QuestionQUESTION: Hi, I have a 1966 mustang, sprint model, completely stock, i have just rebuilt every thing mechanical, and put it back on the road after 1 year off the road, after driving about 30 minutes, it just idles, rough and then stalls, it will not start again until it had about 25-35 minutes of no cranking,after that it will start but only for 2-3 minute, then stalls again.
I've changed the fuel tank, fuel pump, all filters and fuel gauge sending unit, coil and have rebuilt carbi twice(new kit).Still it has this problem, the carb is a 1v fomoco carbi witch is the original one.
Please help, any advise you may have would be appreciated.
thanks.
Bren
ANSWER: The first thing to determine is what is lacking. Next time you get it into this "refuse to start" mode, take the air cleaner off and look down into the top of the carburetor and have someone pump the gas - see if there is a squirt of gas from the accelerator pump nozzle. If there is, pull the wire out of the center of the distributor cap and lay it against the block so that the tip of the wire is about 1/8 inch away from the block (you may have to use something to hold it there, and have someone crank the engine while you watch the end of the wire. If there is a spark jumping as the engine cranks, you have ignition.
If you have both gas and ignition and it still won't run, I'd check next for an exhaust blockage - perhaps when the car was laid up for a year, some critter crawled in the pipe and set up housekeeping in there. The best way to check for that is to disconnect the exhaust pipe right at the engine, and try to start it. This will scare the bejabbers out of anyone in the neighborhood, especially if it does start, but it will tell you what is wrong if it starts that way.
Do those tests and get back to me - we'll follow whatever trail we have at that time.
Dick
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QUESTION: Hi, thanks for the advice, I have fuel and ignition, and have check for exhaust blockage, but still have the same problem, after 30 mins car will splutter first and then stall @ 35 mph! then takes 1-2 mins two start, go's for around 200 yards splutters and stalls again, it will do this until i get it home, next morning will start and run perfect, but only 30 mins or so.........and so on.
I have no clue as to what it could be, any further advice would be appreciated.
ANSWER: Sorry to be picky, but please tell me EXACTLY what you did to determine that there was nothing amiss with the fuel, ignition and exhaust. Since the symptom persists, something is still wrong - and those were the only possibilities that occur to me (and I've been fixing cars a long, long time), so don't get insulted. If I were there, I'd repeat the 3 tests I gave you to do, and I think I'd find the problem that way.
Get back to me with DETAILS of what you did, not just the results - something has slipped through the cracks here.
Dick
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QUESTION: OK, I've had the carbi completely overhauled by a professional, have also bought a brand new electronic ignition coil(soild state) new leads and exhaust is free from any blockage, checked by removing and physically looking inside, and plenty of pressure coming out when running, just wondering if the electronic ignition would be something to look at since it was not an original part, and change it back to the old points system, and oil filled coil hmm?
here is the wiring from the coil, black wire from dist to negative terminal on the coil, red wire from dist to positive terminal on the coil, ignition wire to positive terminal on coil and tacho wire to negative, please let me know if this is correct.
As always any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks.
AnswerWe are having some communications problem here, I guess.
From what you say, you are sure that you are not having a carburetor problem. I'm not as sure as you are. Having the carburetor rebuilt by a professional does not mean it is perfect, in fact in my experience, often "professional" rebuilds are quite often the source of trouble. Next time the car refuses to start (assuming the starter is cranking it normally) have a spray can of WD-40 handy, open the hood, and while a helper cranks the engine and holds the accelerator down part way, spray short puffs of WD-40 into the air intake on the air cleaner. If this causes the engine to start, even briefly, your problem is lack of fuel. If that is the result of this test, get back to me and we'll try to track that back to the cause of your problems.
If the WD-40 doesn't get the engine to start, even briefly, take the coil wire out of the center of the distributor cap and lay it next to the block, so that the end of the wire is within about 1/8 inch of the block. Then have your helper crank the engine as if to start it and note whether or not you see a spark jumping repeatedly and steadily while the engine is cranking. If you do, don't bother fiddling with the ignition system, it is working, at least at the moment.
If you are still having problems, try disconnecting the exhaust pipe from the exhaust manifold to see if the car will start and run that way. That is the only way to know if you have serious blockage in the exhaust system. From what you say, you are sure that you don't have this problem, but you have something wrong, and we haven't found it yet!
I'll be here to help further, after you've done those things and have some results to discuss.
I don't trust the electronic ignition conversions - they often cause intermittent problems like this, but if you see the spark in the second test, that isn't your problem, at least at that moment. If it were my car, I'd put the original ignition system back on it, but that is your call.
The wiring for the original system is that the wire from the ignition switch goes to the + terminal on the coil, and the wire from the - side of the coil goes to the side terminal of the distributor. Leave the tachometer wires disconnected until you sort out the rest of the problems. I do not know that it is causing your problem, but it may be, and it isn't something you need, so leave it out of the picture for now.
Dick
