Please help, any advice?

[ctvpa]

Friends,
Here's the story:
The car is a new restoration with less than 200 miles.

I can be driving along, it can be running fine, then suddenly no power, sputtering, awful bucking. The person who rebuilt the carb stated to open the GOV more, I have tried every point from closed to 1 full turn, no change. At first it worked for a few hours, but often self corrects, so I don't think that fixed anything.

It is very intermittent. I can drive the car several times (at 1/4 gav) with no problem. Then you can be driving down the road, and it's just like you clicked a switch, you have nothing.

It has been happening at all speeds and difference position of the GOV did nothing.

Some days it is fine all day. Sometimes it self corrects. Sometimes when it happens, I closed the fuel valve, let the bowel to empty , tap the carb (someone was sure the float was stuck), and once in awhile it will work. You never know when , it happens at any speed, any time.

When it happens, you can see gas coming from the carb. Slow drip.

Today was the worst. I almost had to be towed. It ran fine for 20 miles, then loss of power suddenly. If I pull the choke a bit I can smooth it out. Usually after a mile or so, that sometimes works, and I can slowly reduce the choke and it works. Today I even pulled the carb bowl and the float is fine, not leaking or sinking, no gas into the float so it's not a hole in the float , and it still barley runs. I had to use full choke, all the way home, bucking so bad in some areas I was at 5 mph. It's not air locked, I had the cap almost off.

The only way to keep driving, is at full choke , then it runs smooth, but so rich I overheat. I could not get it to work correct. It took about 10 gallons to go about 15 miles.

Here is what I have done:
Cleaned all the filters
New gaskets
Cleaned the gas line
checked the fuel shout off
cleaned the jets with compressed air
set the GOV from 0 to 360 degrees (no change at all)
Checked the float and no correction needed, not sinking.
I have NOT changed any settings. Since it happens intermittently, I don't think it the settings.

The car has less than 200 miles, and I cannot drive it like this. It happened on a highway and I nearly got hit.

Tomorrow l will swap the carb from my roadster to see it changes anything.

Your thoughts? I am very, very discouraged.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Bad ground issues (common with new restorations) where the fuel line becomes the chassis ground?? In doing so, the fuel is preheated and is trying to vaporize.

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Bad ground issues (common with new restorations) where the fuel line becomes the chassis ground?? In doing so, the fuel is preheated and is trying to vaporize.

Thank you for your input.

However since I put in a 'Float a motor" I had been warned of this, so a second ground is run from the battery to the transmission, to ground the engine.

The ground from the battery to the frame is metal to metal.

[verdirick]

Checked your coil or the ballast resister????? Problem sounds electrical... Bad coil would be my first thought......Inspect the distributor also, Make sure everything is tight and together and that you don't have a wire from the bottom plate intermittently gounding out....

[ctvpa]

I have tried a different coil, and changed the cutout. If it was electrical why would choke smooth it out, and why would raw gas be dripping out of the carb, only when it happens ? No gas come from the carb when it is running fine.

Thank you for your input, I will check my wiring and distributor.

[Joe K]

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Check your terminal box on the firewall. Repop boxes have studs that are uncovered and liable to contact with the firewall - and can short out the ignition side of the box.

You can unscrew the box from the firewall, put a piece of electrical tape across the near miss points (both of them) and put the box back in place without removing any wires if you're good with a screwdriver.

Hope this helps. The other carb seems a good test too.

Joe K

[mass A man]

This must be driving you crazy. You said you blew the carb jets out with air, did you "remove" the jets? It may be a small burr or something bouncing around in carb passages or the jet, whereas burr is trapped unless it is removed the way it got in. I had this happen to me.

[ericr]

do the members feel that float level can do this?

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by Joe K

Check your terminal box on the firewall. Repop boxes have studs that are uncovered and liable to contact with the firewall - and can short out the ignition side of the box.

You can unscrew the box from the firewall, put a piece of electrical tape across the near miss points (both of them) and put the box back in place without removing any wires if you're good with a screwdriver.

Hope this helps. The other carb seems a good test too.

Joe K

It is an original box, with no other electrical issues. Many people are stating a short, and I will check, but why would choking the intake smooth out the engine, and why would it spill gas only when it happens?

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by mass A man

This must be driving you crazy. You said you blew the carb jets out with air, did you "remove" the jets? It may be a small burr or something bouncing around in carb passages or the jet, whereas burr is trapped unless it is removed the way it got in. I had this happen to me.

I am trying not to open too much of the carb for now, I am going to put the carb from my other car on.
The carb was a professional rebuild, so I don't want to change anything. If it proves to be the carb, I don't want him to come back to me with "Well you changed this". So I am reserving that.
I did open the carb, examined the jets, all are clear. A burr would happen all the time, and I have not found any debris.
But thank you for your input.

[ronn]

bet you change the carb and it runs fine....

of course I could lose the bet, but betting is fun!

[johnbuckley]

"90% of carb faults are ign"
here's a couple of additional long shots.
1) just to make sure it's not an ign fault rig up a wire feeding direct from the battery and temporarily disconnect the old one.
2) vaccuum forming in gas tank because of a non -( or poorly) venting gas cap? - it's caught me out a couple of times.

[Tom Wesenberg]

If you are half way serious about 10 gallons to drive 15 miles, you must have washed all the oil from the cylinders, or you are leaving quite a trail of raw gas on the road.

It kind of sounds like intermittent ignition, but when you mention the amount of gas used, it must be fuel related. How sensitive is the ignition switch? Do you have to barely turn it to kill the spark? Many repro switches don't have a good conection with a solid click to the on position. Do you notice any difference when you move the spark lever? Sometimes the short lower plate wire will touch the spring or case as the spark lever is moved, if it isn't bent correctly for clearance.

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by ericr

do the members feel that float level can do this?

The float is exact at 1 inch, there are no holes in the float, and a bad float would be a problem all the time, this is intermittent, and starts suddenly, and sometimes ends just as sudden. Or like yesterday I could not get it to correct. I dropped the bowl, cleaned it out, checked the float, checked the float valve, all worked fine. Put it back together and the car started great, but had no power. If I choke it, I can drive at 35 mph. reduce the choke, and bucking and sputtering, and barely 5 mph

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by johnbuckley

"90% of carb faults are ign"
here's a couple of additional long shots.
1) just to make sure it's not an ign fault rig up a wire feeding direct from the battery and temporarily disconnect the old one.
2) vaccuum forming in gas tank because of a non -( or poorly) venting gas cap? - it's caught me out a couple of times.

The windshield was open, so to see if it was vapor lock I reached out and opened the gas cap, nothing changed.

I will check the wiring, as many others have suggested.

Thank you for your help

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

If you are half way serious about 10 gallons to drive 15 miles, you must have washed all the oil from the cylinders, or you are leaving quite a trail of raw gas on the road.

It kind of sounds like intermittent ignition, but when you mention the amount of gas used, it must be fuel related. How sensitive is the ignition switch? Do you have to barely turn it to kill the spark? Many repro switches don't have a good conection with a solid click to the on position. Do you notice any difference when you move the spark lever? Sometimes the short lower plate wire will touch the spring or case as the spark lever is moved, if it isn't bent correctly for clearance.

It is a recently pro rebuilt Pop Out that works fine, The spark does change the engine, but not improved enough. The only thing the made a difference is choke.
Thank you for your input.

[ericr]

crud in the gas tank?

[Tiny]

Do you have a known to be good carb you could borrow? That coul eliminate one question with two bolts.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Do you have the small filter screen in the gas tank valve?
I would always use one, even in a spotless tank.

[ctvpa]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Do you have the small filter screen in the gas tank valve?
I would always use one, even in a spotless tank.

Yes, I recoated the tank, and did put the new filter there, in the fuel line and a new one in the carb. I can find no debris.

Thank you for the input