New to Fordsix

[69Shtang]

My 16 yr old son and I just bought a 69 coup with a 250 inline 6, no modifications have been done to the motor and it seems it is all original.
The car was idling rough and had no acceleration when we bought it. After we got it home we found a leak around the base of the carb and replaced the gasket, it ran great for a few days and then same issue came back. I have checked further for any other vacuum leaks but found none, we then did a compression test and found the #1 cylinder at 130, the rest are 150
My question is what should all cylinders compression be and does 130 on number 1 mean a rebuild???
We are in the process of replacing the interior and I was hoping to leave engine work til later.
This car is very clean and almost rust free except for the drivers floor board having a few small rust holes and same in trunk on drivers side.
I love the fact that my son and I are spending quality time and I want to do this right the first time around so any advice is much appreciated.
BTW we live on Maui so very limited help and or parts.

 

[64falconsix]

1st.. Welcome to the forum.......150 psi is about right for a stock six.High to low cylinders should be within 10%, try adding a little oil to each cylinder and retest. If the low cylinder come up then rings and or cylinders are worn. If not look for a leaking or burned valve. valve

 

[65fback]

Welcome! Awesome choice for a car.

 

[Invectivus]

My understanding is that cylinder 1 runs so much cooler because of the coolant inlet, there is more wear on the rings and cylinder wall and compression suffers because of it.

Unfortunately we don't make Hawaii runs any more, or I'd hand carry parts for you. Can hit the pick n pull if you need something and there might be slow boat service to the islands.

 

[69.5Mav]

Welcome.

How many miles are on the car and was the engine ever rebuilt?

I would try to get this motor running right before trying a rebuild. 130 on number one while out of spec is not that bad. Is it oil fouling the number one plug?

I would check the vacumm advance as the ruber diafram may be leaking killing all vacumm advance.

Caution. Check to see if the timing mark on the balencer has slipped before changing the timing. Check the mark against top dead center of the number one piston.

I have a 170 Maverick with 200K miles on it and while it has a few problem it runs strong and I do not anticipate rebuilding it any time soon though I will be putting in new rod bearings soon.

Good luck

 

[Asa]

A difference of 20psi shouldn't make a huge difference, I don't think.

Did you just replace the gasket, or did you actually rebuild the carburetor? The carb could still have issues, you might have just moved the carb around enough to move trash in the fuel bowl, then once it started running it sucked the trash up and started causing issues.

I would try an actual rebuild of the carburetor and make sure it is all is cleaned properly in and out.
A good rebuild kit will include the specs to setup the carb's internals properly. Have you replaced the fuel filter(s)?



Other than that, there are a few basics you can do, including a basic tune up. What did the spark plugs look like when you did the compression test?

 

[Asa]

Caution. Check to see if the timing mark on the balencer has slipped before changing the timing. Check the mark against top dead center of the number one piston.

Very good point.
Make sure that the valves are closed when you check the piston at TDC or else you'll be looking at the top of the exhaust stroke, not the power stroke.

 

[69Shtang]

Thank you to all,

Lots to think about and try, when we pulled the plugs the first time #1 and #2 were pretty junked up so we put new plugs in and after doing the compression test I dropped oil in and the compression hit 150 in #1.
If the consensus is the engine should run OK with low compression in #1 for a while we will live with it.
I first want the body work completed and then we can tackle a motor rebuild.
Good point regarding carburetor getting gunk in it, I will first attempt a rebuild, should be an adventure as It's been 25 years since I did any mechanical work on cars. I got old and lazy but thank god I still remember some of it from auto shop.
Glad there is help here and you tube videos out there. If all else fails I will buy a rebuilt carburetor.
My son being a typical 16 yr old is already scouring the web for a 351 Cleveland, I have no intention of going that route, I like the 6 and can't imaging getting that deep into souping up this car.

 

[Invectivus]

feel free to ask anything you want, whenever. we all like talking cars.

