I’m not sure what else to do or where to look, any help would be greatly appreciated.
my 289 has had the following done:
Rebuilt and cleaned the Carb, inside and out.
Dropped the tank, acid bath cleaned and sealed
Cleaned and restored the sending unit
All new gas line filters (twice) for a total of 4 new filters, the gas is pristine by the time it get to carb.
new points, new condenser, new plugs,new rotor…all gaped correctly (checked twice)
new oil, new filter.
Brand new fuel pump.
Checked and Tightened and Re-Tightened all the bolts, plugs wire, bolts nuts.
The car will sit there and Idle if I don’t touch anything, but stalls when I give it gas.
I have also tried to check for vacuum leaks using both the carb cleaner way AND the propane method.
Now I will say that both sides of my exhaust manifold pipes are falling off, slightly so it is hard to hear for vacuum leaks.
Would that cause a car to stall? or Am I missing a very simple step?
Please help I really want my car to run smoothly, and safely…
I’d suspect a problem with the carb. Who rebuilt it? There are settings for float level, idling mixture, and perhaps running mixture. What the settings are and where the screws are differs depending on the make model and size of the carb you are running.
If it idles smoothly but isn’t getting gas to run when you press the gas, you can check to see if the accelerator pump is connected properly and shooting a squirt of gas when the throttle is pressed. If yes, move on to checking the float levels. Not enough gas in the bowls could cause the carb to lean out when you give it gas and stall the motor.
If you get black smoke when you restart after stalling, perhaps you have a backward problem of too much gas when you open the throttle. Carbs are tricky. Something not installed properly in the rebuilt, adjustments that are off, and dirt somewhere can all cause problems.
The distributor should also have a vacuum advance to advance the timing very quickly when you hit the gas petal. If the vacuum advance isn’t working usually the motor bogs down for a bit until the centrifical advance kicks the timing up. So, a distributor problem could be part of your problems too.
If you squeeze on the gas very slowly will the motor pick up rpm’s? Any backfires?
I’d start with engine off, remove air cleaner, look down the throats and open the throttle. You should see a healthy squirt of gas in each throat. If not, you need a new accelerator pump. I cant remember if this one uses the plunger or the rubber diaphragm and lever. I think its the latter. When you open the throttle, the lever should push into the square cover on thhe side. Remove the cover and replace the rubber diaphragm underneath.
If thats not it, check for the smell of gas after it as run for a minute. If htere is a strong odor, I’d replace the needle and seat and set the float about a 1/4" lower than specified. It helps to prevent overflow on hard cornering.
BTW, lest there be any confusion, when you step on the gas, the vacuum advance retards the timing. Step on gas, LESS vacuum, LESS vacuum advance. There is also a mechanical advance in the distributor that use weights and springs. A little light oil on the hinge poinds and slides helps this to work smoothly.
If it will rev, it is unlikely to be the distributor plate shorting out. Your subsequent posts lead me to also believe that the carburetor is the problem. The sucking sound when the throttle is slowly opened leads me to believe that the float is set too low. Remove the carburetor top and look at the float. It should be level across the top. If it is not raise it and see how it runs.
But the vacuum does advance the timing when the throttle is opened. Ported vacuum is 0" at idle and increases when the throttle is opened. It will drop to near zero at WOT.But low RPM response is great improved with vacuum advance on light duty engines.
Re that carburetor, I have assumed that it is the Ford 2100 2 bbl. Is that correct? And how was the float level measured and adjusted? And how was the float drop measured and adjusted?
Like Knox, I would focus on the carb…A can of carb cleaner and a gasket set does not result in a “rebuilt” carb…
The carb should be completely disassembled, main jets removed, everything, and soaked in a can of “cold parts cleaner” for several hours. Then washed in hot water, then blown out with compressed air, then carefully reassembled with a new carb kit…See how it runs then. I would hold off on the “rebuilt” distributor…One thing at a time…
“But the vacuum does advance the timing when the throttle is opened. Ported vacuum is 0” at idle and increases when the throttle is opened. It will drop to near zero at WOT.But low RPM response is great improved with vacuum advance on light duty engines."
You know that the exhaust manifolds are loose. Fix that before you try to tune the carb. As everyone else has suggested check that the accelerator pump is squirting gas.
If you have the original air cleaner assembly, put it back on and you will get warm air into the carburetor. Make sure the hot air tube is connected unless you have a steel pipe attached to the exhaust manifold choke stove. It may not help with your problem if the engine stalls in neutral. In that case look for hardened and cracked vacuum hoses. Look at the ends of the hoses.
If your power brakes don’t work right, the problem may be a bad booster or check valve.
Check your ignition wires at night by looking for stray sparks. Replace them if the boots at the spark plugs are hard. Float level is important too, as previously mentioned.
You might check those distributors out Keith. Some early emission models had a retarding diaphram added to the normal advance diaphram but no distributor that I am aware of was designed to operate such that the timing was retarded when the engine was accelerated. And I am quite familiar with domestic distributors from 1962 on.
That machine had a vacuum pump and regulator to test timing advance. It was very handy in its day.
“but no distributor that I am aware of was designed to operate such that the timing was retarded when the engine was accelerated.”
MOST vacuum systems were designed this way as most use manifold vacuum…Some used “ported vacuum”, taken from a carburetor port that only delivered vacuum at part-throttle (cruising).
This retards the ignition advance during acceleration to prevent spark knock and detonation…The centrifugal advance, a separate system, is sensitive only to RPM and it provides all the spark advance an engine needs under acceleration…When cruising along at high manifold vacuum, the vacuum advance adds more advance to provide good fuel economy. But this “full advance” (centrifugal + vacuum) could not be tolerated when accelerating under low or no manifold vacuum…
" but no distributor that I am aware of was designed to operate such that the timing was retarded when the engine was accelerated."
There were a few systems that had dual diaphragms, but in most pre-emissions systems, vacuum was used to advance the timing. Under acceleration, there is less vacuum, therefore less vacuum advance. If the first step in setting the timing is to remove and plug the vacuum advance line, then it is not a ported vacuum system.
I said that the vacuum advance retards the timing, that was a poor selection of words on my part. The vacuum advance does not retard the timing, but under acceleration, there is less vacuum advance. Under full acceleration at low RPM, there is NO vacuum advance, only mechanical.