Guest Don Meredith Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 My 1931 widebed pick-up has always run well, but the last couple of times I have cranked it up, it runs rough for a few seconds, backfires, then dies. I start and drive it short distances once a week and have just drained the gas tank and replaced the fuel. Any ideas? Thank so much, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Based on what you gave so far Don I would say fuel is still the most likely suspect. Assuming you don't have an obvious problem in fuel bowl glass I would pop off fuel line and blow it through, and remove the carb - you can often clean it up without a total rebuild. Often a little dirt can play havoc.That is about an hour's investment in time - if that does not do the trick, try to post more details. Needle valve could be stuck open also, again, you will address this by opening up the carb for a quick look see;Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rshunaman Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Probably foreign matter or gum in one of the jets. As Steve said it is very easy to dissassemble and clean out. This site explains it pretty well. Hope it helps. http://www.modela.org/Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 If the carb cleaner spray does not do it, I suggest replacing the condenser on the distributor. They go bad with age and heat.Does it backfire out the carb or out the exhaust pipe?Out the carb is very lean; out the exhaust pipe is very rich or no regular spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Meredith Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 Thank you all so much for your help. The truck will run for a few minutes before it dies, but it runs very rough and will die if I take my foot off the gas. It smells like it is running very rich, and seems to backfire through the carb when it finally dies. This truck went from running great to this rather quickly. I haven't replaced the condensor since I've had the truck, could this be the culprit like Jim said? I'll try replacing it and run some carb cleaner through and see what happens. Thanks, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A by the sea Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Basic trouble shooting.First inspect the points. Make sure they are clean and have a reasonable gap.Next check for spark. Turn on the ignition and use a screw driver to check how far the spark goes. Since it starts and dies I would make it spark a bunch. If the spark goes away then you suspect the condenser or coil. Do you have a modern condenser or some old thing that has been laying around? Or do you have and older new condenser- some newer ones had the tab soldered and they broke off. Get a new condenser if you are not sure as they are cheap and should last a long time.If you have good spart then off to checking the carb. Undo the bolt (assuming an original carb) and check the float bowl for junk. Notice the level of fuel, is it reasonable? Do you have fuel flow? Make sure your filters are clean too. The original filters catch most of the bad stuff if they are put together right. If it dont run it is because it does not have spark or fuel. Unless sometin really bad happened inside the engine.My guess you have an ignition problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Don, these are all good suggestions above. If it was running good before it is probably a simple fix. The only other things that come to mind relate to your comment that is seems to be running very rich. I wonder if you ran it rich in error without adjusting in the mixture knob? You may also want to pull the plugs to see what they look like, and clean them. Run an A rich and the plugs will get that carbon/fuel soaked look to them.If you drive only short distances and use a cool plug, they can foul and stay that way until you clean them. You can also try a hotter plug and try to drive a bit more once you get it set. Good luck and keep us posted.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Meredith Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 I appreciate all of your input, as I really don't know a great deal about this type of repair/upkeep. You have all given me great directions to follow and I will keep you posted. Thanks again, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Don, it seemed like that from your initial post, we all start somehere. Let me advise that you pick up a basic manual if you have not done so already, Les Andrew's Model A mechanic's handbook or Jim schild's Model A Shop manual are both good, and honestly you only need one for basic troubleshooting.Assuming you have a restored or driver type A that is on the road you will want to familiarize yourself with the ignition & fuel systems. Pretty simple on these cars. You will want to be able to test for a good spark, know how to adjust points and time your A as well as be able to do some basic troubleshooting on the carb (essentially the "fuel system"). What you describe is no doubt minor, and once you get used to handling some of these basics you will be fine. Join a local club - fellow A'ers are among the easiest to find, and someone will help you out if you need it. Don't be afraid to pull off the carb and check it out, it is literally a ten minute job to remove, another ten or so to check/clean and ten to put back on. Likewise ignition is equally easy to do. If you are in Central CT, I would be glad to help you out..Do keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Meredith Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Here is the latest update! A local "A" mechanic replaced the condenser and all four spark plugs, set the timing and points,and fixed the sticking needle in the carb and now this truck runs and drives like new again. All of the work was done for about $200 and took about 2 days. A huge thank you to everyone who pointed me in the right direction. I drove about 15 happy miles today. Thanks again, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Plugs, points & condensor for your Model A - $25 or soLabor from your local "A" mechanic - $200Your first 15 mile jaunt with a smooth runner - Priceless!Enjoy it, Don! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Meredith Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 It is now time to change the points inside the distributor. What holds them in? The points I've done on cars in the sixty's had one or two screws holing them in, but the A has no visible screws to remove to pull the points out. Can someone guide me here? Thanks too much...Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Buy your new points first as it will then be obvious as to the attachmet. It's time to get familiar with your car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A by the sea Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Do not change your points just because you think they need to be changed!!!You are wasting your money and causing more work. In fact I hope you saved your plugs as the ones that were changed were probably fine.Points have a wear block that wear block takes time to wear into the cam. So when you first put the points on the car the points will need to be adjusted frequently as they wear to the cam. Odds are the ones you are taking off have not finished wearing into the cam. The only reason to change the points are if the contacts are showing signs of problems. My brothers A is still using the points that came on the car in 1970. Mind you he can only run the 55 to 60 MPH and only gets 20+ MPG.Sounds like the problem you had with the car was fixed with the stuck needle on the float. Just check the car was timed properlyModel A Ford Ignition Timing - Making It Rightdrive and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Don Meredith Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The points in the car are burned up, there is no contact left. I was driving home from the store last Friday, and the truck just quit running at about 30 mph and coasted to a stop. No backfire or nothing. When I pulled the distributor cap, I could see that there was no contact left on the points. Thanks for the input...Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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