Word? It's Thunderbird! Thunderbird and ginger ale - the poor man's highball.

 

Thought it was just b-b-b-b-bird

 

Checked the new dist I bought and couldnt apply enough suction to that to make the arm move either so rather than replace what is likely a good distributor, I just took the new one back and focused on carb tuning and timing.

With the mixture screws about 3 full turns out I maximized vacuum at between 18 and 19". I ran the guage off the manifold tree and the needle does jump around some but not more than 1/2". It idles pretty good.

Ive got a decent idle at about 700rpm but idle timing is at 20 degrees advance which seems like way too much. Odd thing is i get no ping or dieseling tho. Makes me wonder how accurate the pointer is.

On the road things ars slightly improved but it still has some stumble when you push down the throttle from anout 1500 -2000 rpm. Just seems like its not getting quite enough fuel. Accel pump sqirting long and strong like it should. Cant find anymore vacuum leaks...traced every hose. Did tighten carb down a little...

So whatcha think? The timing is wierd...seems like too much advance but there arent symptoms of that. I did buy a carb rebuild kit today when I took the distributor back but I think this thing was either remanned or rebuilt already fairly recently as I look at how shiny things are. Think thats the next thing to try?

 

On my 351m, I've put in a RV cam, performer intake, Holley 4 bbl with vacuum secondaries, headers and duals. It likes 26 degrees. It's crazy, i know-but it runs awesome!

 

Ok....so, have you given up on getting a new vacuum advance can? I think that would be the best move.....

Wow....3 full turns out on the carb's mixture settings...seems a bit much. And the vacuum reading - 18-19 inches of Hg and the gauge needle jumps 0.5"?

As you know, 20 - 21 inches of Hg at sea level is optimum....and the needle jumps...consistently downward rapidly, or just intermittently...as in one crank rotation? Could be a valve problem - sticky or poorly seated....or just old.

How old are the engines internals?

Still stumbles, eh? Well it could be too much timing and too lean a mixture. Hope it's not a worn out timing chain, but do the advance can thing and let us know, yes?

 

Engine was a rebuild in the late 80s with an alleged 45k miles on it since then. Needle jumps around intermittently. Wonder if a good old fashioned seafoam treatment on the motor would be good to decarbon everything. As for the vacuum advance...not convinced its bad...i just might not be putting enough suction on it...arm didnt move on the new distributor I bought either.

 

The vacuum advance can is adjustable....an 11/32 (?) allen head stuck in the can's nipple would do it. But I think you know that already.

As far as de-carbonizing the engine: You could do the sea foam or power foam. Some of us grumpy old farts use to pour a wee bit of water down the carb's throat...when the engine is at operating temperature. Sometimes it would seem like an Eclipse was passing by it would get so black around us. Hehehe.

 

Which way does the adjustment work on the vacuum advance? Clockwise for less, and counterclockwise for more, or vice versa? Is there any point of reference for adjusting? (i.e. it should be X turns out from all the way in, etc)?

 

It's reverse vice....meaning don't smoke, don't drink, no floozie grabbin' and no gamblin.' But, really, it's younger women, older whiskey, faster horses and more money....

And now for something completely different...vacuum can adjustment. All the way in (CW) yields the max vacuum signal - reduces tension on the spring. Now you can try applying vacuum to check if the advance arm moves. Or, you could apply suction to the can with the engine running and listen for a higher RPM. All the way out (CCW) will yield the minimum vacuum signal and the most s[ring tension.

Crank the can's allen screw all the way in, take 'er for a spin under a variety of conditions....pedal to da metal, easy acceleration, hill climb, freeway driving, etc. Nake a mote under what conditions, if any, she pings. No pinging? Cranck up your initial a few degrees, take her out and do the same driving stunts, note if pinging, etc.

Let us know what you find out.

 

^^LOL


here's the downside....I have to pull the darn thing to do this adjustment thanks to the AC mounting bracketry. can't get an allen head straight into the vacuum port. IN fact, there's an elbow on the port and my vac line plugs into that. Pain the buttowski.

 

ARRGHHH!

One of Ford's "Better ideas?"

 

Indeed.


Next thing I'm gonna try is pulling the carb and doing a partial rebuild of it.


Won't have time the next couple weeks though.

 

Okey Doke. Let us know what's the rub, yes?

Have a merry tanksgivin.'

 

Replaced both fuel filters. No change. The one just past the tank switch did have some nasty crud in it, but not enough to restrict flow.


Came down with a nasty cold this week. Will see how that progresses. If I'm feeling better, will pull the carb this coming weekend and try a rebuild.

 

Pulled the carb and replaced the accel pump diaphragm, gasket, and pin. also replaced the power valve. reinstalled and retuned for max idle vacuum. no change. stiil stumbles when I step it down in 3rd or 4th gear. getting the same occasional backfire through the carb in 4th.

could the float be too low not leaving enough gas in the carb? I am out of ideas at this point. no vac leaks at idle, tkming is set right, carb is tuned and idles very nicely. this is eating up a ton of my free time trying to chase this.

any further tips are appreciated.

one question...on the accel pump there is a nipple on the diaphragm. the not so great diagram in the rebuild kit seems to show that pointing outward but when I took the carb apart the old one was pointing inward. inward seems right to center the return spring on the diaphragm but maybe it is installed backwards? if it pointed outward the accel pump would be engaged faster becausd the pin woulds not have travel as far to push it in. thoughts?