S.O.S. Need HELP Quickly!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pakrat]

OK, I got a little problem folks. It's a beautiful New England day so I decided to take my car to work (15-20 mi.) and just two exits away I ran into some trouble. I'm cruising along at 65 and the car suddenly starts to choke and buck a little. I play with the throttle and it just comes and goes and weezes a little. I pull over and try to look things over but see nothing of real concern. She starts right back up and in neutral seems to throttle just fine. I get back going and run thru the gears and within a few seconds and another exit it does it again. Seems to run a little better at slower speed with less acceleration. When I come to a stop it pretty much dies out, like at the end of the exit, but it starts right back up and just runs ****ty. Right before I parked it the sound was off too. It was a low mello drone like a fan boat or something instead of the usual throaty sound.

I have to try to fix it at lunch or at least get it home. I am hoping it's just as simple as a fuel filter problem since it seems like it's starving under acceleration when in gear. So far in park I can rev the engine and it is smooth but once I get going, forget it.

Any bright ideas out there or other thoughts? I really don't want to get stranded but I'm not to keen about having to leave it at work tonite or anything either.

 

[pabear89]

And it's the pits not having it run right.
check for a bad vac connection or sticking float.
would be my first place to look.

PB

 

[Ozsum67]

I think you are on the right track with the fuel filter. If not that, doesn't sound like anything too costly.

 

[66 BLAKE 96]

I wonder if it'll run fine once it cools down. Sounds similar to vapor lock symptoms.

Check the routing of your fuel lines, see if it wiggled itself a little close to the header or something.

 

[Pakrat]

And it's the pits not having it run right.
check for a bad vac connection or sticking float.
would be my first place to look.

PB

Well, my distributor is a mechanical advance, so most of the vac lines are plugged up. If I lost a plug could that have caused it? Or are there other VAC lines I should check? To check the floats don't I have to take apart the Carb? I've yet to really have to fiddle with a carb other than tuning, so I'm not entirely sure how to check if it's stuck or not.

 

[Pakrat]

I think you are on the right track with the fuel filter. If not that, doesn't sound like anything too costly.

I hope so OZ. That's obviously the easiest thing to do in a parking lot without tools, and would be a cheap fix. I know my tank and sending unit and lines and filter are all about 5 years old and have seen less than 5,000 miles of action since new. After I ran out my winter storage tank I did the same thing I've done for years. I do my next fill up with a bottle of carb cleaner, and when that's gone I run a bottle of lead substitute in the next tank just for good measure, (just did that at fill up last weekend) than just gas the rest of the season until storage again. This ritual has been fine up until now, and with all the fairly new items, I'm having a hard time believing there would be that much setiment in the filter, but I remain hopeful.

 

[Pakrat]

I wonder if it'll run fine once it cools down. Sounds similar to vapor lock symptoms.

Check the routing of your fuel lines, see if it wiggled itself a little close to the header or something.

Good point Blake, I was thinking something along those lines too initially. I would think that the line would of had to move though for that to happen right? I mean I have driven it far longer on far more hotter days (like when in Texas) with no issues, so something would have to change to suddenly casue that, right?

I am hoping that if I start it at lunch and yard drive it that it seems fine enough to get it home, but if it does run better when cooled I worry about making it all the way when it heats up. If it does run that much better when cool, what would that be a symptom of? I certainly don't mind being able to get it home, but I can't have this be a constant problem.

 

[65 fastback]

For a quick way to check for a vacume leak, get some carb cleaner and spray it around your carb. If you have a vacume leak your idle will start to stumble when the vacume leak draws the carb cleaner in.

Tim

 

[1320stang]

I'd pull a plug or two at lunch after it's cooled down to see if it's leaning out before adjusting anything. I agree with Blake, it sounds like vapor lock. I'm also wondering about a vacuum leak somewhere between the carb and the head, a can of carb cleaner might seek that out. You might pop the cap and see how rotor and terminals look. Would a condensor going out cause these symptoms? Or do you have the Pertronix conversion? How old are the plug wires? How old are the plugs?

 

[Pakrat]

I'd pull a plug or two at lunch after it's cooled down to see if it's leaning out before adjusting anything. I agree with Blake, it sounds like vapor lock. I'm also wondering about a vacuum leak somewhere between the carb and the head, a can of carb cleaner might seek that out. You might pop the cap and see how rotor and terminals look. Would a condensor going out cause these symptoms? Or do you have the Pertronix conversion? How old are the plug wires? How old are the plugs?

Hunh? You mean start it up and then start pulling plugs? Or do you mean just pull and check to see if fowled? What do you mean by leaning out exactly? I do have one of these at home, would that help diagnos a plug problem?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4424
If vapor lock, how does that suddenly happen after so many longer and hotter succesful trips?

