1950 Buick Hesitation/Stalling Issue

Hey Guys,

I just bought a 1950 Buick 56R Super with a stromberg carburetor. When I bought it everything seemed to work fine and was running really well. I drove it for about 2 hours on the freeway with no issues, but then it started hesitating/losing power and then would stall. I would pull over start it back up and then drive it again, but the hesitation got worse and worse and more and more frequent until i could no longer drive it. I finally ended up getting a tow and rented a trailer and truck to get it home. When I got it home I ordered a new fuel pump because the old one had fuel all over it and it kind of seemed like that might be the issue (I kind of felt that the fuel pump wasn't keeping up with the car at high speed). After replacing the fuel pump the car still seems to have the same issue. I have to prime the carb by pouring a little gasoline in it to get it to start when its cold and it bogs down and will stall when I start to drive it from a standstill if I don't get on the gas. I'm starting to think that there may be a carburetor issue. I'm sure it needs a tune up as well. I really have no idea where to start looking and was wondering if any of you have ever experienced this issue and how you resolved it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Josh, I'll bet you have a morain filter in the gas line right at the carb. This is a metal disk about 1/2 inch thick and 1 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter . Inside is a ceramic or "brass bead" element. If you have this, it is plugged. Been there, done that. Some of these could be disassembled, others not. Remove it from the line and soak in a really good solvent . Or replace with another filter.

Ben

Hey Ben. Thanks for the reply. I actually did have one of those just as described. That was the first thing I got rid of on the side of the road & didn't seem to do anything at all. Any other ideas. Thanks.

Hey Ben. Thanks for the reply. I actually did have one of those just as described. That was the first thing I got rid of on the side of the road & didn't seem to do anything at all. Any other ideas. Thanks.

Yea, I forgot to mention there MAY be a screen in the carb inlet. The fitting the filter screwed into on the carb would be removed and the screen, if there, will be there. Don't throw the Morain filter away. It WILL clean up, and will stop trash the inline after market ones will pass.

We need to see pictures. We want to bond with your car!!:cool:

Ben

Hey Ben. I didn't clean or pull out that screen. I just finished reading the 1950 Buick Repair Manual & it said that I'm going to have to remove the Stromberg carburetor in order to get to it & pull it out. Once I get it pulled, cleaned, put back in, & the carb put back on ill let you know if it worked. Thanks for the advice as this will be the cheapest & quickest thing to try before I continue on to something else. I hope it works. Fingers crossed. As for the pics I'll attach them below. I actually had a post going a few weeks ago about "how much should I pay for this Buick". I believe you may have responded. Any how. I went & looked at the car, I loved it, the body is really straight to the point of almost being perfect, the paint is an older repaint with some chips here & there, & the interior needs to be redone & there is a small hole in the driver side floor. All in all I think this is a very solid complete original unmolested car. Most everyone here will probably say I paid too much for the car ($12,500.00), but at the end of the day I haven't seen very many 1950 Buick Super 56R 2 doors come available & I'm happy with it & that's all that really matters.

Here's a video that I took of the car after I got it running & it was warmed up. I'm thinking the carb may need rebuilt after playing with it for a while. I removed the little screen that was inside the carburetor fuel inlet like suggested & that didn't seem to help. I couldn't get the thing to start for like 30 seconds, but as soon as I pushed the choke valve closed with my finger it fired right up. So it doesn't seem like the carb ckoke is completely closing when you first try to start the car. Once it was warmed up I was playing with the throttle as you can see in the video. The choke valve was completely open & as soon as you give it some gas it wants to die. Why would it do this? I'm not an expert & I'm learning as I go. Thanks again for any & all help.

Oops. Here's the video

http://youtu.be/CMnvf7Da_Wo

Oops. Here's the video

http://youtu.be/CMnvf7Da_Wo

Josh, video shows it is private. I can't see it.

Beautiful car! And I think the price was fair.

The running issue is almost certainly fuel related. Keep at it and you will figure it out. Where are you located? Perhaps someone living nearby can help.

Ben

That is a sweet looking car. Don't worry about what you paid for it. The chrome looks good in the pictures and you would have paid at least that much to have it all redone. Just keep it polished so it does not need rechroming in the future.

As to the stalling issue, have you tried blowing the fuel line out? Maybe you picked up some dirt that was sitting in the tank? 40lbs of compressed air from the fuel pump to the tank ought to do it.

I don't know if you got the video access fixed, but here's something that was happening on my car:

It would start and idle ok. Choke seemed to be set well enough, so it wasn't interfering.

But open the throttle and it would die / stall out. Problem: The accelerator pump jets were clogged. I have the Carter carb, so I can't say how that's done in the Stromberg, but it will have a similar function. Cleaned the pump jets with a fine piece of wire, maybe 0.010" diameter. This puts extra gas in because the throttle action can open the air passage quicker than the car can suck in the appropriate amount of gas to match the air flow - so the engine is starved for fuel. The accelerator pump pushes gas in until the draw through the jets equalizes to the new air flow.

