Unfixable random cutting out

[daveymc29]

I am under the opinion that you have fuel starvation. I had a filter inline to gather crud if it broke loose from the tank, or where ever it may come from. Same symptoms, car ran fine for a couple of years then would pop and roll to a stop. Changed the filter and that had it fixed until I got 10 miles from home, then back home on a hook. I have found that a filter is asking for trouble on my cars. Others will disagree, but on mine they seem to cause more problems than they solve. Clean the original pipes and screens and it will remain reliable, in my opinion. FWIW (I have tried several filters from several mfg. cos. and find no difference in the end. Clear and metal body.) I also used a clear distributor cap which verified it was not a loss of spark.

[jmeckel]

From a post of mine a few years ago:

Check the copper strap that runs on the outside of the flat spring on the points (it is kind of U shaped). I had this same problem, the strap is too long on some points and will touch the case of the dist. causing all kinds of problems. My '29 Tudor had this problem when I purchased it, took me many hours to find, as soon as it got warm the missing and back firing would start, let it get cool and everything was fine. All that was needed was to put a little bend in the strap with a needle nose and the problem was solved.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Try pulling the choke some as it dies out. Also remove the fuel line at the carb and let it fill a quart jar to see if the flow dies out.


Any chance South Africa started using elephant dung for gas, the way this country thinks corn is gas?

[steve s]

Originally Posted by Growley bear

Did it start cutting out and stalling out of the blue, or was something repaired and then it started the problem?
I was looking for this same thing and fount the main harness wire at the starter connection loose. Nut was tight and the solder joint "LOOKED" great. I touched the wire lightly and the engine quit. Some problems are not real obvious. I would start by gently pushing/pulling on all connections as there might be a loose one. Check that when the engine quits that if no voltage to ignition, does the rest of the system still have voltage. Also remember that even if there is voltage across a connection it still may not carry the correct load without breaking down.
Any time an electrical problem is suspected, the battery should be thoroughly checked for voltage, cell specific gravity and a load test first before proceeding.

Originally Posted by gweilbaker

Check the junction box terminals between the box and the firewall, the repros would easily short due the heads protruding beyond the box although with the age of your A it sounds like you have an original, but it's something to check.

I can't say it better than these guys did, but here's a few more thoughts.

You know how the car will keep running for a minute or more if you shut off the fuel valve? That means that sudden cutting out can't be due to intermittent fuel flow problems upstream of the carburetor jets; your problem is almost certainly electrical. Loss of spark will cause unburned fuel to pass thru into exhaust system where it will give backfiring.

In three of the four cases I have seen of this problem, it turned out to be the ignition switch, but you say you've jumped around the switch, which should rule that out, but I'm still suspicious. In the fourth case, it was a loose battery cable clamp--it didn't look or feel loose to the hand, but once a wrench was put on it, it gave way and accepted several more turns of the nut. ALso, I don't believe that anyone has mentioned the pigtail wire in the distributor--a notorious hidden source of intermittent trouble. Otherwise, I have to stress Growely Bear's advice: JIGGLE EVERY CONNECTION!

The junction box problem that gweilbaker mentioned is alleged to be due to thermal expansion of the firewall. That would explain your cooling down solution. Also, it could set in after a long period of good running as a mildly insulating layer of paint wears away. It always sounded far fetched to me, but there it was. And, when the obvious culprits have been ruled out, you've got to look at the non-obvious. I'm not as optimistic as "g" is about your box being original: the critical question is, were round-head, inadequately-recessed bolts used to create the lugs? You can't tell without removing the box and taking a peak. A strip of electrician's tape would be an easy fix.

[Jack S.]

A number of years back I had a similar problem. Long story short I looked into the gas tank with a good bright flashlight. Low and behold I found the short (add on) pipe - normally on the top of the shutoff valve - came loose and was floating over the flow drain to the gas line going to the filter and onto the carb. It would flow with gravity to the very top of the drain, block the gas flow, thus stalling out the engine. I would sit at the side of the road for a few minutes, gas would slowly work it's way down the line, and the car would start and run for a mile or so and then repeat the problem sequence all over. Got a long "pincher" and removed the culprit. No more problems!

[Growley bear]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

If in fact you have a fuel starvation problem, this is what I found in a "NEW" manufactured Zenith, a very expensive carburetor aside from all the jets being wrong.
On initial start all was ok and after a couple of minutes the idle became erratic to the point the engine would die. I would start up immediately and repeat the process. The problem was the carburetor float valve. The old stock has a metal retainer for keeping the needle in the housing. The new valve had a plastic keeper that reacted to the fuel and would swell up and stop the valve from allowing fuel to flow into the carburetor. As mentioned in an earlier post fuel flow is very important and is much more easily interrupted in a gravity feed system.

