223 Stopped wanting to start.

RHicks5712

New member
Hello,

Hi. I'm Ryan. I'm new. I've lurked for awhile, just never signed up. Like your children, I'm only coming to you because I need something. My 223 will not start, it KIND OF does, but dies within a few seconds of sputtering. Every now and then, catches and runs great for 3 seconds.... then bogs out and dies.

Recently bought a 1964 F100 from about 500 miles away. 223, 4 spd, Autolite 1100 w/ manual choke. Ran fine, made it home w/ no hiccups, everything good until a few weeks back. Car died on me, fried points. Swapped em out. Good.

Due to that, I decided to go through and fix some reliability things. Get ahead of it. Plugs (.035) , cap, rotor, (NOT WIRES), points (Set to gap spec, not dwell) , condenser, dual belts, coil, starter solenoid, fuel filter and 30w oil. Adjusted valve lash to .017 cold. I know .019 is spec, however many on here had said on an older engine you can go up to .014. so I happily settled on .017. Changed out some parts on the carb. Float, seat, needle, diaphram, spark arrestor..... did not break down the accel pump.

Set the float correct, set the choke wrong, (new to car carbs) Mix screw was 2 turns out, bolted on carb and it fired up. Tinkered til I found out what felt right (Was set too rich) and set the timing after checking that the 0 on my balancer lined up with the #1 spot on the cap and rotor. Everything good. Set timing to -5. Re-adjusted the carb (again, rookie hour)

Drove it for 4 days, all was fine. Startup was tougher, more cranking and choked Idle was quite a bit off but Once warmed up and I opened the choke it ran better. Decent power compared to before. Then I get in it one day at work and fire it up, it idled poorly, and I drove it off without fully warming it up. Totally Rich. It died, so I Leaned it out and barely got it to Idle.... once it finally caught good, it warmed up and ran great. It was like it stumbled and barely idled, then all of the sudden a magic switch was thrown.

Now it wont even start. Took the carb apart, reset everything correctly (especially the choke), Changed the plugs out and they were COVERED. COVERED in black soot and oil. Rechecked the Dist/Compression/Crank timing, it on. Acts like it wants to start but doesnt. Backfired once. A real weak backfire. Sounded like a black cat. Ive probably tried cranking it 50 times. Its started maybe 8 of those times. The longest its ran is 5-10 seconds, and sounds good when it does. Specifically does not want to run with choke opened. Its like its getting too much gas, but you cant smell it like a flooded engine. As the hood is open I can see mist/vapor exiting the valve cover while I crank. Not always. Fuel pump works, tested disconnected.... squirts fuel pretty well. Has Spark at Coil, At plugs, and the negative on the coil blinks (Points indicator). All of this leads me to the carb... which is surgically clean. And set properly. Compression seems super low... I can turn the engine with the fan and Medium effort. So if my engine is shot, I guess its shot... but how would it run smoothly for 10 seconds at a time if it's so shot that it wont start?

Suggestions?
 
Sounds like your troubles are mostly carb related though there are some other areas in your tuning that needs attention too! First thing to check is the carb's float to see if it's too heavy, if it's an old brass float they can be cracked from old age which allows them to take on fuel and then sink. Look for signs of this by shaking it if it's cracked you will see the fuel wick out, in that case it will need to be replaced or repaired. Another area to check is the throdle shaft for excessive wear that causes a vaccum leak. Beyond that the carb's passages need to be very clean from crud and varnish use some good carb cleaner for that such as Berryman's etc. next all the carb's settings including the choke need to be right on.

If I was doing the tuneup the valves would also be set to the correct ford factory specs! When they are tighter you will loose some your 223 engines performance. The points also need to be set to the correct factory dwell too. I don't know what you mean about the timing being set to -5 degrees? But I would set it to 8 to 10 degrees before top dead center. When these engines are tuned right they idle beautifully and at the factory curb idel setting. The mixture screw should be set to the lean best idle too after the engine is warmed up good with the choke off and after the timing is set correctly. Good luck :nod:
 
As previously noted, the float is new and it is not split, and the carb is surgically clean. Yesterday when I had it apart I did in fact check for excessive throttle shaft wear, and found it to be as tight as any other throttle shaft I've ever played with.