Second problem: On my car, the inlet to the accelerator pump chamber was clogged - so the pump chamber would refill very slowly, but if you wanted/needed to step on the throttle quicker than the chamber filled, it would give one good "speed up" of the engine, then do the dying/stalling thing. Accelerator pump chamber inlet is up through the bottom of the pump chamber. On the Carter, there's a check ball on this so when the pump plunger is pushed down, the check ball closes forcing the gas into the engine, and not back out the bottom of the pump into the float bowl. So with the top of the float bowl off, see that the pump chamber fills easily.

Third problem (after I got those two worked out): Car would accelerate just fine - for about a block, then would be starved for fuel. Pull over to side of road, run electric pump (that I added), restart, and continue for a block. Problem: Gas line between tank and fuel pump was clogged. It was clogged really bad a couple of inches past the joint in the line between the tank level sender and the fuel line along the frame. I found this because I cut the line there when I changed the tank & level sender. New level sender did not have a fitting to mate up to the existing line, so I cut it and put in a small section of hose (also need to add jumper wire around the hose because the level sender gets its ground through the metal fuel line). So rather than chase additional blocks in the line, I replaced the entire fuel line along the frame with new tube from Inline Tube. Only had to cut it into 3 pieces to get it in there with the body on the frame!

Thanks guys. Ok. I'm going to try blowing out the fuel line today and if that doesn't work it's on to the carburetor like EricW suggested. Also it looks like the video should be able to be accessed now. I had to make it public. Not sure how that happened. Thanks again for all the help guys. I'll keep you all posted.

Hey Ben. I didn't clean or pull out that screen. I just finished reading the 1950 Buick Repair Manual & it said that I'm going to have to remove the Stromberg carburetor in order to get to it & pull it out. Once I get it pulled, cleaned, put back in, & the carb put back on ill let you know if it worked. Thanks for the advice as this will be the cheapest & quickest thing to try before I continue on to something else. I hope it works. Fingers crossed. As for the pics I'll attach them below. I actually had a post going a few weeks ago about "how much should I pay for this Buick". I believe you may have responded. Any how. I went & looked at the car, I loved it, the body is really straight to the point of almost being perfect, the paint is an older repaint with some chips here & there, & the interior needs to be redone & there is a small hole in the driver side floor. All in all I think this is a very solid complete original unmolested car. Most everyone here will probably say I paid too much for the car ($12,500.00), but at the end of the day I haven't seen very many 1950 Buick Super 56R 2 doors come available & I'm happy with it & that's all that really matters.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]300820[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]300821[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]300822[/ATTACH]

I remembered you post. Responded the cost means nothing if you really want the car. Glad you found what you were looking for!

Check for any vacuum leaks around the intake and carb. One thing I find with these carbs is the assembly screws come lose and allow air to get sucked in at places it should not. This can create issues. I suspect as Eric W said, the carb has a clog and needs a cleaning. Does not necessary mean taking the entire car apart. Cleaning the ports and jets. Secure the screws that keep it together if any are lose.

Nice car! Enjoy!

EDIT: Watching your video again, when you open the throttle fast she falls flat on her face. When you opened the throttle slowly she stammered some but was able to run up the RPM. The accelerator pump looks to be the issue. I think Eric W has you going in the correct direction.

I'm guys. I blew out the fuel lines today. I know there clear because I kept hearing the sending unit bang the inside of the gas tank every time I charged the line. Here's the problem. The nut broke on the soft fuel line that connects the rear hard line to the front hard line. So now I've fit the issue of either cutting the hard lines & connecting with rubber fuel line or trying to fix it with brass fittings which I can't seem to find the right size threads anywhere. Ha ha ha. 1 step forward 3 steps back.

I built that hose you speak of from brass fittings, hose, and worm clamps. I tried some fittings from the hardware store - no good. Thread would bottom out before the joint was sealed. Ended up picking through the behind-the-counter selection at the auto parts store. See my thread on the "me & my" forum called "rescue me 1951 41D". The original hose on my car was crimped to the engine-side tube, so to get threads there, I made a new along-the-engine line from the off-the-shelf lines at the auto parts store (they sell easy-to-bend steel in various lengths & diameters with the ends already with nuts & flares). Though having done all that stuff that adds up $$$, to do over I might just cut both sides off straight, slip hose over it & worm clamps. Functionally, there's not positive pressure on this hose, so long as the worm clamps are tight enough not to let air in, it would work.

These tubes and hoses are often on ebay as "NOS", but do you really want the fuel in a 65+ year-old hose, even if it's truly just been "sitting on a shelf" all that time?

