mrcvs

Well, I let this thread die, as I was getting more responses on the other forum (General Discussions). You resurrected it, but the other forum gets more responses a LOT quicker. If I don't have a carburetor to borrow, how can I do what you suggest? Anyways, the carburetor was completely rebuilt yesterday, and it is not the problem. If you open the nut at the bottom, gas comes pouring out, so no occlusion anywhere! Gas is fresh and good. Just started it and I got about a minute out of it, or nearly so, a few other attempts yielded 20 seconds. Now what?

Okay, some responses: Flow was good before I had this problem, but we did shorten the line at the sediment bowl end, and no improvement. There is part of the line that is plastic and it cannot have collapsed internally, as flow is good. I drained the tank yet again, all clear, no sediment in sediment bowl or in portable gas tank, tried starting again, and, again she wants to start, but then fails after 10 or 15 seconds. Feel like if I could depress the accelerator about 3 inches beneath the floor boards, all would be okay. Drained 4 gallons of fuel, and, at the end, a slight trickle for 15 to 30 seconds, and then the end, but nothing worse than I would expect after draining an 11 gallon tank. I don't think anything is in the tank, and, if there was something, how ever would you get it out. Have no one here today to check out the coil, but I think we did this already and it was fine. I know the coil was disconnected and checked. My friend is pretty thorough, so I don't think we missed that. Question: How ever does one get a car running, especially after sitting for 50 years and not even seen or known to run? It must be an amazing feat, as I cannot seem to make this work after a much shorter period of time.

Okay, took said carburetor over to my Model A club friend, and he pulled it apart far more than I did , and replaced some parts, including the float, which was dented on the top part, where I did not notice it. Carburetor is definitely clean. Go to start it...and...okay, it runs every time, pretty much, but then quits after 20 - 30 seconds. Flow remains good, sediment bowl is CLEAN, GAV has been fiddles with from 3/4 to 1 1/4 turns open, idle mixture screw open 1 1/2 turns. So, much better, but still no cigar. Now what? By the way, thank y'all for being so patient with me! How to fix your car ought to be mandatory training in high school.

So, a 1910 Maytag. Anything to do with the washing machine Maytag? e.g., the same company? How many pennies would a car like that set me back? How many were made and are believed to exist today?

I am certain it is the carburetor now. Cleaned it up REAL good, ordered new gaskets today, and sprayed gas in where the air filter is and it ran. No such luck afterwards. I will try cleaning her up again.

Any thoughts, anyone? Anyone else out there have the same problem?

Yes. I sprayed gas in just like you said and it ran for 20 seconds. Not the two minutes we got out of it yesterday, and not the two seconds I was getting out of it before I did this trick. Okay, what does this mean and what do I do now?

Yes! THAT car is AWESOME!

Right now, when you bring up the main page, there is a faded red car from the brass era that shows up as the FIRST photo, at least for me. What is that car? I LOVE it, especially when they look like that! You can see what I really like: My 1917 Maxwell, unrestored:

Here are some photos. 1930 Fordor. Not a complete basket case, but not the best, either. Would be nice to have it outside and get good photos of it. Beautiful day for a ride!

I didn't get a response to one of my comments. Looking on Hemmings, other than a total basket case, you cannot get a Model A Ford for under $8,000. When I got it, it was running GOOD, sounded good, started really easy, does need painting, interior not bad, could use repainting and has some rust/rot at the base of the quarter panels. Got it locally, did not have to pay to get it towed, originally, decades ago, came from Ohio. Did I pay too much? But, then again, the aggravation is a 'price', and the push-button perfect Packard or Brass Era car I wanted, may have been worth more in the long run, to me. But, then again, $8,000 is a lot of money for me at this time until the mortgage is paid off.

Okay, I do have a spark going from the spark plug wires to the engine block head, using a screwdriver. The spark plugs were out the other day, but they could use replacing, I suppose. Maybe this is the problem! I have AC Delco C77 spark plugs in it. Went to Autozone, and they don't have them, and cannot order them, but they are supposedly $3.29 each, if they could get them. They said other options, again none of which they have, are Champion 429 and Autolite 3076. I tried finding them on the internet, and here is about all I could find: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spark-Plug-Copper-Plus-Champion-Spark-Plug-429-fits-28-31-Ford-Model-A-3-3L-L4-/181681926385?fits=Model%3AModel+A&hash=item2a4d1630f1&vxp=mtr $48.76 a plug seems real steep, and considerably more than the $3.29 I was quoted. Maybe, perhaps, I have an ounce of gold I might wish to sell you for $5, but, oh, by the way, it's not in stock and I have no way of ordering it, either! By chance, if anyone is passing through Macungie, Pennsylvania, and has half an hour to spare and is looking for a free beer, and knows what the quick fix might be, I might be interested. Have no idea what else to do at this point, if it doesn't improve with new spark plugs.