I think I have carb cleaner the in trunk, I'll pull the air filter and check that as well, thanks. I do have the points and condensor still in, the pertronix is still sitting in a box of parts. Guess now is as good a time as any to finally put that in. Could the condensor cause that though? The plugs and wires are all about 2-3 years old, seem excellent, have about 2500 miles under their belt.

The way it stutters really does feel like it simply is not getting a steady flow of fuel to me, but is that possible if it idles and revs fine standing still just not once you get going?

 

[steelhorse]

What kind of fuel pump do you have? I had a similar problem with my old electric pump. When it started to go bad it would cut in/out.

 

[Pakrat]

What kind of fuel pump do you have? I had a similar problem with my old electric pump. When it started to go bad it would cut in/out.

Absolutley no idea, the P.O. put it in. OK, well, I'm headed out to go see what I can see, I'll report back in about an hour or so, keep the ideas coming just in case I get no where fast.

Thanks everyone.

 

[1320stang]

Hunh? You mean start it up and then start pulling plugs?No Or do you mean just pull and check to see if fowled? YesWhat do you mean by leaning out exactly? I do have one of these at home, would that help diagnos a plug problem?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4424
Nah, all you have to do is look at the plugs while they're cool
Try this link
If vapor lock, how does that suddenly happen after so many longer and hotter succesful trips?This can also be due to a different formulation of the gas or contamination by water, etc.

I think I have carb cleaner the in trunk, I'll pull the air filter and check that as well, thanks. I do have the points and condensor still in, the pertronix is still sitting in a box of parts. Guess now is as good a time as any to finally put that in. Could the condensor cause that though? The plugs and wires are all about 2-3 years old, seem excellent, have about 2500 miles under their belt.

The way it stutters really does feel like it simply is not getting a steady flow of fuel to me, but is that possible if it idles and revs fine standing still just not once you get going?

 

[Pakrat]

Well, here the scoop. I tried restarting it now that it was cooled and it still ran crappy. After pulling off the air cleaner and looking for signs of a leak and such I did notice that it kind of sounded like maybe all the cylinders weren't firing. I pulled off the distributor cap and one set of points looked a little like blackened catfish compared to the other set. I begged my Administrative assistant to borrow her nail file and cleaned it up a bit. Then after a few starts and backfires I found an old match book in my glove box to get the gap closer to where it should be instead of just nudging it again. It seemed to yard run fine but I decided to take it home anyway. Half way there it started to limp a little bit and within the last mile it started to choke out a bit again but didn't stall, at least it is back home again. Thank God I always at least keep a leatherman in my glovebox!!!!!

Obviously the pertronix is finally going in this weekend, but do you think that is the only problem and now it will be solved?




Thanks for the link Larry, I'll start pulling plugs tonite and check them all out.

As for the gas, I pretty much always use Mobil 93 now, I use to use Sunoco 94 but I can't find it anymore. What would cause water to get inside? Should I just through in a bottle of dry gas to play it safe ya think?

 

[66 BLAKE 96]

Pertronix is a great start. I'd swap that out and see how it runs. Chances are, that if the points are fried, the condenser is probably worn out too. I'd bet the Pertronix goes a long way to fix the problem.

Checking the plugs every once in a while is a good idea just to get some insight as to how your engine is running in each cyl.

 

[cardude]

not that I can add anything to this thread, but I experienced the same problem just a while back and it was the fuel filter that had the problem. similarly I had some particles in the jet so it was not flowing as it should.

my 2 cents

 

[Ozsum67]

Pak, if the fuel filter is plugged, it may not be totally plugged. I've had them that would stall a car, then if you let it sit for 5 minutes or so, enough fuel would seep past the clog to allow it to run a mile or so more before the problem started up again. But, the ignition sounds partially fried and that sure would do it too.

 

[Pakrat]

Well, I checked all the plugs last night and they all had exactly the same shade of tan. If I had to be picky I could say that the #4 plug was a few shades darker than the rest, but none of them looked unusual or stressed. I think at this stage I will wait until the pertronix goes in this weekend and then see if I still have any issues and go from there. My main concern was getting it home safe and that was acheived.

Thanks everyone.

 

[WORTH]

sounds like fuel to me too, bad filter or weak pump, could even be sucking air between the tank and the pump.

 

[ratio411]

Ignition gets my vote.
I would go through it and install what you have and maybe add a new coil.
Sounds like plugs and wires are okay. I am thinking Pertronix, cap, rotor, coil for starters. Go through and clean connections that aren't replaced.
Now that you have done that, change the fuel filter for good measure.
What carb you running?
I ask because Holley (others may too) has the sintered bronze 'filters' in each fuel inlet. My experience with these is that they do nothing but eventually clog fuel flow. I take them out of a new Holley and run a good external filter. If they are not out of your carb, take them out.
Dave