I respect your opinion on keeping the factory tuning, however this engine has been rode hard and put away wet in its life. Those settings MAY be ideal, but on a 55 year old neglected engine I really don't think it would run best at factory specs. Plus the .002 on the valves, 3 degrees on the timing, and point dwell (even though the gap is set to spec) are super highly unlikely the cause of the not starting issue. It ran fine with all of the settings as I listed... then I messed with the Idle mix screw which is what screwed everything up. I put it in all the way until it bogged, backed it out til it idled high, then bogged, then put it in til the idle settled and the engine idled the smoothest using the "Eyeballing the vibrating engine" method.

From that day forward it was tougher to start and ran poorly. That was last monday evening. Then Thursday evening it barely started and Idled. No clue how I kept it idling, but I did and once it warmed up, I backed the mix screw out a full turn (total of 3 1/2) and drove it home. Friday morning, tried to start it.... nothing. quick catches and stumbly idles for a few seconds but then back to cranking. Spitting fuel (or oil?) out the tailpipe. Strong gas smell. Pulling the choke helped to "start" it (get it stumbling) but only if you immediately pushed the knob back in. Then if it was dying you could pull it out and push it back in to buy yourself and extra 2 seconds. But those 2 seconds were smooth, no knocks or bangs. Pulled the plugs yesterday. Black. So clearly something was wrong. Replaced them and cleaned the carb, new fuel filter and even purged some of the fuel out to make sure I'm using only gas that has gone through the new filter. No sign of excessive fuel on the new plugs

2 questions:

A)Should the fuel line SPRAY gas out when you disconnect it. It's a hard line, threaded into the carb. After cranking and failing a bunch of times I went to undo it and WHOOSH. Gas spray to relieve some kind of built up pressure. Can you lube a float needle? When I had the carb apart I was messing with the float and when it would drop, the needle would take a second to drop, it was not immediate. Is that normal? In my motorcycle carb experience it IS somewhat normal, but these car carbs are different.

B) Clearly at this point the plugs arent the only thing that is covered in soot. Once has to assume the piston crowns and combustion chambers are as well. Does this present an issue..... I've never heard of a car not starting for that reaon... I also dont know anyone who has had a car run as rich as I had this truck going.


PS... Although the engine is worn, when it does catch and start running it has enough vacuum to suck your hand down on the carb if you put it over the throat....so pulliing enough vac to create venturi isnt an issue. Tried starting fluid.... it tried to start but ultimately nothing made it want to go. The best I can do is the choke on/off rapidly game.... and after I took the carb apart, cleaned it and set it to factory specs (3/16 idle vent, 3/18 choke plate, choke tension nut just touching the swivel, 3 full turns out on the mix screw to begin with, float 1 inch from gasket surface to crown) it doesnt even want to catch when cranking.
 
RHicks5712":2kjlafg6 said:
As previously noted, the float is new and it is not split, and the carb is surgically clean. Yesterday when I had it apart I did in fact check for excessive throttle shaft wear, and found it to be as tight as any other throttle shaft I've ever played with.

1."(Sorry about that when I first read your post it was early before I left for work, yet I somehow managed to have missed that the float was new)"

I respect your opinion on keeping the factory tuning, however this engine has been rode hard and put away wet in its life. Those settings MAY be ideal, but on a 55 year old neglected engine I really don't think it would run best at factory specs.

2."(It has been my experience over many years of working on them that for a stock 223 engine regardless of how much use its had that the stock rocker arm lash setting gives the best results. Yes these engines will still run decent even when things are not set to the factory specs, but performance tends to go down some too. Did you do a compression test on your engine yet?)"

Plus the .002 on the valves, 3 degrees on the timing, and point dwell (even though the gap is set to spec) are super highly unlikely the cause of the not starting issue. It ran fine with all of the settings as I listed... then I messed with the Idle mix screw which is what screwed everything up. I put it in all the way until it bogged, backed it out til it idled high, then bogged, then put it in til the idle settled and the engine idled the smoothest using the "Eyeballing the vibrating engine" method.

