Losing power when warmed up

[Bob C]

What gear are you in when you are going 10mph ?

[rugreen]

Originally Posted by Bob C

What gear are you in when you are going 10mph ?

I have a Tremec T170 transmission in the '29 truck (4 speed with a sycronized clutch). 2nd gear on this transmission will get you going faster than 2nd gear on the originial transmission (I have an original transmission in my '30 coupe). So, when the truck is having this issue, it would struggle to go 10 mph in either 2nd or 3rd gear - it might actually stall if I put it in 3rd gear.

[mcgarrett]

What carburetor are you using? Has it always had this issue? Did it ever run right before without having this problem?

[rugreen]

Originally Posted by mcgarrett

What carburetor are you using? Has it always had this issue? Did it ever run right before without having this problem?

It has a Zenith carburetor (I assume the original one, although it might have been rebuilt sometime in its past). I've only owned the truck for a few months, and when I first got it I noticed that it struggled getting up some of the hilly roads around where I live. So, I had a Model A mechanic from the local club put a high compression head on it (as well as some other things). I've driven it a lot more since I got it back with the new head. So, the only thing I can compare it to is my '30 coupe, which has a Tillotson carburetor on it - no issues at all getting up the hills or losing power after a long tough drive. I originally thought it might be a carburetor issue until another member in the local Model A club mentioned he had similar issues and it was the coil.

[mcgarrett]

Does it start easily when you first crank it up to go for a drive?
Does it run good, pull hills, etc. until you have to stop or slow down for traffic?

As eagle said...check the point gap for sure and while you're at it, check the timing and maybe have your mechanic friend check the timing gear to see if it might have jumped time. It's possible that the coil might be faulty, so replace it with a known good one. Condensers are a common failure item - cheap and easy to replace. Buy a good one like one of the "no burnout types" from Bratton's, Snyder's, etc.

[rugreen]

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Originally Posted by mcgarrett

Does it start easily when you first crank it up to go for a drive?
Does it run good, pull hills, etc. until you have to stop or slow down for traffic?

As eagle said...check the point gap for sure and while you're at it, check the timing and maybe have your mechanic friend check the timing gear to see if it might have jumped time. It's possible that the coil might be faulty, so replace it with a known good one. Condensers are a common failure item - cheap and easy to replace. Buy a good one like one of the "no burnout types" from Bratton's, Snyder's, etc.

Yes, the truck starts fine and drives fine. The only time I have the issue is if I take a long drive on hilly roads and then come to a stop or slow down due to traffic. Even in this case, it idles fine, but has a complete loss of power. I will check the point gap and will ask my friend to look at the timing (I'm having other issues with the transmission and am hoping to get it down to his shop to look at it).