Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

It has been said here many times, "90% of fuel problems are electrical".

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Heat riser??????

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

I once had a similar problem with my '28 Sedan after replacing a condenser on the road. Eventually discovered that the fibre washer was missing from the contact end of the condenser and also that the new condenser was a quarter inch longer than the old one. The car would sometimes start and run well all day, or run good for a time, or start and run badly, this all due to the condenser being too close to the distributor housing. I insulated the end of the screw from the dizzy and all was fixed.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Do you have to take the prize?

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Did anyone mention that if it has a stock dist. cap, they are notorious for the spark going to #4 cyl can jump out of the top of the cap to #3 cyl connector strap & screw up both cyls. Rev it up & check it in the dark. Also look for dull fuzzy area on top of cap under #3 connector strap.
I think this condition could possibly cause his symptoms.
If I win, I want TWINKIES! Bill W.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Tom, it started this right after I got it last summer and we all assumed it might be vapor lock or some kind of heat-related issue...but now, even in 60-70 degree temps it STILL does it.

And the really weird thing: even after changing both condenser and coil, it drove just fine (mostly at 45 mph for long stretches punctuated by some stops/starts through small towns for more than 100 miles) before it resumed the same misbehavior when the engine was running at about 170 and air temp around 72.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Have you removed the fuel line at the carb and let it flow into a quart jar?
You should have a strong steady flow until the jar is almost full.

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This thread got very confusing when it got hijacked. sgwilson904, i hope you get it fiqured out. I thing at a time. You will get it.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Yes, at first thinking it was debris in the fuel line (we saw a very few flakes in the glass bowl at the firewall), we drained the tank entirely. Nothing much came out of the tank when we drained at the fuel shutoff valve.

Suspecting the flakes were tiny pieces of cork from the gas guage, we replaced old one with a new neoprene one to prevent any future cork erosion due to ethanol. We also replaced the filters at the tank shutoff valve, thoroughly cleaned the glass bowl and replaced filter in there, replaced fuel line itself, then checked flow which was fine. Also checked to see that fuel line was properly inserted at the firewall and at the carb.

After all that, it ran fine for a while (as in maybe 10 minutes), then started sputtering and backfiring and losing power again.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

sgwilson904. whooa!!!! you just said you had filter in GLASS BOWL ? TAKE IT OUT AND CHUNK IT IN A DITCH. try running car again with filter out. have fun modelAtony Lafayette,la

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Having said that you have had help from club members, I would use that help a little more and borrow known working parts to help eliminate problems until I could zero in on the culprit.

I would go about this a little differently, first I would bypass the whole fuel system, by that I mean that I would find or make a two or three gallon fuel tank and pipe it directly to the carburetor. This would get you away from any problems from the tank, filter system, cutoff valve, bad cap, stuff in the tank or any other fuel related problem.
If this didn’t do the trick I would reconnect the fuel system and trade out the distributor with a known good one a club member is using on a properly running car.

Next I would go to the carburetor and borrow one that is known to be good. If all these don’t find the problem I would change out the ignition switch with a simple one that is known to be problem free.

Next I would go to the dash and remove it and look to see if the amp meter is shorting out against the firewall, and trade it out for one that is known to be working correctly.
And last I would start looking at the valves, checking for clearance.

If you play your cards right you will either find the problem or have a new car within a few days!!

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

A screen should be in the top of the glass filter, but not the filter that some people add, which is easily seen through the glass.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

Did you ever check the float level? if the float is set too low the fuel bowl will not fill up as it should. It might run fine at idle and a couple of times around the block. Once you get going down the road at a good clip the bowl drains down because the float is holding the needle partially closed and you get a lean condition that causes the car to backfire and overheat as you describe. After it sits the bowl fills back up (to it's low level) and the car cools off, it will fire back up, run, then it repeats making you crazy..

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

I should have been more precise. I did actually install only the small SCREEN and not that fiber filter thing I've seen some guys use and fills up much of the glass bowl.

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You are reporting a few things that appear to be helpful, i.e.,:

1. Message no.1, paragraph no. 8: "Pulling on choke helps."

2. Message no. 114, first paragraph: "It never really dies" ........ & like a temporary hospital life support machine, again: "pulling on choke gives it slightly more power.".

3. Several have suggested the mysterious "vapor lock"; however, in Message no, 41, Mr. Mike V suggests what was previously reported, poor engine ground; hence, fuel line providing the engine ground & getting hot even in cool weather thus causing "vapor lock" others say are possible.

4. All of this voodoo sputtering when only God knows when, engine never dying, but engine helped slightly when choke pulled out sounds very familiar to lack of fuel.

5. Rather than buying 5 more coils, 4 more condensers, & 3 more carburetors, plus half a catalog of parts, I would first cut the gas line, (less than $6.00 to replace), & splice it with a rubber hose, (between sediment bowl to carburetor), just in case the gas line is heating as an engine ground & providing vapor lock.


6. If this procedure makes matters worse, you know you have hurt the engine grounding.


7. If not, with this one simple procedure, the Francois Duvalier's Mysterious Voodoo "vapor lock" has been eliminated by not having a part-time heated gas line.


Sincerely hopes this helps the mysterious "unlnown"!

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

or use the tool that mike K posted to see if the fuel bowl level drops its really elementary

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Per no. 136, & what owner reports, appears fuel delivery is a problem; next, why?

Possible new painted engine blocking ground?

Mesage no. 131 could also be a possible next step.

Re: Who Can Diagnose THIS Total Mystery? Win A Prize?
 

As several of us has had you can have vaporlock for a few reasons regardless of outside temperature. As I stated before I had a fuel line too close to the exhaust line and it caused vapor lock. Check yours.

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no sign of anything but a few flakes at the bottom and in the clear glass filter at the firewall.
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Don't you think these flakes may be getting over the gas inlet and blocking the flow. It is a gas flow problem for sure. Unless you have two problems.
You need to check gas flow at the time of the problem. Take out the plug at the bottom of the carb, and see how much you get. Should be a steady stream. While your at it check for a nice hot blue spark. one has to be not working right, or both.