From that day forward it was tougher to start and ran poorly. That was last monday evening. Then Thursday evening it barely started and Idled. No clue how I kept it idling, but I did and once it warmed up, I backed the mix screw out a full turn (total of 3 1/2) and drove it home. Friday morning, tried to start it.... nothing. quick catches and stumbly idles for a few seconds but then back to cranking. Spitting fuel (or oil?) out the tailpipe. Strong gas smell. Pulling the choke helped to "start" it (get it stumbling) but only if you immediately pushed the knob back in. Then if it was dying you could pull it out and push it back in to buy yourself and extra 2 seconds. But those 2 seconds were smooth, no knocks or bangs. Pulled the plugs yesterday. Black. So clearly something was wrong. Replaced them and cleaned the carb, new fuel filter and even purged some of the fuel out to make sure I'm using only gas that has gone through the new filter. No sign of excessive fuel on the new plugs

3."(Yes the point gap setting should work and is a good starting point the correct dwell angle setting though will be optimal. More base timing will also help it run better. The Basic mixture screw setting I use for a rebuilt carb is 1 1/2 turns out. With it now being set to 3 1/2 out, the sputtering, plus the black plugs, Yes your quite right that something is very wrong. That is that the carb is operating way to rich. The stock ignition system is quite adequate when everthing is in good condistion. However with the carb flooding the cylinders then it can't easily ignite that excessive fuel. When that happens you will need to pull the plugs to let it dry out.)"

2 questions:

A)Should the fuel line SPRAY gas out when you disconnect it. It's a hard line, threaded into the carb. After cranking and failing a bunch of times I went to undo it and WHOOSH. Gas spray to relieve some kind of built up pressure. Can you lube a float needle? When I had the carb apart I was messing with the float and when it would drop, the needle would take a second to drop, it was not immediate. Is that normal? In my motorcycle carb experience it IS somewhat normal, but these car carbs are different.

4."(Yes that fuel spray is normal when you crack the fuel line loose, this is also a sign that your float, needle, and seat are all working correctly. Your right that it's built up pressure the engines fuel pump is providing that pressure. Yes the needle may not drop right away yet it is still going to work normal as the fuel pressure will move the needle as it needs too.)"

B) Clearly at this point the plugs arent the only thing that is covered in soot. Once has to assume the piston crowns and combustion chambers are as well. Does this present an issue..... I've never heard of a car not starting for that reaon... I also dont know anyone who has had a car run as rich as I had this truck going.

5."(The soot on the pistions and in the combustion chamber won't be a problem once you get the carb right so it isn't excessively rich and then they will eventually clean themselves up.


PS... Although the engine is worn, when it does catch and start running it has enough vacuum to suck your hand down on the carb if you put it over the throat....so pulliing enough vac to create venturi isnt an issue. Tried starting fluid.... it tried to start but ultimately nothing made it want to go. The best I can do is the choke on/off rapidly game.... and after I took the carb apart, cleaned it and set it to factory specs (3/16 idle vent, 3/18 choke plate, choke tension nut just touching the swivel, 3 full turns out on the mix screw to begin with, float 1 inch from gasket surface to crown) it doesnt even want to catch when cranking.

6. It does sound like your engine is still in reasonably good condition so it should be able to be tuned up to run good. The biggest problem I can see from your descriptions is with the carb so you will need to go over some of those settings again. Set the mixture screw to 1 1/2 turns out. Fine tuning of the mixture screw can only be accurately set after first doing the plug gap, points, and setting the base timing then with the engine warmed up to operating temperature and choke off (fully open). I use a Sun Scope Tach / Dwell meter along with a timing light, you can also use a vaccum gauge, or as you did by ear too. Did you install a compleate rebuild carb kit during your cleaning? You may need to raise the float setting some more to lower the wet fuel level (try another 1/16 inch), its important that the wet fuel level isn't set too high. The Stock float setting (for a nitro type float) is done with the carb top inverted and measured from the bowl gasket surface (no gasket) to the top of float stock it was set to 15/16 you should try 1 inch a brass float is 1 3/32 in any case add a 1/16 inch to see if it helps. How about the check balls and the accelerator pump weight are they installed and in their correct locations? Does the accelerator pump squirt a nice shot when you pull the throdle arm back? Does the power valve operate freely? It should move easy by gently pushing it up towards the top cover and then return back again on its own, if it dosent work good it will need some more cleaning and maybe a little silicone lube then keep working on it gently until it works and returns easy. Is the Spark Control Valve new? Check that the curb idle screw is set close the throdle blade should just barely craked open enough to idle too. In most parts of the country it is warm enough right now that you shouldn't even need to use the choke to start it so you might just try it without. Lastly did you also start with a clean fuel tank with fresh gas? Good luck :nod:
 
Great information, thank you much. One of my customers gave me a vac gauge, I looked up how to set the air mix wit a vac gauge... One more good thing to know. First I will definitely make sure to double check that all ignition components are in spec. Plug gap, points etc. I also have a dwell meter/tach on the way, which should help with setting the absurdly low RPM on this thing (Factory 450!?) Great info on a starting point for the idle screw.... Couldn't find that on any of the Autolite 1100 sites. So thanks again. Still haven't dug into it again... That customer and I concluded that it has to be the float needle. The pressure release when disconnecting the fuel line being the giveaway. I just can't see how it would sticking.... Maybe there is a little burr or something.

