QuestionQUESTION: dear robert
my brothers and i recently bought a 65 thunderbird and the engine and transmission was rebuilt according to the previous owner. we cleaned out the fuel lines, the carburetor, replaced the fuel pump and replaced the fuel pump/carburetor line. we also bought a new battery, spark plugs, spark plug wires and distribute cap. we checked that there is spark in the wires (my dad shocked himself on on of them) and there is gas getting to the carburetor. we tried to start is and it turns over and nothing else happened. we asked my dads mechanic who is a very good one, and he gave us a throttle body and air-intake cleaner (which i think is called ether) to spray on the carburetor, and it worked. the car jumped and ran for about 3 seconds, yet we could never get it going long enough to run on the actual gasoline. And each time we tried it the results were less and less. and we decided to stop in fear of flooding the engine. today we tried it and it wont even run on the cleaner fluid, and we don't know what the problem is.
ANSWER: Hello Matthias,
Happy New Year!! Lets get your T-bird started to start it on the right track!
It sounds like you've done the right things thusfar and the engine wants to run. Ether evaporates very quickly and shouldn't result in a flooded condition for very long. However, be careful in using too much as it's intended just to fire the engine off, not run it. I have heard of engine damage resulting from use of this stuff so use it sparingly, if at all. Far better would be to have a bit of gasoline in a small squirt bottle, and spray it inside the carburetor throat. This works almost as well as the ether and will get the engine to run longer once it catches as there's more energy in gasoline.
I'm not sure as to the extent of your mechanical knowledge and get a little technical in the next section. The reason is because I believe, that from your description, your next step involves checking the adjustments and internal condition of the carburetor, a complex device with few people having expertise with due to age of the system (last new car with a car was 1990)If you don't feel confident, pass the following to your mechanic friend and see if he can help you.
Now that you've got fuel to the carb., you need to figure out why the carb. is not getting fuel to the engine. You said you cleaned out the carb. but didn't say how--did you rebuild it or just clean the sediment out of the float bowl? Old gas forms a gum when it evaporates and carbs have many small passages inside--they could be plugged. Also check the needle valve from the fuel line to the float to see if it's stuck. One way to do this is to take the top off the carb and look at the float bowl. The float bowl should be full of fuel. If it is not, your needle and seat from the fuel line is not working. While this component can be purchased separately, I'd just rebuild the entire carburetor to get any residual gum and dirt out.
You also didn't mention if the automatic choke was working properly. On cold start, it (the butterfly valve on top of the carb.) should be closed to slightly open. I've seen many rebuild's where the choke is not hooked up or improperly adjusted. If you see the choke wide open and won't close, it gives too much air to the cold engine so it won't start.
There are a number of other things you can check if the above doesn't work but you get the idea--you're moving into detailed troubleshooting that requires some experience and expertise. You've done a good job thusfar: proceed if you feel confident or realize that a good hobbyist mechanic knows when to call for help.
Good luck with this fine car--you're almost there!
Bob
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thanks robert
and you were right when we cleaned the carburetor out, we did just clean the gunk out of the bottom, and yes the choke does work fine I suspect- the butterfly valve is just slightly open. Also you are right about having to rebuild the carburator- my uncle told us the same thing- either rebuild it or replace it, which we have no problem getting another one but im sure you would agree, it aint gonna be cheap.
also would you know of any auto repair manuals for a 65 tbird? my uncke suggested a hanyes manual and we already have a chiltons, yet the chiltons has only a basic description of a part and says only how to remove or replace a part. for example the fuel pump (that was fun)long story short there was the power steering pump in the way and the brackets and the hose from the radiator- the chiltons description on how to remove the fuel pump was to loosen the 2 bolts and the 2 hoses. and to put it back on was a pain to do. and we tried looking up a haynes manual on the internet yet it only had 4 choices for ford from 1965 and as you could guess a thunderbird was not one of them. if you could suggest something that would be great!
thanks again
AnswerHello Matthias,
Glad the answer is of some assistance.
You don't need a new carb. if your old one is in good shape. A good cleaning, good quality rebuild kit such as NAPA and careful reassembly being careful that all passages are clear and adjustments are made will equal the quality of a new carb. without the cost. Beware of buying rebuilds from general auto stores as they are of low quality and may not work.
Regarding repair manuals, your experience with Chilton's is not surprising. They are good for tune-up specs. and general repair procedures but fall down because they are so general regarding specific vehicles.
What you need is a 1965 Ford or Thunderbird Shop manual published by Ford Motor Company for use by it's mechanics back in the day. They are available either in original, reproduction or even CD on Ebay. This will have the level of detail you need as far as specific repair procedures for your car, diagrams and pictures. They're about $35 or so, worth every penny if you plan to keep the car.
Again, good luck. You're on the right track!
Bob
