Need help troubleshooting a possible EEC startup problem

Visited the Mustang today. The funny thing was, when I looked at the picture after I posted it, the black pipe was in the shot, just not inserted at both ends. My memory of that night was there was no pipe. Turns out it had fallen loose and hidden in the snake of wire loom stuff. I found it and plugged it back in place. Started the car without pumping the gas at all. It fired up and then died maybe 5 seconds later. Did it again and after a few cranks it fired up at a reasonable idle speed. Once it ran for a minute or two, I shut it down and fired it up again. Just like old times, for this setup. I wish I had tried before installing the pipe, just to see if it coughed and bucked about it and then installed it and saw the difference. Either way, I'm going to let it sit until Sat, 3 more days and try again. Would this loose and then missing connection cause the nasty starting issue, or do I need to let it sit longer to see if that symptom comes back?

I do want to figure out the start and die and then restart issue. Now that I have this much time in the job, I want to make it right. That was why Dad spent the bucks for a new tank with the fuel pump lines in the normal spot for a 65 Mustang, at the front face of the tank, rather than the top , like a modern tank.

Clearly, with fuel lines connecting to the rails with AN style connectors, I won't be able to use a modern fuel line with fittings like General posted. I may have to have a male to female AN hose made with a Schrader valve in it as an adapter.

Oh and slightly off topic. When you goose the throttle for a quick burst, the cone shaped K&N air filter makes an sound like it sucks air and a flap closes. There is a slight delay between goosing the gas and the engine reving. The filter is at the end of the large hose leaving my picture at the left. There is a plug wired in and perhaps a sensor there. Looking at this shot I found online, this is the Mass Air Flow Sensor: #12. Just remove the air box and stick a cone paper filter on the end.



You mentioned some questions about the distributor. My Dad has relocated the electronic module that is normally bolted to the distributor and attached it to the driver side fender. It was getting to hot in the normal spot or something. Where the air box is, in the above picture, is where the battery sits in the 65. That got relocated into the trunk. The engine was brand new from Ford with aluminum heads. One of the last ones left at the time, Dad tells me. ( I'll start a new thread with a question about the engine. )

Besides the two start issue, the only thing left to fix is that when it's idling, it doesn't hold a steady idle. It wavers by about 100rpm I would guess. Not troublesome, but enough to notice. We figure there may be a vacuum leak somewhere.

General,

The ones with the valve on them are not cheap, are they?

I forgot to ask, from above... what areas of the engine do you need close up pictures of to get a better date range? I looked on the block to find a date stamp, down by the starter and there was none. I suspect because it was never installed into a car at Ford. It was a replacement ,new in a crate, motor sold years after they came out.

General,

I found the inline hose style for about 30 bucks. I would need to get a hose extension for my pressure gauge, so I wouldn't have to be under the car to read it. It wouldn't let me test the pressure on the other side of the pressure regulator however.

Is there another filter type we could install. The original box that is fed from a hole in the engine bay won't work. I'll have to take a picture of that area and measure the space. Obviously, I could remove the K&N for a minute and see if the idle hunting stops, as proof of diagnostic.

I did the SeaFoam treatment today and experimented with the air filter. With the cone filter in place, it would hunt a bit for the right idle speed. With it off, the idle speed was worse. It slowed down and the range of revs in the hunting was at least twice as wide. When it was still warming up, it would stumble if it goosed the gas. Once warm is was much better. Based on the smell and the dark soot in the exhaust tips, I think the car is running rich. I then thought opening the air flow would improve things. I was wrong.

We may have a source for a fuel rail with a valve on it, from our long time supply place. They have one. The guy on the phone thought it was from a 1989. We're waiting for the boss to call us and give a price. I took a shot of the fittings more close up. I think the custom fitting on the hose ends works with the stock quick connect type fuel lines rails. I'll get the picture off my wife's phone and post it.

The EEC unit we have is...

EEC-IV SF1-MA12A A9P
E9ZF-12A650-CA
61SM12AF03 43481-192 2F12

When I installed the tank, I installed a new fuel filter on the line headed to the front of the car. It's not a small coffee can style one, like my Dad had before. Just a small cylinder type. I don't know if there is another one hidden in the engine bay, but I don't think so.

I need to take another go at the key on engine on codes. They should tell me something.

Is there a common place to check for vacuum leaks on this engine?

Here are the fuel rail connections:

General.

I'll check to see how far back the braided lines go. I think they go almost all the way. My memory of the underside is a little foggy.