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Power Loss
- Thread starter mgtf328
- Start date
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Seem to be having a problem here. The update didn't post!
I found out that the pump was drawing in air. The banjo washers I got off AHspares are too big to fit in the recess in the banjo. I did notice this but thought tightening the fitting up would press it into place. Apparently it didn't and both bajo's were leaking. New lesson, tap them in gently with a piece of wood to protect the washer and a hammer before bolting up.
I was confident that the tank wasn't drawing a vacuum as I ran it with the fuel cap off for a while.
It still stopped! Back to square one.
So I fitted a new coil. At the same time I decided to blow the fuel lines thru. I don't have a compressor so I used a bicycle pump! Seemed to work. I could hear the bubbling in the tank and my wife was so vigorous with the pump at the carb end it blew fuel all the way up my arm!
New pump, clear lines, the electronic ignition must work as it always started again and got me home and a new coil. What could go wrong now?
Well nothing. It seems to be working ok now. The pump is a lot quieter and it stops when the bowls are full. I've tried it out and got further than on the previous runs and it didn't stop. I'm quietly confident I'll venture a little further on Tuesday, the weather is getting bad tomorrow and there's lots of traffic around as it's a holiday weekend and I don't want to risk stopping on a busy junction again. Twice is enough for me.
Still not sure whether it was the pump or the coil and I still haven't found out if there's a filter in the tank. I noticed there's a video on AHspares website of them making a fuel tank but they don't show the delivery pipe fitting. I'll call them on Tuesday.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
AJ
I found out that the pump was drawing in air. The banjo washers I got off AHspares are too big to fit in the recess in the banjo. I did notice this but thought tightening the fitting up would press it into place. Apparently it didn't and both bajo's were leaking. New lesson, tap them in gently with a piece of wood to protect the washer and a hammer before bolting up.
I was confident that the tank wasn't drawing a vacuum as I ran it with the fuel cap off for a while.
It still stopped! Back to square one.
So I fitted a new coil. At the same time I decided to blow the fuel lines thru. I don't have a compressor so I used a bicycle pump! Seemed to work. I could hear the bubbling in the tank and my wife was so vigorous with the pump at the carb end it blew fuel all the way up my arm!
New pump, clear lines, the electronic ignition must work as it always started again and got me home and a new coil. What could go wrong now?
Well nothing. It seems to be working ok now. The pump is a lot quieter and it stops when the bowls are full. I've tried it out and got further than on the previous runs and it didn't stop. I'm quietly confident I'll venture a little further on Tuesday, the weather is getting bad tomorrow and there's lots of traffic around as it's a holiday weekend and I don't want to risk stopping on a busy junction again. Twice is enough for me.
Still not sure whether it was the pump or the coil and I still haven't found out if there's a filter in the tank. I noticed there's a video on AHspares website of them making a fuel tank but they don't show the delivery pipe fitting. I'll call them on Tuesday.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
AJ
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
Offline
Sounds like you've checked most of the 'usual suspects,' so I'm gonna throw some long shots out there:
- What shape is your exhaust system in? I think the OEM and most aftermarket brands used 'glass pack' type, but if you have an aftermarket system of the 'turbo' variety you could have a broken-off baffle or other detritus that blocks your exhaust at random times (usually resulting in partial loss of power).
- Though your issue still sounds like fuel delivery to me, have you taken a hard look at your ignition? Run the engine in a dark-but-well-ventilated area--and look for any arcing, esp. around the distributor cap or wires. Usually, problems of this sort manifest as missing at higher speeds, but we're 'shooting in the dark' at this point.
- Check the thin, flexible wire that grounds the distributor base plate; it could be frazzled or otherwise damaged which would cause instant stalling.
I had a similar problem with my dad's '55 Thunderbird. We eventually discovered a fuel delivery issue; though the fuel pump is engine-delivered diaphragm-type it would fail randomly. This makes no sense to me, but my friend who bought the car solved it by bypassing the mechanical pump with an electric one.
- What shape is your exhaust system in? I think the OEM and most aftermarket brands used 'glass pack' type, but if you have an aftermarket system of the 'turbo' variety you could have a broken-off baffle or other detritus that blocks your exhaust at random times (usually resulting in partial loss of power).
- Though your issue still sounds like fuel delivery to me, have you taken a hard look at your ignition? Run the engine in a dark-but-well-ventilated area--and look for any arcing, esp. around the distributor cap or wires. Usually, problems of this sort manifest as missing at higher speeds, but we're 'shooting in the dark' at this point.
- Check the thin, flexible wire that grounds the distributor base plate; it could be frazzled or otherwise damaged which would cause instant stalling.
I had a similar problem with my dad's '55 Thunderbird. We eventually discovered a fuel delivery issue; though the fuel pump is engine-delivered diaphragm-type it would fail randomly. This makes no sense to me, but my friend who bought the car solved it by bypassing the mechanical pump with an electric one.
