Weird noises and running poorly

[KustomSkylark]

Earlier today I was on a short drive to the parts store. I was at a stop light and all of a sudden the pitch of the exhaust got lower, when the light turned green I accelerated and the exhaust sounded out of time and weird. The car seems to have a little less power and on the way home it started halfway stalling and backfiring like crazy. Then it also kinda sounded like it was clicking a little bit. I have a straight pipe while I'm saving up for a new exhaust system so it's loud and hard to tell where the weird noises are comming from. I rechecked the timming when I got home and it is still on. What could have happened and how do I fix this?

 

[MustangSix]

Maybe it's related to your earlier overheating problem. Blown head gasket?

 

[hasa68mustang]

if your running open headers you might possibly foul out a plug, which I did then I bought my exhaust, mine also did this while idling, and I just drove home and changed it.... according to my dad you can also do something to the valve seats or something while running open headers... I dunno how true it is but I was running my old head while my new one was at the machine shop so I didnt really care.... did scare me a bit when I drove home and it just started runnig rough and sputtering...

 

[KustomSkylark]

Thanks for the always quick response. I'll check the plugs and compression after work tomorrow. I sure hope it's a fouled plug.

 

[Anonymous]

My 71 maverick, 200L6 was dooing the same thing...I originally assumed that the plugs were bad/ fouled...so i did a minor tune up at first. Plugs, Cap, rotor, wires, Points etc etc... No change.

I placed my hand over the carb and felt a lil hot air coming out of it at idle...needless to say i just finished pulling off the head and the Gasket was BLOWN between#3 and #4 cyl.

I have an Original Ford Maverick Shop service manual and said the primary cause was from Stop and Go driving, the engine would run hotter causing the Fuel to Boil out of the carb bowl, (too rich), and foul the two middle cylinders (3 & 4) burning the gasket in the process.

Check to see if you can feel hot air coming out of the top of the carb..if you do...its the Head Gasket.... :x

 

[Anonymous]

I'm confused...would air coming out of the top of the carb be something short of a backfire?

How can it run at all with air coming out of the top of the carb?

Carbs suck a lot of air, even at idle...

Cheers,
Steve-O

 

[WhitePony]

Hey Steve-O good to see you on!

 

[KustomSkylark]

ok i finnaly had time to check it out today after work. I did a compression check and it's still a solid 150 psi across the board. The plugs looked a little messed up so I just replaced them, in doing so I found out that the old plugs were improperly gapped. So I got the new plugs in and it's running fine for a bit then it starts screwing up again. It sounds almost like there is rocker noise after it starts running weird, also the exhaust sounds like it's running under water. Could my oil pump be getting clogged up after driving a bit? Is there an easy way to test if i'm getting oil in the top half? Thanks in advance for all the advice.

 

[BIGREDRASA]

Sounds like a heat related problem. It could be a weak fuel pump or fuel boiling up in the line, causing a lean condition. That could cause detonation. Try doing a clean cut and popping the carbureter air horn off, and see what the fuel level looks like.

It could also be a coil that's getting too hot, causing a weak spark and misfiring. When I suspected a problem with a coil, I poured cold water over it, and the problem went away. I'd change the coil if it's not a recent item.

 

[KustomSkylark]

I'll check out the carb tonight or tomorrow. The coil is only a few months old it's a pertonix flamethrower paired with the ignitor points system. When doing the cold water test, should I just pour a cup of water directly on the coil?

 

[BIGREDRASA]

That's what I did, and it immediately told me if the problem was in the coil overheating.

My problem was that the car would die unexpectedly, then it would start and run fine for a while. I even had it put on a dyno, and they found nothing wrong that way. Only hard running on a hot day made it quit.

 

[KustomSkylark]

I feel stupid but it ended up being low on oil, which is weird cause it never smokes or leaves oil behind after being parked.

 

[Anonymous]

LOL.... :duh: I Hate when that happens! I guess we all have been there at one time or another...speaking mainly for myself...LOL

 

[Anonymous]

I'm confused...would air coming out of the top of the carb be something short of a backfire?

How can it run at all with air coming out of the top of the carb?

Carbs suck a lot of air, even at idle...

Cheers,
Steve-O

The air passing Out of the carb was hardly noticeable...If I tried to choke the air supply with my hand, I could barely feel the backpressure and it took longer for the engine to die... Blown head gaskets between 3 and 4 are common on this engine, mainly because of the placement of the carb...

 

[66200i6]

My first thought from your description of the plug gap was to make sure the electrode is not hitting the piston.

Check your gap again to confirm.

Good luck, Ric.