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Old 10-22-2016, 03:15 AM   #21
Old2New
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

I will pull the intake first and check that out
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Old 10-22-2016, 08:54 AM   #22
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

I still thing you'd be best off diagnosing the problem with the engine intact. Try carb cleaner down the sides of the intake, best as you can do front and back. A compression test is a good idea.

If you do decide to take it apart a Chiltons or Motors Manual is the best, if you can find one that old. If not, take pictures and label the hardware. Your worst hardware is going to be at the exhaust flanges and maybe at the head itself. Oil up what you can reach.

The intake is ultra heavy, heads not so bad. Read up on removing a distributor. Mark where the rotor is pointing and mark the distributor body in relation to the intake. Will save you a lot when it goes back together.
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Old 10-22-2016, 11:14 AM   #23
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Right, compression check first. Will it read low if the valves are bad? Thing is that it doesn't smoke and there is no blow by so I dont really think that the rings are bad. Wouldn't there be blowby? Also I forget to mention there is a very inconsistent clatter, sounds like under the intake. Could be the lifters not getting enough oil due to a failing oil pump? The clatter is not consistent and does not come from under the valve covers.
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Old 10-22-2016, 04:39 PM   #24
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

compression will read low if valves are bad, or if the rings are bad. clatter from under the intake could be bad hyd.. lifter, bent push rod, or if you have adjustable rockers, valve adjustment could be off. if you are concerned about oil pressure, get a mechanical gauge and check it with that. as far as a manual goes, your best bet is a factory Ford manual. a ford manual covers everything step by step, and is a much better choice for someone with not much experience. Chilton's and the other manuals often do not cover things in depth. If you get an aftermarket manual, I prefer Motors, over the Chilton's or any others, but like I said, the Factory manual is best. if you do the compression ck, and there is one low cyl. you may only need to pull only one head. you need to ck the push rods and rockers carefully before pulling a head, as this could be the problem
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:05 PM   #25
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Well here are the results of a compression test. Cylinders 1-6 are all between 150 and 160. pretty awesome. Cylinders 7 and 8 are 130 and 110. Im guessing that since it is low on two cylinders next to each other, its probably a blown head.
What do you mean ck the rockers and push rods before pulling the head? Im not familiar with that abbreviation.
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Old 10-24-2016, 05:15 AM   #26
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

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The wet plugs sound like a weak spark, have you switched the coil? Have you clamped off ALL the vacuum lines? Have you adjusted the dashpot? I don't think a disassembly without a firm diagnosis is a good idea. Your symptoms don't seem related to an apparent cause visible on teardown. Take a bit more time, check and recheck. Remember a bad vacuum hose can shed internally and cause clogging of vacuum-operated items on an engine, the vacuum test can look good and an have item not work as it should. If a known vacuum item is bad replace it before a teardown, such as the modulator. Vacuum T's and inline connectors that have been added in the past can age and crack also. Burned valves and a smooth idle don't mix. A loose rocker pivot or a bent pushrod is not unheard of, though not as prevalent as on the Y blocks. If looking at valve action with the valve covers off and the engine throttled up be CAREFUL.... I had a 292 shed a pushrod which passed my right ear close enough to feel it when I was 50 years younger. A memory that stays with you.
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Old 10-24-2016, 12:11 PM   #27
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

How long have you had the car? Did you try the compression after spraying a little oil in each cyl? If the car sat a long time, the compression may come up after you drive it some. Mine did.
BTW, mine was missing due to bad grounds at the firewall.
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Old 10-24-2016, 03:15 PM   #28
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

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How long have you had the car? Did you try the compression after spraying a little oil in each cyl? If the car sat a long time, the compression may come up after you drive it some. Mine did.
BTW, mine was missing due to bad grounds at the firewall.
Didn't think to check grounds. will do that.
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Old 11-11-2016, 04:30 AM   #29
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Well I figured out the problem. Turns out all it was, was a blown head gasket. It was my first time removing any thing more than the carburetor. I got to remove the intake, which weighs something like 3,000 lbs, and remove the heads. I didn't realise that the factory air was held into place partly by a bolt that went right into the head. After having to spend abojt 2 hours pulling everything off the front of the engine just to remove the AC, I said screw it and took it off. Im sure Henry Ford was laughing in his grave. It was pretty obvious where the coolant had steam cleaned the heads. Pretty neat, and man did it feel good to do all that work my self. What a feeling of accomplishment it gave me. Runs like titts now.
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Old 11-11-2016, 10:22 AM   #30
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Tks for the update, and glad u found the problem.
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Old 11-11-2016, 05:52 PM   #31
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Only 60 years of experience. Bad coil.
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Old 11-11-2016, 07:18 PM   #32
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