Did not rebuild the entire carb, I installed a new needle, seat, bowl gasket, float, spark control valve, diaphragm (single, not the dual) because the old diaphragm had a tear in it and leaked badly. I did not tear down the power valve. One check ball is in place. The rest is just a spring and whatever is under the ball... It all shifts as a unit, as I imagine it should. It is a little sticky though. I tried silicone lube but it made it gum up so this last time I cleaned all of it off. Its better now than ever, buttery smooth, just hangs up slightly sometimes when you go to do it by hand, like something catches. As for the weight..... I've read about it online. I looked in the parts manual that came with the rebuild kit. It's a teardown of every part of the carb and I didn't see the weight. I've seen pictures online and I have no clue if I have one... I don't believe I do, at least not anywhere in the main disassembly of the carb. Is it inside the accel pump? Its this mysterious part that I have no clue where it belongs. Guess that's my mission for the night. Figure out where that weight hides and if my version has one.
 
I don't think there is any problems with the needle valve, it's seat, or the float operation. If it wasn't working the right way (by sticking) you then would not have any fuel pressure when you crack the fuel line.

Ok here is a carb diagram for you to study it won't be exactly like your carb in all of its details shuch as the type of choke, but the basic internal carb parts are the same. The accelerator pump discharge weight location and the check balls too can be seen in the center of the diagram. http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vinta ... stion.html

Check the condistion of the mixture screw too, sometimes in the past people have really cranked them down with excessive force causing them to have a grove worn in the tapered area if yours has that then it should be replaced.

If you don't have a weight you can buy one or make one by using some 3/16 Aluminum Rod cut to 9/16 inch long put a little bit of tapper on the two ends and your good to go. An Autolite 1100 with a Dash Pot will have 4 check balls all others without a dash pot only have 3. Sounds like the power valve is close to working correctly try cleaning it some more with a good spray carb cleaner and moving it etc. if you happen to have a volt / ohm meter you can use that to check that your plug wires are also in good condistion. Good luck :nod:
 
Hi, besides following Bubbas advice to get your carb and ignition timing better, I would double check the point gap. I like the larger side of the factory spec. You did use a little lube on the cam lobe didn't you? The old saying is dwell affects timing, but timing does not affect dwell. I would advance the timing a little bit. The engines do seem to like that. Also you may be experiencing a weak spark. I would try the old condenser you took out just for the heck of it. Good luck
 
X2 that's good advise from B Ron Co,

when I do these tune ups the plugs get gapped first, next the point dwell is set, then timing is set, the check the choke operation, followed by the mixture setting, and last the curb idle, then I will repeat the last two again verify them. You might also check out your coils output too, you can know it's in good condistion when it has a strong "Bright Blue Spark" that can jump at least a 1/2 inch gap or more. Good luck :nod:
 
Update on the truck. Went through carb a second time. Using the link for the diagram with the weight did not work, probably my weird linux, computer however the truck once ran well enough for me and I don't see it. If its there its there, if not... Well, then its not.

Plug gaps at .035. Point gap at .024. All carburetor settings are to the manual. I had no start. I was pissed so I loosened the distributor and turned it a comical amount counter-clockwise. It wanted to start but it wouldn't get fuel. I set the choke setting to be able to close about 1/8" more and BOOM. Magic. It fired up, ran rough as hell but idled until I turned it off. I know the timing needs played with from this point out, then I'll tune it with a vac gauge. Problem is I cracked the water outlet changing out the thermostat... Truck runs cold so I wanted to make sure it was a 180 degree thermostat before tuning it, as my dash says it runs at exactly 160. Broke it and now I have to wait. Apparently these are not easy to find. I found one. I just won't get it all dialed til next weekend now. Bummer dude.