I wish I could get that far! Stepping on the accelerator/advancing the throttle yields no results. This is why I feel powerless. At least, if it did something, I would feel like all I needed to do was fine tune something.

one full turn

Yes. I DID have someone go over things with me. Timing is particularly difficult to do for me. I did not have a crank, and he said that would help with it had I had one, but we did the best we could. It was running for about 2 minutes when he left the other day and thought fresh gas would work wonders, but I can only get 2 - 5 seconds. I am going to get new spark plugs today and see if that helps anything.

As I am going through all this, I am thinking, what was it really like in 1930? I mean, what was the "average" driver like? Did just about everyone drive at one time or another, independent of age, gender, mechanical experience, or was it typically only folks in good shape, generally male, with mechanical experience--e.g., male, 20 to 50 years old, mostly? It seems like the extent one might have been stranded might have dictated this? Or, am I wrong? Now, they give out driver's licenses like candy, and most folks know how to put gas in the tank, and that is it! Relative to the rest of most of you on this forum, my automotive experience, is minimal, at best. Relative to the general population, I think my automotive experience is above average. That is not saying much at all! Or, conversely, it shows how little the average person in this day and age knows about cars at all. I think because the 'trend' is to not educate about cars, just because it is studying college courses that gets jobs or because cars are now mostly 'computers', and this is why most are learned about very little about cars...and why I am struggling with these simple matters. But, I am getting better.

Twisting of the choke knob...my understanding is that it should be 3/4 to 1 full turn open. That's where it was at. Perhaps turning it a bit each way provided transient improvement, but it is difficult trying to figure out where that needs to be, while retarding the spark and adjusting the throttle. I just don't have three hands...or two right feet (for the starter and accelerator). How do you do this?

If I spend $205 on this: http://www.brattons.com/product.asp?P_ID=1270&strPageHistory=search&strKeywords=carburetor&numPageStartPosition=11&strSearchCriteria=any&PT_ID=all Am I well-advised to use only ethanol-free gas, as I am not convinced that this ethanol junk they call gasoline these days isn't the cause of the problem, first and foremost.

Okay, make a Margarita for the wife, and she then wants to help. Used the screwdriver to bridge the gap, and a spark on all 4 spark plugs (e.g., the copper strap). What if I just replaced all 4 spark plugs? Isn't the gap supposed to be the thickness of a credit card?

Now that I recall, this was done yesterday with my Model A Club friend. It was me turning the key on and off, which is why I didn't recall it being done. Plus, you don't have to rely on a wife for help. Just do this with the screwdriver and pull down on the starter in the engine compartment. I learned this trick yesterday. Not as dumb as I look!

I tried pushing the metal straps as close to the engine block as possible. I got a spark on the first one, but the other three were clearly not close enough to generate a spark due to the conformation of the distributor. I re-read what you all wrote above, and noted that you meant to use the screwdriver as a bridge between the plate and the block. I have to ask my wife again for help for this one...which might require a little effort. Or, if one sparked, does it mean the rest are likely okay, too????? I think we went over this yesterday, especially since we had the spark plugs out yesterday and cleaned them up with a rag and emory cloth. So, may or may not be the problem. Given what you all say above, I am guessing it is the carburetor. I am guessing the carburetor was a problem in the past as the man I bought it from said he replaced the one it had when he got it with this one. Why else would he replace it?

Well, I don't know. Prices of Model A's have come down, but they still are not really cheap. For a car that is all there, no frame is perfect, only a little rust on the base of the two quarter panels, WAS RUNNING and sounded good when I got it, interior good, but could use painting in time, I don't think $8,000 was unreasonable. Where can you find one cheaper, other than a complete basket case? I looked for a long time, and found one locally. Maybe I could have found one for $500 or $750 less half across the country, but by the time I paid to haul it here, any savings would have been lost. Do you know of any that are better and cheaper at this time? If I got something later, it wouldn't be of as much interest to me. I actually would prefer to have a car from the Brass era, if I had my way. Besides, '50's and '60's cars are astronomically expensive these days. I am in Pennsylvania, since you asked.

Yes, I should have clarified. Perhaps I meant a fully restored car, mechanically-speaking. As long as the body/shell is complete and in 'decent' shape, I don't really care. I actually want chips in paint, etc., at least when I buy something, as it would easily end up that way not long after I own it. I even put a scratch in the fender resting a 5 gallon gas can on it when I put fresh gas in it yesterday...I did not even notice the small pebble at the bottom of the gas can. Speaking of gas...could it simply be that it is the ethanol junk I am using, that is the sole root cause of this problem? I looked for an ethanol-free station and there is one about 20 miles away. I intend to get gas there. I do want reliability, as, around these parts, unless you drive the most rural of roads, the location I live has so many 18-wheelers, and most of those double-clutching good old boys have little patience...

Yes, but I have forgotten to turn the gas valve open and/or the key on before.

Where do you recommend getting another carburetor? Ebay? Also, if I do get one, how do I know that it was not someone else's headache and I am not simply purchasing another problematic carburetor? Same thing about the distributor?