Intro to Ford Six / Carburetor Troubles

[jhanhart25]

I am a 22 year old owner of a 1968 mustang 200 i6. I bought this car 6 years ago with little knowledge of cars with the intention to fix it up and have a nice weekend driver (i just bought it 6 years too early!!). It was in pretty good shape when I first acquired it, driving it to school for a year. Lack of funds and time prevented me from making any progress. But I patiently kept the car, starting it up every month or so to keep it primed for when i was able to put some time and money into it. Now I am 6 months out of college with a decent job, few expenses, and I am ready to get it going.

Unfortunately, I have neglected to maintain the car for the last two years, and it was unable to start up when i got back in it two weeks ago. But with a little stroke of luck, that first day i uncovered the stang and popped that hood, it caught a few eyes (thats why i like these muscle cars). 5 minutes later, a friend of a friend, who happened to be a big car guy (classic mustangs, specifically), was under the hood giving me a hand. We opened up the carburetor, cleaned it out, replaced the stale fuel, replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil, and the car started up the next morning.

After starting it up every other day after that, the car was doing fine. I then started noticing a small drip of fuel in the front of the carburetor (its a holley 1940). It started to develop a small sputter while it was idling, and it would stall once i stepped on the pedal. Now it wont even start. Once the engine starts to turn over, the engine kicks and comes to a grinding halt. After looking at a few diagrams and reading up on some basic carb stuff, my guess was one of the following:
1) theres a vacuum leak and i need a new carb. So i ordered an autolite 2100 and the required adapter this morning (the ford six performance handbook suggests buying a bigger carb sooner if you are planning on upgrading it in the future, which i am).
or 2) there was too much fuel getting into the carberator and it was flooding the engine. i tried messing with the idle needle and speed screw to decrease the amount of fuel getting taken in, with no luck (i just hope i didn't make it worse).

So, is the carb my problem? is there any adjustment i can make to get it going? should i just wait for the new carb and go from there?

Thanks for the help, and sorry for the long intro. I just wanted to let you guys know where im coming from. If you have any other tips our suggestions for a newbie like myself, I would take all the help i could get.

 

[chad]

Welcome! Good to see you here! Stick around, there's plenty of top notch assistance here. Also friendly enuff to give us beginners help. They've saved me time AND money (both short around here!).

Too bad U didn't spend the interm yrs on the site. There's alot to learn...

Way past my bed time, hope I don't ramble...
One thing is taking a "systems approach". Playin w/1 thing effects others. Try n take a scientific approach and use yer 5 senses ie if U do something notice in detail so U can put it back (tough when doin multiple sequences of things). U already caught 1 thing that way (the drip). Great to have that "friend of a friend" around. He can get you outta trouble or better yet prevent it. Also "go slow" meaning in some cases you don't need to buy a new part (I'm kinda cheep due to having no money) till U know the other is in need of total replacement - but we gotta have knowledge to identify that fact...hummm. Again, nice to have friends and neighbors for help. IE go slo n ask them wasss up.

 

[JackFish]

Probably dried out the gaskets or some loose threads on the carb.
Might need a rebuild. Throttle shafts can leak and be repaired with a bushing,
But yah, two bbl conversion is the way to go.

 

[MPGmustang]

Welcome to the forum!!! glad to have ya!!

what is your setup? and do you have an end goal?

Carb, when was it last rebuilt? if it's been sitting the gaskets will be dried, and the diaphram will crack/break, causing flooding. the ordering of the 2100/adaptor is great, bigger carb will help your engine and the new factor is will help you in the long run. I say wait for the new carb, don't waste time on your 1bbl... you'll have to figure out how to connect the gas pedal to the new carb, I use a throttle cable.
what kind of distributor do you have? as you're working on a 68 mustang I hope its' not the LOM... do you have points? I would recommend ANY kind of electronic ignition. so DSII DUI or pertronix.

 

[jhanhart25]

Thanks for the input guys. I figured to just get the 2bbl. As of now, the car is stock, but i plan on adding performance upgrades in the very near future (so why not save some time/hassle and just get the 2bbl now). I wanna put a DUI into it, but i have power steering. I've heard of a few guys sayin that they installed a DUI w/ power steering and no mods, but i'll have to look into that a bit more before making a buy.

One other thing. I was thinking about getting an engine lift and engine stand. I'm pretty raw when it comes to working on engines, so I think this would make it easier to get familiar with all the components and work on everything. Would you advise against this???

 

[JackFish]

Absolutely, get a hoist and DIY.
Just get a machine shop to do whatever metal cutting needs to be done when the time comes.
I can get an engine out by myself but it's a little tricky getting everything lined up when putting it back in.
Good to have a buddy to help out.