 

[CoupeBoy]

IIRC, there are no long fast roads in HI. We were there in 2006, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai we didn't make it to the big Island. We used to have another member on here will have a 65 or 66 that had a trip-power on one of the islands. Haven't seen him post in a while.

Low compression and gunked plugs could be valve related also. Not sealing properly and/or bad valve stem seals.

One word of caution. Nobody makes replacement motor mounts for your car and engine combination, you are going to want to take some steps to avoid ripping them in half (16yr old wants to go fast...). Limiting strap or an extra bolt through them would not be a bad idea.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Asa]

If all else fails I will buy a rebuilt carburetor.

Make sure you buy from a reputable source, Autozone and the like are not a guarantee for a quality rebuilt carburetor.
If you get stuck doing the rebuild, post pics and ask, we'll be glad to help.

 

[bubba22349]

If the car sat around for some time in the past make sure the fuel tank is clean too, otherwise your fresh carb rebuild will get crude in it again. Good luck on your project.

 

[Asa]

Or at the very least install a couple high quality fuel filters in the system before the fuel pump

 

[64falconsix]

Thank you to all,

Lots to think about and try, when we pulled the plugs the first time #1 and #2 were pretty junked up so we put new plugs in and after doing the compression test I dropped oil in and the compression hit 150 in #1.
If the consensus is the engine should run OK with low compression in #1 for a while we will live with it.
I first want the body work completed and then we can tackle a motor rebuild.
Good point regarding carburetor getting gunk in it, I will first attempt a rebuild, should be an adventure as It's been 25 years since I did any mechanical work on cars. I got old and lazy but thank god I still remember some of it from auto shop.
Glad there is help here and you tube videos out there. If all else fails I will buy a rebuilt carburetor.
My son being a typical 16 yr old is already scouring the web for a 351 Cleveland, I have no intention of going that route, I like the 6 and can't imaging getting that deep into souping up this car.

should live a while before giving any problem. If you plan to rebuild in the future I would just clean the plug every now and then and keep on truckin.

My understanding is that cylinder 1 runs so much cooler because of the coolant inlet, there is more wear on the rings and cylinder wall and compression suffers because of it.

I had a good friend who did automotive machining and engine rebuilding. he told me just about every inline six he had miced had more wear on #1 and #6 than 2 thru 5. due to #1 being the coolest and #6 being the hottest.

 

[69Shtang]

Good to know.
We have ordered interior parts thru CJ PONY parts and we are still waiting, a few items back ordered and shipping is huge so I told them to hold the order until it's all in.
Any idea where i should order the Carb rebuild kit, I believe it is the original autolite 1100, I have a few pictures that I will attempt to upload here. seems like it would be easier to rebuild a motor than figure out how to do computer crap.
Here is where my son comes in to help.
We have been reading as much as we can find and there is lots to consider, I'm going to heed the advice and live with low compression in#1 for now

 

[Asa]

Honestly, I've never been dissatisfied by a carb rebuild kit I bought from Autozone, O'Reilly's, or any of the other big name companies.

Just stay away from the floats made of foam blocks, they can eventually soak up fuel and cause the float to not float.

 

[CoupeBoy]

Only I have the rebuild kit you need. You fly me over and I will personally pull the carb, soak it for two weeks and rebuild it before flying home.

 

[69Shtang]

Coupeboy,
Now that is funny, unfortunately not enough $$$ will be left over.
Maui is a wonderful place and life here is very simple unless you decide to take on a project like this one.
Thank you all for your advice, I will be asking more as the parts start to arrive.
I also need a few days for the busted knuckles to heal. haha

 

[Asa]

I also need a few days for the busted knuckles to heal. haha

Remember: when pulling a wrench closed fist is ok, when pushing a wrench have your hand opened and push with the palm of your hand. Much fewer busted knuckles that way, easier to control when it lets go.

 

[CoupeBoy]

Just trying to be helpful :rolflmao: