemingly perfect running flathead in my other car are all 95 to 100psi.
Here is a list of what I've done:
- Rebuilt carb (not with a kit) using my ultrasonic cleaner. Blew out all passages. This was badly needed as it was corroded inside.
- Changed spark plugs with known used but perfect working plugs.
- Verified points are at 15 thou.
- Spark seems healthy.
- Cap and rotor look like new inside.
- Changed the coil as the one it had I measured to 8k ohms. The used one I put in was about 4.5k.
- Is the coil wired backwards? It had the + on the distributor wire side so I switched them. No change.
- New spark plug wires.
- Drained the fuel tank, and put in fresh fuel tonight. That helped a bit.
- Changed intake gasket, it was leaking and one bolt was missing from the manifold. When I cup my hand over the carb, the suction is REALLY strong now. Cupping my hand over it still smooths out the idle. Strange.
- I've tried to adjust the mixture screws, when you turn them in, you can find the spot when it starts to sputter, but when turning them out there is no point that it sputters until they almost come out of the threads.
- New starter solenoid and battery. Cleaned connections and it turns over and sounds just like my other 6v flathead that starts and runs perfect.
- Checked timing with a light, seems to be advanced about an inch before the mark on the pulley. Tried retarding it, same problem with starting and it sure runs rough when I retard the timing.
- Removed the two pennies that were blocking the heat risers under the intake.
- installed new 180 thermostats.
In order to start it, you have to pump the gas about 1/3 of the way many times, and then it will start. It is not flooding, I've tried flooring it to no avail. I've tried choking it fully with the manual choke, that doesn't work either most of the time. It has been like this since I started working on it. The changes I made have made slight improvements, but I'm used to my other flathead which will fire if you just bump the key!
If you get it started, it immediately runs perfect and idles smooth. Shut it off, try to start it right away and you have to pump the gas many times in order to start it again.
I'm wondering if this is a rebuilt engine, and maybe the camshaft lobes have gone flat from the lack of starting it before I got it. I wish I looked closer when I removed the intake, I didn't even think of that possible problem until now.
I'm going to do another compression test tomorrow, the battery was low and I was only getting 70psi on 1,2, and 3 cylinders. I hope that is just because the battery is low and not a loss of compression. Battery is on the charger overnight.
When I drive it, boy does it lack power too. Really sluggish. Sorry for the long post, hope I haven't missed anything, been working on it for a couple weeks now.