ClassicCar

I recently got a 1965 Ford Falcon 4 door. We drove her from Fort Gratiot down near Detroit in April 2010. For those unaware, about an hour and a half drive with no problems. Now she keeps making a sputtering want-to-stall sound. When I hit the gas it only gets louder with longer gaps in the sputtering and will occasionally make her stall out entirely. When looking at the temperature it's at about halfway, but the fuel gauge is slightly off so the temperature gauge could be as well. Our first thought was either a charging problem or an overheating problem. To remove the story of why we ended up doing such, just trust we needed to replace these parts. We have replaced the alternator, voltage regulator and wiring (which were tested after and appear to be running smoothly), radiator, water pump and the idle has been played with, if it's turned a half turn back or quarter forward she starts to stall. She's still sputtering and we have a couple of options left and are stumped where to begin.

If anyone could recommend where to begin or what else it could be, please do help. We're intending to start around sun-up (in 3-4 hours) though it may be later. Thus far between our intuition and other people's opinions it could be vacuum system failure (how can WE test for that without a mechanic?), fuel pump, carbuerator, thermostat, fuel filter or timing could be off. We know she needs an exhaust system but as of now we're not certain that could be causing stalling, could it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you very much,

Amber Mansfield

ratlee2

Amber,

It doesn't sound like a charging or electrical issue to me, but rather a fuel supply problem. I would first check for rust in the fuel tank as this is very common. I would disconnect the fuel line at the fuel filter on carb if so equipped. You can tap the filter on the workbench to see if rust particles come out. If it does, I would look into replacing the fuel tank. Otherwise you most likely have something blocking the fuel circuit in the carb. I would give it a good spray with carb cleaner. What engine and carb do you have?

Rich

Oldcar_Mechanic

I agree with ratlee and think it's a fuel problem.

If it was running good when you left on your journey and later started to act up, it could be something as simple as a fuel filter getting plugged. I like to install the clear filters in the line to the carb so I can see what the fuel looks like. If any sediment got past the filter it is surely in the carb now and the only way to correct it is to rebuild the carb. It probably needs it anyway.

And as ratlee said if the filter is getting clogged then you probably need to clean the tank out (which can be done by you if you feel comfortable enough and are handy with tools).

Take it one step at a time and be patient.

Ron

P.S. Welcome to the site.

Thank you very, very much. I appreciate your help! We managed to track down a fuel pump today and it should be in tomorrow (seeing as she did sit 3-4 years before running this past year, it won't hurt and it was only about $30 bucks) and we'll probably be installing that tomorrow. I suppose my head was too into the project to stop and consider that rust could have gotten in the gas tank so I'll probably start the day off draining the gas tank and checking for rust, then I'll replace the fuel pump and fuel filter just to be safe. I have a straight 6 with a single carb. I'll be sure to come back here and let you know how it goes tomorrow when we're done with the pump & filter and if there was any rust in the gas tank. I'm just completely dreading the carb rebuild if that is the problem, though I'm sure I'll need to do it soon regardless.

Thank you for the welcome. ^^ Oddly enough, I'm the one being patient and my fiancee is starting to lose his temper. I guess I should probably just replace the tank, line, pump & filter and rebuild the carb to take every possible problem out and go from there. How can I go about cleaning the tank myself? I haven't taken it off yet but it appears to be all one piece...

Oldcar_Mechanic

Personally, I wouldn't do anything with he tank untill you are sure that it needs to be cleaned. It can be a big job if you have never done this before.

If you put a clear filter in line prior to the carb you will see what is coming up to the carb and can diagnose it from there. Save yourself as much work as you can and do not spend money needlesly.

Glad that you are patient. Far to many people in this hobby spend a lot of money throwing parts at a car without properly diagnosing it. Remember, this is a basic system and if you go about it logically, you can save yourself time and money.

Keep us posted

Keep up the good work

Ron

I know I said I would update you guys and let you know what happened... But after everything going on we called an early night. Currently, we have replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter and the metal line leading from the fuel pump to the carburetor because it was so rusty that the brass fitting on the line was rusted onto the line itself. We see no sign of rust, so have left the gas tank alone entirely. Trying to start her up now and she just repeatedly turns over with no true start. At this point we've removed the spark plugs and began cleaning them out and also in hopes of the engine clearing out just in case we flooded it, but otherwise we cannot figure out why she won't fire up. I read about checking the vacuum advance but I'm not sure how to check that or the sock on the fuel pickup in the tank... We're thinking about the carburetor next, but she was at least running before and since replacing the fuel pump, filter and line she won't start at all. Any ideas?

EDIT: Scratch that. A friend's dad happened to drop in. I never knew he knew cars so well and he managed to give a fresh pair of eyes. The coil was being ground on the fuel pump so it wasn't sparking. We shifted the coil and she fired up. She drives like a champ now, but occasionally the ALT light flickers on and she still sputters a bit which we're told is a timing problem... So our next mission is rebuilding the carburetor and fixing the timing. Thank you very much for all of your help!!!

ratlee2

Amber,

Glad you guys got it running again. Sometimes the simple things turn out to be the most frustrating. With the sputtering you have, it still leads me to believe the carb is the issue. I would check to make sure you get a good shot of gas down the carb. You can check this with the car turned off by quickly opening the thottle and looking down in the carb with the choke plate open. If the accelerator pump is bad the car will bog down and sputter when to step on the gas. If the carb has not been rebuilt in the last few years it would be a wise investment as the alcohol in the gas here is hard on the carb gaskets and diaphrams.

As for the vacuum advance, you can check it by attaching a vacuum pump (available at any auto parts store) used to bleed brakes and pump a couple times while watching the breaker plate with distributor cap off and see if the plate is pulled forward and check to see if it holds the vacuum.

Good luck. By the way, what part of Michigan are you in. I am over here in Kalamazoo.

-Rich

Oh wow, you're not that far away. A decent hike but not that far. I'm over near Detroit in Royal Oak. Pretty much down the street from the Woodward Dream Cruise (which can be a hassle when it comes time for)...

Thank you very much for the advice. I'll have to go pick up a vacuum pump when we start working on the carburetor, which we're having problems tracking down the proper kit.

Thanks again, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes when we find the parts we need and if that solves the sputtering or not.

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