All Small Six Stalling Issues 1983 200ci Mercury Marquis

[bubba22349]

You might try first checking the float condition and its Level setting and then the needle a seats condition. I still have a nice low mileage OEM 1946 Holley and a few other small parts off a Mustang or Capri 200 Six. I do think they are good Carbs but few now days want to work on any carbs. From your current Gas mileage it seems like there are some issues that need to be fixed. Good Luck

 

[marquis83]

Ok, I finally got the carb taken apart. It looked normal except the venturi is slightly bent, and just generally bad looking.

Everything else looked brand new inside.

With the damage to the venturi would this warrant purchasing another carb or should I soak in carb cleaner and do the full rebuild?

Sorry for the long time with no update, I got sick with everyone favorite illness.

 

[bubba22349]

Are you talking about that Emulsion Tube being bent?

 

[marquis83]

Are you talking about that Emulsion Tube being bent?

yeah, sorry I'm not that familiar with carburetors.

 

[bubba22349]

No problem, well I wouldn't worry too much about that tube and if your careful and gentle you can probably straighten it enough so it goes back together again it doesn't even need to be perfectly straight. Get some good Spray Carb Cleaner like Berrymans to clean it all out while its apart, then do all the settings to spec and check the condition of the Float to see if its heavy. Good luck and hope your feeling better.

 

[Frank]

Use fine sandpaper and carefully smooth the bad place in the tube. It doesn't have to be cleaned totally, just smooth and at close to the same diameter as the rest of the tube. Check closely for any pin holes in the tube- holes will cause metering problems.

 

[marquis83]

It did appear that that float was out of adjustment, it was probably hanging down a quarter inch past the edge of the bowl cover.

I also put in a new needle and seat and all new gaskets.

The red piece in the last pic I posted (pump cup) was swollen up and preventing me from putting the bowl cover back on.

I swapped it out with one in the kit and it solved my issues. About to put the carb back on the car. Hoping for the best.

 

[marquis83]

Just put it all back together. Let the car run for 15 minutes, it sounded pretty good.

Then it stalled out. This time it turned back on when trying to restart, then it stalled again and wouldn't turn back on.

Drained the battery trying to restart the car. Would a bad battery cause the car to stall like this?

 

[bubba22349]

Yes if the battery can't hold a full charge, you usually see a weak Battery's starting to cause you some troubles in the colder weather too.

 

[marquis83]

Hmm, ok I always thought carb cars didn't require much voltage to run.

I haven't replaced the battery since purchasing it, I'll have to test that next.

 

[bubba22349]

This is Not true, all Cars with Carbs or otherwise will need to have enough voltage to be able to run at there best performance. Your car has the very good DuraSpark II Electronic Ignition system on it, these need to have the proper amount of voltage to Work and Fire the Coil if the voltage gets to low then there is a point that they won't fire the ignition at all. If you have a Volt / Ohm Meter than test the Voltage right at the two battery posts that should be about a 12.5 volt min. more volts is better when they are fully charged. Now the quick test is if you don't have very close to that same Voltage right at the Coil when your Cranking over the Engine then it likely won't fire the ignition system. There can be several cause of this but a weak battery is one or the most common is dirty electrical connections starting from the battery back. Also if the Battery Voltage starts to drop down quickly while your cranking it than that's the sign of a battery that is probably weak. You might be able to get away with a weak battery during the hotter weather months but its going to be trouble in the cold weather. Good luck

 

[marquis83]

I ran it again today, battery voltage was 12.3 before starting, after starting it was around 14.2.

I tried turning the headlights on around 8 minutes and the car turned off 2 minutes later.

It didn't really smell like gas when it turned off.

If I can get a second person to help me I should be able to figure this out soon.

 

[bubba22349]

I ran it again today, battery voltage was 12.3 before starting, after starting it was around 14.2.

I tried turning the headlights on around 8 minutes and the car turned off 2 minutes later.

It didn't really smell like gas when it turned off.

If I can get a second person to help me I should be able to figure this out soon.