2 more questions.

Narrowing the point gap increases Dwell, because they stay closed longer? Is that right?

Turning the Distributor _________ advances your timing (clockwise/counterclockwise) and is this universal on all fords? Vehicles? ......I've always just focused on the marks with the light...never paid attention to which way does what.
 
Hi, turning the distributor counter clock wise (opposite of rotor rotation) advances the timing on your engine. Not all distributors spin clockwise. You are correct concerning more or less dwell. You should be good at .024. I like to set the points on the larger side of the specified range so the gap remains in range as the rubbing block wears. The best way to adjust Ford points is with a dwell meter, cranking the engine when all the spark plugs are removed. Good luck
 
I have had the same failure to run problem with a 1953 Ford six in a forklift. The carb was somehow plugged in the idle circuit and would also fail to run at higher engine speeds. After much tinkering, spraying Berryman chemtool into the idle screw hole after removing the idle screw and spring provided a temporary fix. A better though still temporary fix was to blow high pressure air into the idle screw hole after letting the Berryman soak in for a while. If you can get the engine to run fast without the screw, blow the chemtool into the idle screw hole while the engine is running. Also spraying the chemtool into the idle bleed holes and also into the float bowl vent pipe can help. I realize that this sounds kind of stupid or shade tree mechanicish, but it seems to work for a while and some thinking about it could point the way to a more permanent cure.
 
Hey guys it's been a few weeks. Just got the truck running yesterday. I live in an apartment complex and there is this guy that looks like good ol' Vlad Lenin and he gives me these evil Russian Revolutionary death stares if I try to fix my truck... I don't tend to play well with others so I just stop so that I don't have to scream at the old man and threaten to whoop him. However I think he really thinks his stares are powerful now. Ah, humans.... aren't they just so wonderful?

I wanted to post a follow up to help anyone in my situation..... although it is SO embarrassing. So when I last left y'all I was looking for a water outlet for the truck... got it and bought every Fel-Pro water outlet gasket within a 15 mile radius (I forget the part number).... it leaked on me 3 times.... even with excessive amounts of RTV but I got it.

Then I had to replace the hood hinges that blew out. Man. Those ain't cheap.

Finally I got to gettin' it runnin! Advanced the timing and BOOM. Fired right up... ran like hell. So I checked the timing, got it set proper... around 11* BTDC (its where it liked it). Nothing smoothed out really.... the engine was still trying to shake its way out of the truck... but it was the happiest spot if that makes any sense. Tried then going to the Idle screw and mix screw.... after excessive reading about tuning engines I purchased a vac gauge and I eliminated my PCV line to make a dedicated Vac gauge line (I know.... It needs PCV..... but the head is so caked with stuff that even a clean, new, functioning PCV wont clean all that up.... and honestly, it can't get any dirtier) ANYWAYS no tinkering did anything.....it still ran rough. to rough to even drive.

SOLUTION. I hooked up the dwell meter. Dwell was at 40.... slightly high for these engines. Point gap was set to .024 and I remembered B RON CO saying he sets his at the upper limit. I sh*t you not..... I changed it from .024, to.026 and told myself "This better not f***ing work" It f***ing worked. I was happy, yet I felt stupid. I still feel stupid. 2 thousandths? I fired it up and it ran smooth as butter. Unbelievable.

So kids..... the lesson is to listen to these dudes. We grew up electronic stuff.... slap a rotor in and go. On these points systems, that POINT GAP is SUPER IMPORTANT, EVEN TO .002 I understand why.... I really do..... but 2 thousandths??? My god. I grew up helping my dad install crown moulding. I thought that was a precise craft. 2 thousandths? That is as thick as a human hair. Remember that big, red, heart shaped monster on Bugs Bunny who would split hairs with a knife? Yeah.... he should have been wearing a sign around his chest like a homeless man, and the sign should have read "This little bit of thickness will mess up your breaker points. .002 Ryan, for future reference."

So that's it. I really appreciate it you guys. I've saved this place as a favorite and will be back from time to time. You really do have a wonderful Internet community.

Fake Internet beers on me! :beer:

-Ryan

EDIT: I did re-tune the truck after getting it running.
 
:beer: congrats on getting the tune up right, that's a job well done! (y) :nod:
 
Wud-a-ya-know. Another happy customer. Shoulda tried .027.
I wonder what the Russians think
 
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