water in gas

[Mercury Mike]

Running like crap, suddenly running amazing, and then running like crap... could that be indicative of something like water in my gas tank? The car sat for awhile while I wasn't really driving, and I started it every once in awhile, but then a lot of stuff happened and I didn't drive it much for a few months. I went to drive it to school yesterday, and she sputtered and ran terrible. Felt almost like a stuck valve... It wouldn't stay running. Just sputtered and thumped. I was thinking it was the carb so I swapped back to my old autolite 1100 from the 1940, and it ran exactly the same. What should I doooooo? I gotta have my 'stang for school. Thanks guys.

 

[phoenix02]

Mike, I'd try some fuel stabilizer- like Heet or something. It might help, depending on how much water there is. If there isn't any, it won't hurt anything- it's just an alchohol that will burn off- maybe up your octane a little, but that's it. If it hasn't been driven in a long time, perhaps sediment in the tank settled and when the pickup tried to pull fresh fuel, the sock clogged with the sediment.

Other than that, maybe change your fuel filter...

Actually, before you do anything else, pull the fuel line to the carb, run it into a clear milk container washed and fully dried, then have someone crank while you watch- this way, you can see if the pump is lifting fuel to the carb properly, and afterwards, set the container down and let it sit for an hour or two- the fuel and water will separate and you'll be able to see if there's any water in the fuel. If not, then you know that's not the issue.

-Michael

 

[Anonymous]

maybe change your fuel filter...

Probably the most likely suspect.

also make sure the points didn't get corroded.

 

[Mercury Mike]

Ooh! I'll check the points. I changed the filter already.

 

[Mercury Mike]

Checked the points... got nothin'. They looked nice. They were out of adjustment, adjusted them to .035 like they were supposed to be, still nothing. I did however realize that the breaker plate doesn't return all the way to it's original position. I adjusted the points, and they stayed close when they were supposed to be open, unless I pushed the plate all the way over with my hand. Could that be what's going on? The springs are too old? If so, where do I buy them?

 

[Anonymous]

Checked the points... adjusted them to .035 like they were supposed to be,

Ummmm.......adjust them back down to .018" - .020"....... like they are supposed to be

 

[Mercury Mike]

.020?!?! I thought plugs were .025 and gaps were .035... lol... Okay, I'll put them to .020. But what about the spring issue?

 

[Anonymous]

d they stayed close when they were supposed to be open, unless I pushed the plate all the way over with my hand.

The plate only moves a few degrees, so you probably didn't have enough movement to make any difference.

How does all the wiring and connectors look?
Get a cheap ballast resistor from the auto parts store ('68 plymouth roadrunner works well and is about $3) and wire the resistor in between the positive termial on the coil and the positive on the battery and see if that eliminates one variable.

 

[Mercury Mike]

Run a wire from the positive terminal on the battery to the positive side of the coil and leave everything else connected as it is? Or disconnect what's currently plugged into the coil?

 

[Anonymous]

Run a wire from the positive terminal on the battery to the positive side of the coil and leave everything else connected as it is? Or disconnect what's currently plugged into the coil?

First off, NO.... what I said was:

wire the resistor in between the positive terminal on the coil and the positive on the battery.

Now, whether you leave the original wire hooked to the + side of the coil or not won't make any difference for troubleshooting, but once the car is running, to shut the engine off you WILL need to disconnect the wire.

 

[Mercury Mike]

Thanks Linc. I don't know too much about troubleshooting wiring. =)

 

[fordconvert]

Gapping points is only used to get you in the ballpark with a NEW set of points. Even with a new set you still need to check it running with a Dwell meter and used set that is the only way because a used set could have pitting and other issues that change the dynamics and since the dwell is what the coil is using thats what you need to check. You could be dealing with worn cam or follower or loose bushings, none of these will show up with a gap check but will with a meter.

Also try a test drive with a tach/dwell meter hooked up when it has issues look at the meter and see if the dwell changes, the dwell should be steady at any rpm, if the points are sticking or there is a bad connection the meter will change.

Also a bad condenser will fry a set of points in a very short period of time.