 

[MPGmustang]

you can never have too many tools, or too many friends with tools... or both

Agreed with Jackfish, DIY is way better and you understand more as you do it. instead of rely'n on some one's word.


IMO, go DSII, I've seen people do more with them than you can with the DUI, and you won't have problems with the fitting. I wish I went DSII, it's not as complicated as it sounds and once it's connecected you'll be thinking "is that it?? that's bloody simple" and be glad that you can get cheaper replacement parts.

IMO don't dive right into the engine moding, just get it running and then replace the steering/suspension. you'll be much happier with the road feel than the engine feel. and you'll know that you can reliably avoid mishaps on the road.

 

[CobraSix]

First welcome.

Second, fill out your location. Someone may be near you.

Honestly, go Duraspark II. DUI is a good system, but on an unmodded engine, you'll likely see no improvement over the DS2. Also, before you put the DS2 in, send it to FalconSedanDelivery (on this website). For a very small fee (and a very good deal) he will recurve the junk, I mean rebuilt DS2, you will get from the auto warehouse to really give you a solid ignition.

As to your problem.

1) Check you ignition first. While cranking (will need a 2nd person or a cranking trigger to jump the solenoid out), pull a wire off of one of the spark plugs. See if you have spark. Should be a very strong spark. And yes, ignition problems can be that sudden.

2) Reset your carb idle by completely closing the screw, then backing out 2-2.5 complete turns. That is usually a good starting point.

3) Check to make sure you are getting fuel into the carb. Easy way is to activate the accelerator while looking down the throat of the carb. See if fuel sprays out. This will at least tell you if fuel is in the bowl and the accelerator pump is working.

4) Try starting it with your foot down on the pedal some.

5) Entirely possible that after sitting that long, something clogged your new fuel filter or clogged in one of the carb fuel circuits. That can be a random event as well. Happened to me one time driving home. Had to keep the RPMs above 1500 or the car would die. Rebuilt the carb and it was fine after. Idle circuit clogged up.

For a hoist, if there is a Harbor Freight near you. grab there 2.5ton version. Pretty good unit. I'd recommend you buy some different casters, but they'll work. It's cheap. Sure, HF quality isn't great, but unless you are pulling engines very frequently, it'll do the trick for way less money than anything else unless you have lift point and chainfall in your garage.

 

[jhanhart25]

Yea, there's a harbor freight right down the road from me. For like $350 i can get everything i need.

Fuel is getting into the carb, so i'll try resetting the idle and checking the ignition.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Frankenstang]

We opened up the carburetor, cleaned it out, replaced the stale fuel, replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil, and the car started up the next morning.

After starting it up every other day after that, the car was doing fine. I then started noticing a small drip of fuel in the front of the carburetor (its a holley 1940). It started to develop a small sputter while it was idling, and it would stall once i stepped on the pedal. Now it wont even start.

...2) there was too much fuel getting into the carberator and it was flooding the engine.

Welcome aboard

My guess would be flooding. If you are getting so much fuel you see a drip under the carb it's likely you stirred some 'crud' in the tank or lines and it's keeping the float's needle valve from seating. An easy way to tell if your #2 suspicion is correct is try cranking/starting her for a few minutes, pull a plug and see if it's fuel soaked.

I forget what type of filter the 1940 uses, but if it's similar to the stock 1100 type those do not have a very fine element and larger than desired particles ('crud') will get past them. I run a see-through Fram/Napa G2 type filter ahead of the stock filter for insurance.

Here's a pic of my $40-50 (on sale) HF engine stand with a full long block on it. I'll probably add an angle brace between the upright and the lower strut. Can't tell it's in jeopardy of 'snapping' under the weight , but you sure can tell the difference when it's carrying the cantilever full loaded weight. I think their next step up offering was not a lot more but a good bit more substantial (if memory serves). Craigslist is also a good option for better made stuff used...some folks let their rigs go cheap when space becomes an issue.
Good luck

 

[woodbutcher]

Hi.Welcome aboard.We have a GREAT community here.If these folks don`t know the answer,they will find out the correct answer.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

[bubba22349]

Since your car set for so long I would start at the back have the fuel tank cleaned if you have a rad shop they can clean them, if theirs a chem strip place even better (use some aircraft shushing compound to seal it after and you won't have any trouble with rust and junk, or a new replacement tank. Clean and or replace all the fuel line too otherwise you take the chance of gunk in up your new carb. You could also get a rebuild kit and go through the 1940 and replace that fuel filter again if you find more trash inside the carb. May not be a problem but is good idea to do a volume test to see if the pump is providing enough fuel too.