The 14.2 Voltage after starting shows that your Alternator is charging good, but that doesn't mean that the Battery's condition is good. Having a battery Voltage of 12.3 before starting is a little low. Did you happen to test the battery Voltage again after it shut off, what was it? Next if you haven't all ready done it try cleaning up the Battery Posts and the inside of the Battery Cable Clamps, a terminal brush cleaner is inexpensive if you don't happen to have one, you could also use some sand paper, or use baking soda if there is a lot of Battery Acid or Corrosion build up, even having a layer of dirt, crude, or oil on the Battery top can lower the voltage as much as a 1/2 of a volt. If you have access to a battery charger than charge the battery up good and see if the voltage will come up any and hold that voltage overnight. Your doing good on testing things best of luck.

 

[mustang6]

I believe that carb has an idle fuel shutoff solenoid that is supposed to cut the flow of fuel when the ignition is turned off. If faulty and malfunctioning, it may be randomly cutting your fuel off. Easily verified when it cuts out on you.

 

[drag-200stang]

I believe that carb has an idle fuel shutoff solenoid that is supposed to cut the flow of fuel when the ignition is turned off. If faulty and malfunctioning, it may be randomly cutting your fuel off. Easily verified when it cuts out on you.

This could be it. It should be mounted on the carb, it holds the throttle up some to run and drops down to close the butterfly shut when you shut off the ignition, to stop run on.

 

[marquis83]

The 14.2 Voltage after starting shows that your Alternator is charging good, but that doesn't mean that the Battery's condition is good. Having a battery Voltage of 12.3 before starting is a little low. Did you happen to test the battery Voltage again after it shut off, what was it? Next if you haven't all ready done it try cleaning up the Battery Posts and the inside of the Battery Cable Clamps, a terminal brush cleaner is inexpensive if you don't happen to have one, you could also use some sand paper, or use baking soda if there is a lot of Battery Acid or Corrosion build up, even having a layer of dirt, crude, or oil on the Battery top can lower the voltage as much as a 1/2 volt. If you have access to a battery charger than charge the battery up good and see if the voltage will come up any and hold that voltage overnight. Your doing good on testing things best of luck.

The car has new battery cables on it, I probably just need to bite the bullet and drop 200 on a battery. The date code on the current battery is 2018

I believe that carb has an idle fuel shutoff solenoid that is supposed to cut the flow of fuel when the ignition is turned off. If faulty and malfunctioning, it may be randomly cutting your fuel off. Easily verified when it cuts out on you.

Do you mean the anti diesel solenoid? I remember when the car ran it did use to run after the key turned off sometimes.
The only other solenoid I see on the rebuild sheet is the bowl vent solenoid.

 

[bmbm40]

We all have favorite battery recommendations and my current one is NAPA Legend. They are about 190 with return of your old battery. I am fortunate enough to get a discount courtesy of my employer from that retail price. I have this battery in a 2005 GMC Sierra I purchased used in 2009. The truck frequently goes 2 months or more without being started yet when I do start it it fires right up even in cold northern NV winters. When that battery finally fails I am going to NAPA and getting another one and will be installing the Legend in my other vehicles as those batteries fail.

 

[John Ha]

I went all out, I changed all the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, the coil, and the ignition control module.

On the first test drive the car wouldn't start leaving the auto parts store. I walked home, came back 2 hours later and it started.

This still sounds like an electrical/electronic issue to me.

The engine needs 3 things to run - spark, fuel and air. One or more of those things is going missing.

What troubleshooting did you do when it wouldn't start? Check for spark at the plugs when cranking, voltage at the + coil terminal when cranking, You can remove the air cleaner and look down the carb throat while working the thottle linkage to see if fuel squirts into the throat.

Knowing information like that will help you narrow the issue down.

 

[Frank]

This still sounds like an electrical/electronic issue to me.

AGREE 100%.

 

[John Ha]

I wonder, have you removed the fuel filler cap after it has stalled? Maybe the tank venting isn't working right. If it's not, you'll hear a whoosh of air coming into the tank when you remove the fuel filler cap and the carb will be empty. Note that it would be normal for air to whoosh out of the tank.