I had similar issue with my "jumper hose" disintegrating too. I was lucky enough to finally find brass fittings at a real old-school hardware store that matched thread size. As a note...Many of the auto-parts stores can no longer get the size that was OE because, "due to low demand, that sizing has been discontinued". I too just bought a new fuel line from Inline Tube. Big project will be dropping and cleaning tank! Not looking forward to that. Hoping my Sending Unit is still in halfway decent shape; they're not cheap.

I replaced the entire fuel line along the frame with new tube from Inline Tube. Only had to cut it into 3 pieces to get it in there with the body on the frame!

Eric, why did you have to cut the new line? I just bought a line from Inline Tube myself, but haven't had a chance to get under car to pull the old one out. This was not something I had hoped to hear...

A couple of years ago my '38 developed the same symptoms. It turned out to be that the accelerator pump piston had swoolen (ethanol in the gas?) and it stuck in the pump bore. I just replaced the pump piston and all was well again (I didnt even take the carb off the engine).

I had a similar situation with the fuel pump that was also fixed by a pump rebuild. I believe that my issues were largely due to ethanol in the gas now.

All those parts have previously been rebuilt when the car was restored about 25 years ago - so maybe I really dont have anything to complain about

Funny how all the parts that would wear out tend to go to hell when a car just sits. Drive "em! And those 10, 15, 25, and greater storage periods are never planned and prepared for are they?

On the current car in question, when was the last time a few drops of oil were dripped into the breaker plate lubrication pad? Or is it all dried out? That's a light throttle performance killer. Ask the guy who owns this car.

Bernie

Hey Guys. Thanks for all the info & participation. It's all a great help. Where exactly can I get an accelerator pump piston for a 1950 Stromberg. I will definitely try that. Here's an Update. I just got back from a place near my house called The Hoseman. I had them cut the old rotted soft fuel line off of the old hardline & build me a new piece using the old hard line & new soft line & fittings that is very similar to the original. It turned out great!!! Cost me $40 bucks, but I think it was worth it. Here's some pics that show new one. For some reason the pics of the old line won't upload. I'm going to try & hook it up today, fire her up & go from there. Let me know what you guys think & also any other info you guys may think to be helpful.

Thanks,

josh

Hey Bernie. Nice looking car. I thought you hijacked me for a second there. Ha ha ha. No I've never lubricated the brake plate lubrication pad nor do I even know where it's located, but I will be looking that up in a few min in my repair manual & give it a try. Thanks again for the advice & I really like your car. Ha ha.

Thanks,

Josh

You'll likely have to buy a full kit, not just a pump. A few places sell them, the carburetor shop has a website and has a good rep. Also, Kanter, and CARS. The one thing I would recommend against is buying an old stock one, as these often go bad. The leather dries out, and if rubber, will not last in today's fuel.

Also, nice car, thanks for posting the pics.

Keith

Hey, that hose looks great! I just slipped a piece of rubber hose over my fuel line but I'm going to see if I can follow your lead with my local hose builder.

Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. I've been working a lot & have been dliy rebuilding the carburetor. So after getting the carburetor back in & the new fuel pump installed the car seemed to start, drive & work properly, but today I took it out for a drive & the hesitating & dying started happening again. At this point I guess I need to give it a tube up & see what happens. Is it possible that the ignition coil or distributor condenser is bad & could be cUsing these problems. I just really want to figure out the issue so I can start enjoying the car without stressing out while I drive it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks

Oh & I'm going to have to try the oil on the breaker plate. I haven't tried that yet.

It is always best to first be sure that the ignition has no issues. A sticky breaker plate will not cause your current problems. I did not re-read the whole thread, but has vapor lock been eliminated as a possibility? The winter blend is highly volatile and is no good for warmer temperatures. Most of the country switches to a summer blend May 1 to Sept 15 and your area may be a month earlier. You may only have to get some different gas if the tank still has winter blend in it. All of my 55's need an electric fuel pump near the tank to be able to drive anytime of the year. (for a real headache and glazed eyes, search: summer vs winter gasoline blends, Reid Vapor Pressure...).

Willie

Hey guys. Thanks for all the replies. I'm almost 100% sure it's the fuel tank now. I disconnected the fuel line and blew air back through it again. Hooked the line back up & the old girl fired right up with no issues or symptoms. Looks like I'm either buying a new fuel tank or somehow cleaning this one. I prefer to not buy a new tank if I don't have to so I'm gonna try cleaning this one on the cheap first. Hook it back up & see how it goes. If anybody has any suggestions on how to clean the old tank or have done it before I'd appreciate any tips or advice that has worked for you in the past.

Thanks for everything.

A chunk of chain in the tank and shaking it well has worked for me in the past. Tanks Incorporated has reasonably priced tanks for our old Buicks. You may mess with it forever as opposed to just replacing one.