trouble shooting

[wingski]

Hello again. I took the ’29 cabriolet for my first drive with my wife and dog Tuesday evening. It started easily and ran fairly decently for the first few minutes, but started missing and trying to die pretty quickly. The gas valve was turned on, the spark was advanced, the throttle lever was all the way back up, and the choke was in and turned out about 1/2 a turn. The only way I was able to get back home was by pulling the choke out and pushing it back in. That allowed me enough power to go forward until I had to do it again. There are twin Tillotson carbs and a newer distributor on the car, and I don’t know what has been done to the engine.

My question is: Where do I start to find out what’s wrong? I’m going to pull the timing gear cover and check the timing just to be sure. Then, I’m going to check the distributor and points, but I feel that a lot of the problem is the carbs. I have the original intake manifold and Zenith carb, but I hate to take off that Vortex manifold and carbs because I don’t have the original fuel line for the Zenith. The gas was fresh and good, and both screens in the gas tank and sediment bowl are clean and clear. I have two inline filters going to the carbs and they’re clean, so this is not a gas problem. I wish I knew what head and what bore the engine is, but I don’t.

Thanks again for all the help you guys have given me. Mike

[barnstuf]

Some in line fuel filters do not work with gravity feed as they require fuel pump pressure. Are you on gravity feed?

[mike657894]

check compression and generator and battery connections. a blown head gasket will let you run for ten minutes then 2 cyl will stop sparking due to coolant build up. if you have a loose gen connection and your battery loses connection your car will back fire and drive with nearly no power. it could be something else but I would check those two first.

[wingski]

Yes, it is gravity feed, and if all else fails I'll bypass the inline filters. Thanks.

[wingski]

Originally Posted by mike657894

check compression and generator and battery connections. a blown head gasket will let you run for ten minutes then 2 cyl will stop sparking due to coolant build up. if you have a loose gen connection and your battery loses connection your car will back fire and drive with nearly no power. it could be something else but I would check those two first.

All the head bolts were about 40 foot lbs. when I got it. I tightened them to 50 lbs, but there is a little bit of seepage from #8 head bolt. The previous owner was either weak or had no idea what he was doing, and that scares the crap out of me. I didn’t check to see if I had liquid coming out the exhaust when I fired it up. I will. Does it make a difference that the radiator has Evans waterless engine coolant in it because it does?

[Sunnybrook Farm]

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It sounds fuel related so I wouldn't mess with a lot of other stuff other than to check the point gap. Can you see any dirt in the sediment bowl if you have one or fuel filter if plastic. Maybe a photo of your system will help in trouble shooting.

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by wingski

Hello again. I took the ’29 cabriolet for my first drive with my wife and dog Tuesday evening. It started easily and ran fairly decently for the first few minutes, but started missing and trying to die pretty quickly. The gas valve was turned on, the spark was advanced, the throttle lever was all the way back up, and the choke was in and turned out about 1/2 a turn. The only way I was able to get back home was by pulling the choke out and pushing it back in. That allowed me enough power to go forward until I had to do it again. There are twin Tillotson carbs and a newer distributor on the car, and I don’t know what has been done to the engine.

My question is: Where do I start to find out what’s wrong? I’m going to pull the timing gear cover and check the timing just to be sure. Then, I’m going to check the distributor and points, but I feel that a lot of the problem is the carbs. I have the original intake manifold and Zenith carb, but I hate to take off that Vortex manifold and carbs because I don’t have the original fuel line for the Zenith. The gas was fresh and good, and both screens in the gas tank and sediment bowl are clean and clear. I have two inline filters going to the carbs and they’re clean, so this is not a gas problem. I wish I knew what head and what bore the engine is, but I don’t.

Thanks again for all the help you guys have given me. Mike

Sorry but you have a gas problem. Probably a flow problem OR Vapor lock.

[abachman3]

This sounds to me like a fuel starvation issue. The inline filter(s) may not be flowing enough fuel to feed both carbs. When you said that pulling up on the choke lever, it ran better, that seems to solidify, to me, a lack of fuel.

[marc hildebrant]

Some of the older gas caps did not have good venting. Try removing the gas cap and see if it runs O.K. If so, then you need a new gas cap.

Marc

[Bill G]

Wingski:

It never fails. You do all that work and load up the wife and dog, and then it happens. I did a bunch of work and took my wife out for a drive one night and my generator was not genning, and by the time we got home, I almost had to hold a match up to the lights to see if they were on. On top of that, something else went haywire too. So much for impressing my wife with all the work. All fixed now, but geez.

[NCRebel]

I agree that vapor lock may be the issue. Fuel filters clogged are also an easy thing to check as well as a tight connection along the exhaust system from manifold gasket to the tail pipe opening.

[frank mcdaniels]

Fuel lines are cheap. I'd put the original manifold and single carb back on. Setting one carb and trouble shooting it would be way easier than two.

[wingski]

Originally Posted by Magicbox51

Wingski:

It never fails. You do all that work and load up the wife and dog, and then it happens. I did a bunch of work and took my wife out for a drive one night and my generator was not genning, and by the time we got home, I almost had to hold a match up to the lights to see if they were on. On top of that, something else went haywire too. So much for impressing my wife with all the work. All fixed now, but geez.

Bill, the thing that blows my mind is she said, "I really enjoyed that drive." when we got home. Boy, have I got a winner or not.

[wingski]

Hey Rebel, now that is what a parade car should look like. If I saw you go by, I'd have to follow you so I could shake your hand and congratulate you.

[wingski]

Marc, that's the first thing I checked, and it is venting properly. Thanks, Mike.

[wingski]

Thanks, Frank, but I really would like to see what these Tillotson's do compared to the Zenith.

[wingski]

Keep those comments coming, guys. Right now, I'm removing two scratches in my windshield so the A doesn't have to run.

[PC/SR]

Retorque the manifold; besure it is properly installed, gaskets to block and carb, etc.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

With so much stuff ADDED/MODIFIED/ETC, how in the world could you even begin to DIAGNOSE the problems?????
Bill W.

[SteveB31]

Very simple problem. If you had to choke it to run, then you have a lack of fuel. Either to the carburetors, or thru the carburetors. Don't touch the electrical system. Pulling the choke starves it for air, and it runs because it is starved for fuel.