When the motor was rebuilt; was the carberator rebuilt or fuel pump replaced? You said the carb was "adjusted"; do you mean the idle was adjusted or the carb was actually tuned using a vacuum gauge?

I had a 6 cyl act the same way until I replaced the carb.

 

The carb was rebuilt but they gave me a swapout carb and when the body shop installed it, they drilled the hole in the wrong place, 1/4" over too far though right now I can't think of all the specifics of the issues it caused.

My body shop rebuilt it and all was fine for 2k miles, and then it began to act up.

Everything was replaced under the body and hood.

I didn't ask what they did other than I watched him take the screwdriver to my carb and tweak it a little bit one day.

You are thinking like I am -- it's a carb issue -- but I've paid to have it rebuilt twice already. If I have to do it again I'm not going to be very happy.

 

Why was there drilling involved? Did they remount the carb directly to the intake and not install the heated spacer plate?

Or did they do the Bronco intake swap and not have the correct spacer plate.

 

Seems like the float level is too low. When the carb tilts with change in plane relative to the ground, the fuel sloshes away from the needle and seat under the accelerator pump. The alternative is that it is too high and the carb is flooding. I suggest once the engine is warmed up, park the car on level ground, block the driver's side rear tire then jack the car up on the passenger side and see if the engine stalls. If not, try jacking the front of the car. If the engine stalls, immediately give the carb area a sniff to learn whether it smells "gassy" like fuel is spilling internally down the throat of the carb. If not, I'd guess on the float level being too low and adjust it upward. Don't know how that adjustment is done on a 1v carb.

good luck.

 

Thanks -- the drilling was part of rejetting the carb. I can't remember all the details right now but the outtake something-or-other was in the wrong place so something wasn't coming out and was staying internal, so they had to drill the hole in the right place.

I'm going to my mechanic this afternoon to let him check it out.

 

Couple of questions ...

If the float is too low, why does this happen just once or twice while driving for an hour or more?

I do know there was a gas smell before I put her away for the winter. That's how I noticed the tiny oil leak which turned out to be my valve cover gasket (which was recently replaced). I smelled gas when I hit 30 mph in the car, and then under the hood it was really strong.

Yesterday I ran her pretty good and even went on the highway at 65, and she still has plenty of get up and go for an i6. No gas smell that I detected.

I'd get a brand new carb but I need to be sure the carb is the issue. It's always happened when going up/down the incline and I gave it a little gas, but yesterday was the first time it happened on level ground, during a turn, when I gave it a little gas.

 

Let's put a couple clarifications in writing.

When you made the level turn yesterday and it stalled. You had just driven 3 miles, was it cold/cool outside? My six takes forever to warm up (choke issue?)

When stalling on an incline or decline; is this just following a stop and turning to go up or down; or are you driving straight hit an incline and it stalls. What kind of speed does this happen at?

It's sounding more and more like a carb issue, but don't buy a new one yet.

 

This brings back memories of a near identical thread a while back. It was debris/junk in the gas tank. At the right combination of fuel level and angle on the gas tank, the pickup was blocked. If you have the original 40 plus year old gas tank, it is possible that sediment is blocking the fuel pick up. Another cause of fuel starvation could be a dirty fuel filter. You could drive the car till the fuel is near gone, then drain the rest and drop the fuel tank for a cleaning.

 

sounds like the accelerator pump in the carb to me.

 

Sorta sounds like junk in the screened pickup in the gas tank or a nearly clogged gas filter. Combined with the fact that it happens when you drive a while, you could also be getting a little vapor lock or the heat from the engine is exaserbating or enabling the problem. You can check to make sure the gas lines are not close to a heat source, like the head or block. Also, how new is your fuel pump? If it is not new or defective, it could be pumping just enough to get you going. Lastly, that I can think of, is the carb. itself.

 

Let me try to answer all with one post.

Yesterday it was in the mid-50's but I'd let the car warm up about 10 minutes before driving it. This generally doesn't happen right away.

When it stalls on the incline/decline, it is either coming out of a parking lot and going down the little driveway, or pulling into a driveway with a minimal incline. My foot is on the gas, of course, though lightly.

Speed would be a few miles per hour.

Gas tank is not original and is brand new, as is the fuel pump.

I drove it today. Put her on the highway at 65 and even hit 70 to pass someone (go baby go!) and no gas smell, no hesitation, she drove like a champ. Drove it for about 30 miles and brought it to my mechanic and he did a very minor adjustment on the carb and I'll know more tomorrow, but today it absolutely did not stall at all.

I told him I'd ask y'all for more ideas on what it could be.

As for the fuel tank being dirty, I have had a full tank all winter with additive. I emptied it before I did winter storage, then filled it to the top. I took it out 4 times this winter, each time for about 10 miles just to get oil flowing and the tires moving, and filled it up each time with a gallon or less of gas.