[jimalabam]

Excellent recommendations posted above, I too, suspect electrical, BUT nothing is unfixable...

[Will Ziegler in LI NY]

I had similar cutting out a few times over the years. Problems discovered:

Pop out ignition switch was intermittently shorting and grounding the ignition.
Pig tail in distributor would intermittently short to the spring in the distributor (worn insulation).
Break in the wire bringing power from the starter switch terminal to the rest of the car.

[mfarley]

I can starve mine by having the gas cap on too tight, since it doesn't breathe properly. Try to loosen the cap and see if that makes any difference.

[Growley bear]

Have you checked the pigtail under the distributor plate? When the problem starts have you tried moving the spark advance lever?
I encountered this one time. Driving along all fat dumb and happy and the engine quits. Coast to side of road and engine restarts immediately. I tried this a few more times and found that the problem was a faulty connection in the distributor which was temporarily corrected with retarding the spark before restarting.
This is where a spare distributor as mentioned earlier would come in very handy, especially out on the road.

[TerryO]

I have had this issue 2 times (different cars). One was a cheap repro ignition cable installed by P O that was broken inside sheath on dist end. The other was a loose term on the fuse holder on started installed by P O ( looked good but would cut in and out when you wiggled the terminal.

TerryO

[ArtimusGordon]

I would try replacing the distributor with a KNOWN WORKING distributor and don’t over tighten the ignition cable connection. Also try replacing the Carb with a good working carburetor.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Growley bear

Have you checked the pigtail under the distributor plate? When the problem starts have you tried moving the spark advance lever?
I encountered this one time. Driving along all fat dumb and happy and the engine quits. Coast to side of road and engine restarts immediately. I tried this a few more times and found that the problem was a faulty connection in the distributor which was temporarily corrected with retarding the spark before restarting.
This is where a spare distributor as mentioned earlier would come in very handy, especially out on the road.

Originally Posted by TerryO

I have had this issue 2 times (different cars). One was a cheap repro ignition cable installed by P O that was broken inside sheath on dist end. The other was a loose term on the fuse holder on started installed by P O ( looked good but would cut in and out when you wiggled the terminal.

TerryO

I would check into both of these areas. Most carb problems are electrical...

[Jacksonlll]

Originally Posted by George Miller

Is your armored cable screwed in to far or not far enough. Sound electrical to me. when the connection gets warm it loose connection, but it is hard to say with out checking it in person.

I agree. If you screw that big fitting in too far, it will short. Easy to check.
Next time it does it, stick you finger in the carb inlet and see if it gets wet with fuel.
Next time it does it, pour some water on the carb bowl. May have just vapor in there.
Last thing I can think of is a loose, corroded, crimp between the batt cable ends and the fittings at the ends. This is a hard one to find. I fixed one by driving a nail in next to the wire to tighten things up. Long shot. Good luck.

[Jacksonlll]

If you have the fuse block on top of the starter, by pass it. Those rivets get loose and can shut you down.

[california dean]

A little off the main point of Chris's thread but did anyone notice that he called us "boffins?' And if you did notice, do you know what a "boffin" is? Not a clue on my part so I looked it up. Turns out it originated from a character in a Dickens novel named Nicodemus Boffin and has morphed into a term used to describe a "modern-day wizard who labours in secret to create incomprehensible devices of great power" such as Q in the James Bond films.
With all that said, Chris, I take your name calling as a compliment to all of us on FardBarn, maybe even more complimentary than we deserve. What remains is, will we be able to solve your problem? Keep us informed on your progress...and thanks for the international input.

[michael a]

Thanks I was wondering what it was to

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

[duke36]

similar problem. Check the carb viton tipped needles if used. Some may be better than others as they can stick from the ethanol gas though supposedly not the case. Also, if using a modern oil filled coil, they like to be mounted with terminals up to keep the windings covered for better cooling. The stock originals were filled with a tarlike substance and could be mounted terminals down..

[Phil Brown]

original gas cap? might have a little rust forming on the bottom and or inside, just enough to block the vent. Pull the gasket out of it and leave it loose (with 1/4 to 1/2 tank of gas) and take it for a drive

[Growley bear]

Originally Posted by Jacksonlll

If you have the fuse block on top of the starter, by pass it. Those rivets get loose and can shut you down.

This is a very good suggestion when hunting gremlins.