The Ford Barn

poolnut · 12-04-2012, 09:52 PM

No power going uphill

My model A runs good, except when i start up a hill It slows down real fast It loses all its power Any sugestions

steve s · 12-04-2012, 09:59 PM

Can you have an experienced Model A driver try it out, to make sure it's not in the normal range? 40 horses won't haul a sedan up much of a hill very quickly, especially if you've bogged down into that awkward zone around 30 mph, where it's too slow for third but too fast for second.

My apologies if YOU are an experienced driver and are sure you have a problem.

Steve

allen · 12-04-2012, 10:11 PM

check points gab 020. if thats good check timing, my A will climb straight up, yes just 40hp but gear right pulls like hell. pulled Petite Jean Mountain straight up for 3 miles just kept watching the quails butt. good luck

newshirt · 12-04-2012, 10:35 PM

Les Andrews lists 53 possible reasons in Model A Ford Troubleshooting & Diagnostics (the blue book). But I'd first look for weak spark caused by points/coil/condensor/wiring, and then partially clogged carburetor jets.

okieford · 12-04-2012, 11:54 PM

Check that the throttle fully opens when floorboarded. The arm on the firewall that pushes the throttle open was bent on my car. It ran just fine, but had no power when climbing a hill.

Will N · 12-05-2012, 08:17 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Poolnut, What do you know about your car? Does it have a standard or a high-speed rear end ratio? How many miles since the engine was rebuilt? What are the compression readings in each of your cylinders?

Big John · 12-05-2012, 10:51 AM

of course, it depends on the angle of the hill and how high.....

Brad in Germany · 12-05-2012, 11:23 AM

I had a similar problem a while ago. It turned out that the polarity on my coil was reversed.

On my other Model A I had a problem that my gas cap was not properly vented and when I needed more gas to the engine (like when going up a hill, it created a vacuum in the fuel tank causing a reduction in power. Foot off the gas and all seemed well. It turned out that the vent in the repro fuel cap I was using was mostly blocked by the oversized gasket that the previous owner had installed.

Fordially,
Brad in Maryland

BrianBurkert · 12-05-2012, 04:22 PM

Try going downhill.

Tom Wesenberg · 12-05-2012, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianBurkert

Try going downhill.

I've been going downhill for the past 4 years!

BILL WILLIAMSON · 12-05-2012, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I've been going downhill for the past 4 years!

ME too, "WHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE: D UP, UP, UP, PULL UP!!!!^^^^^^, NOW LEVEL OFF!! Bill WHEEEEE.

12-04-2012, 09:52 PM	#1
poolnut Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Woodstock Va Posts: 31	No power going uphill No power going uphill My model A runs good, except when i start up a hill It slows down real fast It loses all its power Any sugestions

12-04-2012, 09:59 PM	#2
steve s Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Kalamazoo Posts: 1,656	Re: No power going uphill Can you have an experienced Model A driver try it out, to make sure it's not in the normal range? 40 horses won't haul a sedan up much of a hill very quickly, especially if you've bogged down into that awkward zone around 30 mph, where it's too slow for third but too fast for second. My apologies if YOU are an experienced driver and are sure you have a problem. Steve

12-04-2012, 10:11 PM	#3
allen Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: petal mississippi Posts: 550	Re: No power going uphill check points gab 020. if thats good check timing, my A will climb straight up, yes just 40hp but gear right pulls like hell. pulled Petite Jean Mountain straight up for 3 miles just kept watching the quails butt. good luck

12-04-2012, 10:35 PM	#4
newshirt Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 868	Re: No power going uphill Les Andrews lists 53 possible reasons in Model A Ford Troubleshooting & Diagnostics (the blue book). But I'd first look for weak spark caused by points/coil/condensor/wiring, and then partially clogged carburetor jets. __________________ Ray White

12-04-2012, 11:54 PM	#5
okieford Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Edmond OK Posts: 20	Re: No power going uphill Check that the throttle fully opens when floorboarded. The arm on the firewall that pushes the throttle open was bent on my car. It ran just fine, but had no power when climbing a hill.

12-05-2012, 08:17 AM	#6
Will N Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,100	Re: No power going uphill Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Poolnut, What do you know about your car? Does it have a standard or a high-speed rear end ratio? How many miles since the engine was rebuilt? What are the compression readings in each of your cylinders?

12-05-2012, 10:51 AM	#7
Big John Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 416	Re: No power going uphill of course, it depends on the angle of the hill and how high.....

12-05-2012, 11:23 AM	#8
Brad in Germany Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Potomac, Maryland Posts: 911	Re: No power going uphill I had a similar problem a while ago. It turned out that the polarity on my coil was reversed. On my other Model A I had a problem that my gas cap was not properly vented and when I needed more gas to the engine (like when going up a hill, it created a vacuum in the fuel tank causing a reduction in power. Foot off the gas and all seemed well. It turned out that the vent in the repro fuel cap I was using was mostly blocked by the oversized gasket that the previous owner had installed. Fordially, Brad in Maryland

12-05-2012, 04:22 PM	#9
BrianBurkert Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Fleetwood, PA Posts: 420	Re: No power going uphill Try going downhill.