 

Well, sounds like you had a nice ride today! Has anyone looked at your plugs to insure that the carb is not flooding at certain angles? Just a thought. I'm still suspecting either the carb. having a problem or the gas lines being too close to a heat source causing vapor lock when it is warm outside. Intermittent problems are frustrating, no? Stick with it and hang out here a little and you'll get it figured out....

 

I'd go with the gas lines but this doesn't happen every time I drive it and yesterday it was much warmer than the day before, plus I was stuck in traffic for a bit (watched the engine meter carefully) but nothing happened.

It's more frustrating since my mechanic can't figure it out either.

If it was a plug issue, would that not happen all the time? It's the intermittency (is that a word?) of this that ticks me off. Also, if it stalls -- what can I do -- I mean, if I call my mechanic from the middle of the road and said, "gee, I just stalled" it's not like he can come over and diagnose it if there are no gas smells and it starts up right away, which means it's not being flooded!

If anyone can solve it, I know y'all can.

 

The more that comes out, the more I lean to the carb. Even though the fuel pump is new, it does not truly mean it's working but not a real likely suspect. If it was vapor lock, I don't think you would be able to start it again after stalling. The fact that you can take it out on the highway and open it up for a while sort of eliminates the fuel filter.

Think fuel level in the carb (is that even appropriate in a 1v)

 

If the vapor lock is minor (lines not "too close" to a heat source so the fuel cools quickly) and it is cool outside it wouldn't take long for the vapor lock thing to go away. If that is the problem it will get worse as the weather warms up. You might look at the lines and just see how close they are. You can do that visually and in your driveway; lay a blanket down and follow the line from the gas tank forward. I know you said the fuel pump is new but it might be imported and that always makes me look twice. With an intermittent problem like this is hard to diagnose and frustrating I know. When my daughter's '66 would vapor lock, it would take me a while to get to where she was, and then the car would start. Ambient temperature does play a part; in her case, the time lag was enough for it all to cool off. The first time I thought she didn't have enough gas, the second I looked at the lines and saw how the inline fuel filter was against the head. The plugs would indicate a rich condition. Yeah, I know stalling somewhere and not being able to have someone diagnose it on the spot doesn't help much. Is there a Mustang or hot rod club in your area? Maybe someone would go along with you for a long ride and be able to look it over when and if it stalls. Just had something else come to mind; I had a Sunbeam Tiger in high school and it would stall in a manner just like you are experiencing. Turned out to be the coil -- when it got hot, a winding would open up and the engine would stall. Open the hood for a while and it'd cool enough to start. Same exact symptoms. I still carry an extra coil in my little kit....

 

Thanks -- the drilling was part of rejetting the carb. I can't remember all the details right now but the outtake something-or-other was in the wrong place so something wasn't coming out and was staying internal, so they had to drill the hole in the right place.

Unless the stalling was taking place before the rejetting and subsequent "drilling" of the carb took place, I would suspect that action to be the cause.

Beyond that, you are experiencing the classic symptoms of float level being too low, and/or accelerator pump not putting out.

It could be that the carb jobs you've paid for were not done properly. We don't always get what we paid for. If the mechanic knew what he was doing and cleaned all the parts adequately, got the floats set properly (pretty basic), adjusted the choke as he should, insured the heat tube is installed, and installed a new accelerator pump, your carb should be good to go.

Since probably 95% of all perceived carb problems are not carb problems at all, lets look at some other potential causes.

1. Here's my favorite on your particular engine: The vacuum advance diaphragm is ruptured so you not only have a vacuum leak, but there is no operational spark advance. Very easy to check out.... disconnect the vacuum line running from the carb to the distributor. Suck on it and see if it holds a vacuum. If it does, move on. If it does not, replace the vacuum diaphragm. Easy job, you don't need to call your mechanic, just have a screwdriver and some small wrenches. About a 10-15 minute job for a first-timer.

2. My car is VERY touchy about where the timing is set. If it's just a hair too slow, it will hesitate when you step on the accelerator. It it's just a hair too fast, it spark knocks. So, it's only "happy" at around 9-10 degrees BTDC. That's mine, yours may be different, but may still be finicky about where the timing is set.

3. Less likely, but a possibility is the timing chain is stretched out and the valve timing is thrown off as a result. To check, pull off the distributor cap and turn the engine back and forth with a socket on a breaker bar used at the harmonic dampener. There should be very minimal lag time as you turn the engine back and forth before you see a corresponding movement of the rotor of the distributor. Lag time = stretched chain or worn distributor gears.

4. There's always the ignition system: points, condensor, rotor, distributor and cap, wires, plugs, coil. Even if they are all new, the points may be out of adjustment. The Pertronix electronic ignition system is a simple fix for points problems, and largely eliminates ignition concerns. It was also the best modification I've ever made to my car, and helped with a persistent tendency to hesitate.