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Only 60 years of experience. Bad coil.
Well your definately right as well because one of the problems was the wire that ran to the coil had metal exposed on the little boot and would arch. I switched from the boot to an eyelet and it helped as well.
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Old 11-14-2016, 04:25 AM   #33
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Took it out for its first drive since the new head gasket. It ran ok up until I filled the gas tank up. After I fired it up again right after filljng it tried to die every time I would come to a stop light, then try even harder to die when acdelerating from a stop until finally it it won and died as I rolled into Oreilly Auto. At least it gave me a chance and made it to the parts store
I decided to let it sit for a while and install the new headlight. Then I got to thinking that it probably isn't coincidence that it started running rough after filling up. When I rebuilt the carb it had a ton of rust in it. So I pulled the air horn and BEHOLD, a bunch of rust colored sludge in the fuel bowl. I slapped a fuel filter on it and drove it home no issues.What I didnt think about was the fact that it could have been heat soak. The fuel in the bowl was very hot. Could it really have just been that my fuel tank is nasty and filling it stirred up the mess? So the filter got me home or did letting it cool down get me home? Same distance trip both ways minus the stop and go from the gas station.
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Old 11-14-2016, 08:26 AM   #34
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

"Could it really have just been that my fuel tank is nasty and filling it stirred up the mess? So the filter got me home or did letting it cool down get me home?"

Yes on both counts. The main culprit will be your tank. You should pull it and have it boiled out and lined. A phenolic spacer between the carb and intake will practically eliminate any hot hard starting issue related to heat soak.
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Old 01-16-2017, 09:48 PM   #35
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Dropped the gas tank and it was so full of rust tbat when I turned it over, rust poured out like gravel. probably a gallons worth of rust in the tank and when I strapped it to tbe end of a cement mixer and spun it with chains in it, the tank looked like swiss cheese. I decided to put one of thos small marine gas tanks in the trunk for now. works great. I just have to refill it every 3 days.
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Old 01-17-2017, 12:20 AM   #36
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

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..... I decided to put one of thos small marine gas tanks in the trunk for now. works great. I just have to refill it every 3 days.
Yes it will work great unless the car gets into trouble. Many years ago a customers car was towed to my garage after getting hit in the right front. There was a really strong odor of raw gasoline I couldn't figure out until I looked in the trunk. There was an empty fuel tank in there, along with about 5 gallons of gasoline sloshing around loose in the trunk.
The owner/driver could have been fried alive.
There's a reason fuel tanks are mounted on the outside of vehicles.

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Last edited by dmsfrr; 01-17-2017 at 11:45 AM.
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Old 01-17-2017, 07:35 AM   #37
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Buy a gas tank, they are available and you and anyone else in the car will be a lot safer.
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Old 01-17-2017, 12:25 PM   #38
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

That already happened to me... I had a gas can in the trunk as a reserve since the gas tank is only a 6 gallon. Well apparently I took a corner too fast at some point because I went in the trunk and it had tipped over and I lost about 4 gallons of fuel and it was a pool back there! Now I strap down my gas can. The tank is strapped down as well. Not sure how the tank would start leaking unles I was hit in the rear? It is a plastic can though.
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Old 01-17-2017, 12:28 PM   #39
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Red face Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

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Yes it will work great unless the car gets into trouble. Many years ago a customers car was towed to my garage after getting hit in the right front. There was a really strong odor of raw gasoline I couldn't figure out until I looked in the trunk. There was an empty fuel tank in there, along with about 5 gallons of gasoline sloshing around loose in the trunk.
The owner/driver could have been fried alive.
There's a reason fuel tanks are mounted on the outside of vehicles.

.
Could the brake lights cause a spark if there was a spill again? That was the first thing that came to mind when I found the pool back there. Second was, "well at least I know my trunk doesn't leak."
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Old 01-17-2017, 04:27 PM   #40
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Default Re: 390 stumbles, misses and dies in gear

Been to that gas tank party. Got mine here: http://www.autocityclassic.com/ford-gas-tanks/
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