engine trouble!!

Cliff54 · May 04, 2007, 04:27:20 AM

Ok I put 4 clothes line pins on the fuel carb. intake hose. .... It worked! I drove for about 200 miles (in 80 degree heat) and she did great. I am however wondering how she will do in 100+ degree heat? I also put a heat shield around the fuel line that is near the engine.

Thank you for all your help.

Cliff59

chetbrz · April 29, 2007, 02:26:38 PM

Quote from: 12905 on April 27, 2007, 03:49:53 PM
Virge makes a good point. A friend, who was a pretty darn good professional mechanic, had a Triumph (car not bike) that missed erratically, and was down on power all the time. After eliminating all fuel and (he thought) all possible ignition causes he got as far as pulling the t/c cover to check the valve timing without finding a problem. Finally, after he was on the verge of scrapping the engine in frustration, he found a poor capacitor ground - literally by accident. Put in a two-dollar capacitor and hundreds of dollars of wasted time and materials paid off.

You know it is always the last thing you do that fixes the problem. If there was only a way to get to the last thing first. Luck works.., but she's just not around all the time.

Chet?

12905 · April 27, 2007, 03:49:53 PM

Virge makes a good point. A friend, who was a pretty darn good professional mechanic, had a Triumph (car not bike) that missed erratically, and was down on power all the time. After eliminating all fuel and (he thought) all possible ignition causes he got as far as pulling the t/c cover to check the valve timing without finding a problem. Finally, after he was on the verge of scrapping the engine in frustration, he found a poor capacitor ground - literally by accident. Put in a two-dollar capacitor and hundreds of dollars of wasted time and materials paid off.

mrodady · April 27, 2007, 02:43:32 PM

my vote is vapor lock

virge55 · April 27, 2007, 01:33:48 PM

hi I had the same problem with a old motorcycle and tried everthing from full carb rebuild new leads etc it turned out to be a condensor braking down, it was fine cold but under load it packed up, 30 mins later the bike would fire up!!
good luck.

JimCno · April 24, 2007, 06:56:25 PM

I think these guys are all on the right track. You know it has to be either fuel related or spark related. If this should happen again, check for spark at one of the spark plugs. If you are missing spark it is probably the coil, if not it could be vapor lock. Of course, it could be a lot of stuff, but I think those are your most likely culprits with those symptoms.

chetbrz · April 24, 2007, 01:02:07 PM

Just a remote thought.? I had a boat engine that did a similar thing when it got hot.? It turned out to be the distributor.? I guess the change in temperature created an open ckt. in the distributor and when it cooled down it would work fine.

In your situation I would think vapor lock in that you were able to drive for two hours with no problems.? ?Also climbing the hill may have caused your gas line to empty momentarily.., creating an air bubble.? All Tod?s suggestion sound really good I would investigate these.? I am just adding another perspective incase they don't pan out.

If you had a similar problem with your distributor it might not take two hours to develop.? ?I don?t remember how long it took? for my boat engine to shut down but I think it was some where in the half-hour? to one-hour range.? ?If I recall correctly I believe I could set my watch on the shut down event.? A new distributor coil fixed the problem but I don?t think this is your problem.

Just another thought though.? ?Chet..

TodFitch · April 24, 2007, 10:37:33 AM

Does the car have the fuel pump heat shield?

How closely is the fuel line routed by the exhaust manifold?

Is there a any place on the fuel line between the pump and the carburetor where the fuel line goes down hill (making a place that bubbles could gather)?

Is the insulating block properly installed between the carburetor and the intake manifold?

Is you heat riser stuck in the cold position?

36 Ply · April 24, 2007, 09:34:39 AM

Cliff 54-

It might be vapor lock (see my posts just prior to yours) "36 Plymouth stalls at highway speeds."? I'm assuming your '54 is stock, with an automatic choke and a mechanical fuel pump. When my '36 stalled, I was able to keep it running (but just barely) by pulling the hand choke out all the way.

I'm also wondering if gasahol is contributing to vapor lock. It's getting hard to find gas without ethanol in it in north central Illinois.

Good luck with your '54 and let us know what you come up with.

Pat O'Connor

Cliff54 · April 24, 2007, 09:21:59 AM

Well Fellow Plymouth Owners.. I have a Problem.
Last weekend It started getting up into the mid to high 80's , so I wanted to test my engine for the summer cruises. I drove about 2 hours and about 100 miles with one stop for gas. I drove back home and as I stopped at a stop light ... so did the engine. :-[
I pushed my 54 Savoy over to the side of the road and tried to start the car. I looked at spark and distributor (all looks good) I then checked the Gas filter (gas flowing great) ??? I was sitting at the top of the hill so I went ahead and rolled the car down the hill and tried to start it "the old fashioned way" ::) .... NO GO! :'( "Keep in mind she had new anti-freeze and new oil change and the levels were full."
So I just sat at the bottom of that hill for about 30 min .... I looked at the carb and she looked OK... so I started to call Grundys for a tow, .. then she fired right up? purring like a kitten!! ??? and drove for another hour and did great. The temp guage did show her running warm but not HOT. Do any of you have an Idea what I may be missng? Vapor Lock? Sending unit? .. anything?

Please Help

Cliff54