Over the last 29 years, I've replaced my carb twice with rebuilt units. Guess what, I wish the original carb was still on there as it was the best one of the bunch. In all cases, my problem was something other than carb-related, and that's why repeated rebuilds did no good with the carb. Of course, I don't recall having to re-drill anything on mine.. :crazy:

Your car is going to need periodic adjustments. It's also the most simple engine to work on ever. Just a suggestion, but you might want to attempt some of the minor adjustments with the help of VMF'ers.

Best of luck with finding your problem. As you're finding out, fixing the problem isn't difficult, it's figuring out what it is..!

 

If I remember correctly, this doesn't happen every time I drive it, it's just once in a while. Hot weather and cooler weather, hot car or cooler car, does not matter. The other day it did it after 3 miles of driving, but twice now it's done it at the end of an hour drive going up into a driveway.

I'm going to take it out tomorrow for a long ride since it's going to be pretty warm and I'll see how she does.

No Mustang club in my area but most people I talk to say it's the carb, but nothing definitive yet.

I guess I'll know more the more I drive it. The once-a-month or twice-a-month driving isn't enough to thoroughly figure out this pain in the butt problem.

 

My vote is for the float level is too high
when it stalls on incline or turns,
The fuel will splash into the overflow and drown the motor causing it to stall.

As you posted that it will restart, I am assuming that your depressing the throttle and allowing more air in to overcome the gas soak.

The slight tweeking of the mixture screw will help overcome the fuel spill by leaning it out, but is not fixing it.

 

Not seeing it is hard but I'm leaning toward carb as well. As I recall, those 1100s had two piece bodies. Are they bolted together tightly? The bolts are only accessible from the underside. Sometimes they will loosen up and you can grab the top half and wiggle it relative to the bottom half. If loose to any degree, it could be a vacuum leak. Ok, so no Mustang club...how about an auto electric/carb type business? They'd charge you to go for a drive but maybe it would die on them and they'd have some information for you.

Pam, when did all of this start?

 

It could be a float adjustment. I had a similar problem a few years ago that turned out to be a needle valve that became unseated, and had a few little pieces of crud jammed in there. Personally, I would just swap a different carb on there, and see if things change. If there is no change, then the carb is not the issue. Then you would check farther down the line ( fuel filter, fuel lines, pickup, etc....) Just my suggestion. I hope you straighten it out. Stalling problems are a major pain in the ass.

Jason

 

It began about 1,500 miles after I had the carb rejetted. It doesn't do it all the time, just once in a while, enough to be a pain.

When it stalls, I quickly throw it into neutral and just start it, and it's fine (automatic)

 

This last bit of info makes me think that it might be a sticky float pivot or the float itself is hitting the side of the body, impeding movement. And since it didn't start stalling until you had that work done, that's a good hint. If the pivot stops the float from moving enough to open (or close) the viton fuel intake, it could cause the engine to stall. I once had a 4300 on a '67 A code and he pivot rod would slide out. Ran kinda rich....

Is there any way you can put another carb on to see if the problem goes away?

 

*tearing her hair out*

Took her out for 90 minutes today and it was a warm day. An hour into the drive, maybe 40 miles, and I pulled into a parking lot coincidentally to check out a light blue 1966 copy of my car. I had been doing 50, slowed down to a crawl, turned in on a very very slight incline and bam, she stalled.

Started up right away, drove it until the shifter was pretty darned hot ... didn't stall again, not even going into the driveway.

I did notice after the first 30 minutes of driving there was a good odor of gasoline. I pulled into a parking lot 10 minutes later and checked under the hood and there wasn't any odor at all but I could hear small noises from under the air filter. Nothing major. 20 minutes later she stalled.

 

Sure sounds like the float is misadjusted, or the float is leaking so it is perpetually low, or the viton intake valve that is controlled by the float is letting gas get by and therefore flooding your engine. A strong gas smell tells me that too much is pumping.....does your mechanic have a spare carb that you can try? Another idea; do you have a manual or automatic choke? If automatic and the cap is not opening all the way, it could act this way, running rich. Next time it stalls, you can check by pullng the air cleaner to see if the choke is all the way open. If manual, just see if it is all the way open when the knob is all the way in.

 

After today I am totally convinced it is the carb. Drove her for an hour on a hot day and sure enough, going up an incline into a driveway, she stalled.

But, before that happened, I had trouble starting it, which has NEVER happened. I drove for about 30 minutes and stopped for 20 minutes. Came back to the car, tried to start it and it wouldn't really catch. Tried again and it stalled. 3rd time was the charm but I gave it quite a bit of gas. It just didn't feel "right" for the next mile or so, but then it was fine.

The odor of gas was strong when I was on the highway.

With the rain/bad weather due in for the next few days, I won't be taking her out.

So, what type of carb (stock, please?) do you recommend I get, and any online stores you'd recommend higher than others?

(Unless someone from this forum lives close and wants to come play with it, err, my carb)