1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

My 1934 has developed a miss at prolonged highway speed I'm working my way through it but would like some help form the collective wisdom here

First of all stock 6V 1934 Ford New Battery , Skips Coil, Original set up everything except Instead of a 20 Amp glass fuse has a thermal cut out installed as the fuse mounts were a little corroded so we just bypassed that with the thermal cut out . Also running a Mike Driscoll rebuilt 3 bolt distributor with later internals installed. New Fuel pump again rebuilt by Mike Driscoll with glass bowl Recently had the gas tank out and cleaned it out and re-coated with POR 15.

The problem - intermittently missing seems to be at higher speeds. It really feels like a fuel issue with the car surging . On occasions it will die completely but will restart instantly and run perfectly following this . When it is missing the ammeter registers a perfect steady charge . Yesterday it did it and I drove through it largely -after about 10 mins it was still doing it occasionally and i pulled over . Restarted the engine and it was fine . It can not occur for 50 miles and then do it There is never any problem with starting

What I have done - Initially I felt sure it was POR 15 flaking off the inside of the tank causing a fuel problem -Indeed I did find a few silver threads in the glass fuel pump bowel so I figured that was the problem -So I installed a fuel line filter but the problem has continued .

Now working on the assumption that 90% of fuel problems are electric and the fact that it seems to occur only at higher speed I am wondering if the problem is related to either the thermal overload switch or the resistor with heating up -The fact that it comes right immediately when I turn the car off and and restart to me suggests the fuel is less likely. Of course the coil and the condenser could be at fault but have all been changed in the last 6 months . My plan is to change out the fuse and resistor initially.

Any other ideas ?

Karl

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Last one I saw with these symptoms was due to the (cracked) cork fuel bowl gasket (sucking air)
Or possibly just needs to be tightened.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Do have an in-line fuel filter?

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

I wonder if it a fuel delivery issue from the tank. Any way to safely run a fuel line to a can and see if it is something blocking the line at the tank?.... Mark

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Karl,
Does pulling the choke out a bit as it acts up change it any?

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

If your ignition switch is aged, try running a jumper wire from batt to coil

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Sorry to answer a question with a question,but is your gas cap vented?

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Gas cap on a 34 ford does not require venting. The tank vent is built into the fuel gauge sender unit if it is an original one. Yes, fit a new cork gasket on your later fuel pump filter bowl. By pass the ignition switch with a small jumper wire. The contacts in the old ignition switches wear out and cause an intermittent supply to the coil. I doubt that your circuit breaker substitute for the fuse is the problem. Ignition resistors give very little trouble apart from the end terminals being loose or dirty. Seems to be a mystery item to most people as to why the resister is even in the circuit. Maybe the fuel tank pickup is being intermittently blocked by a flake of your POR15 coating. But just do one thing at a time and then test run the car otherwise you wont know what has fixed it. Regards, Kevin.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Another item to check or replace is the flex fuel line that connects between the fuel pump and the end of the metal fuel line on the firewall. These do crack and perish and can become partially blocked or suck air in. Don't fit a NOS one as it can be faulty due to old age. Fit a new one in there. Or better still fit a new in line filter in its place. Regards, Kevin.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Just a wild guess but sounds like you've got a coil or condenser on the way out

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

He already has a skips rebuilt coil fitted listed on his post. Regards, Kevin.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

I like the “Something getting sucked up on the tank tube”......
A flake of something ,,,after it stops sucking ,,it drops off ...
I had it do that on a 64 pickup ....It waited till I was in the fast lane on the freeway ...
Pulled the tank and found five or 6 little disks.... They were the cap gaskets off of a fuel additive that stayed on the bottle when poured in .....
I’d like to point the finger at someone else ......But it was me ....

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

The engine instantly restarting after shut down indicates to me an electrical problem and having replaced the coil, condenser and the distributor, I would remove the ballistic resistor and the 4 nuts, then clean the terminals on the resistor with a wire wheel and using rosin core solder, solder the nichrome wire to the terminals. Then run the contact surfaces of the nuts either across a fine file or sandpaper and install two of the nuts on the mounting studs followed by the resistor and the eye terminals (which you have cleaned with either the file or sandpaper) and install the 2 remaining nuts and tighten them up. I am assuming that the wires between the coil, resistor and ignition switch are in good condition and that their eye terminals are soldered!!!! If this does not cure the problem, then clean the contacts in the ignition switch using fine sandpaper followed with dielectric grease on the contacts. I do not recall that the ignition circuit was through a fuse or circuit breaker. If you have the circuit breaker wired that the ignition draws through the circuit breaker, the I would connect the ignition to the battery side of the circuit breaker - the latter is for the protection of the light circuit. I have given this attention to the ballistic resistor and ignition switch on my 38 and it runs very well. Hope this helps.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Yep

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

I could its just so intermittent -that i would have to do it for so long -Karl

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Thanks Michael haven't tried it but I will -Karl

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Also check the ignition switch itself on the column drop. They get dirty and burned over time.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Thanks Guys I think I nailed it this afternoon -I discovered a loose connection on one of the wires into the ammeter (In fact into The Chex Oil Pressure /Ammeter gauge - originally my car had the one wire ammeter) I fiddled with it and then there was no power at all to the car a further fiddle and power back again. I have now tightened things up and have power. May well have been the problem as things heated up the loose connection became intermittently no connection -Time will tell -Karl

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Nice.

Re: 1934 Missing -Covering My Bases
 

Karl good job diagnosing it! I had a 34 I did a mechanical restoration on similar to yours. One day it wouldn’t start. The brass buss bar in the oil Chex gauge had burnt up.