Hello all.

I have been working on my 1954 F100 off and on for 6 years or so. About a year ago I had it in a condition which I thought it should run and drive ok. After getting it to start and idle a bit, then taking it around the block, I struggled to keep it running after driving it a very short distance. I sent the carb off to be rebuild professionally and after reinstall it idles great, but doesn't road down the road well. Summarizing where I am at:

Symptoms:
-Whitish smoke out of crank case breather and oil cap, not a ton but noticable after driving it a short distance.-Idles well, but when you give it throttle, even when sitting still in neutral, the engine rpm increases sort of sluggishly.
-Similar to the point above, when giving it throttle while driving, it seems sluggish and seems like it starts to struggle to "keep up" after a short distance, sort of caused a bit of a shake at times
-Exhaust has slight black color to it

What I have checked so far:
-Vaccum seems to be ok best I can tell
-Plugs, points, coil, and wires are all new, vacuum advance is new and it seems to be working ok when I check it with a vacuum pump-Battery voltage is good-Seems to be getting plenty of fuel to the carb-I checked that the timing seems to be right based on position of the distributor when cylinder 1 is at TDC
I just seem to be missing something and not sure what to do next. I am currently thinking something still isn't right with the ignition system, or something more major is wrong. Maybe a head gasket or something? I suppose I need to check compression next to see if that provides any clues.

Open to any thoughts or suggestions. Thank you in advance, I have learned a ton from this forum already.

 

Greetings and welcome. I'm sorry to hear you are having engine problems. It's frustrating when you think all the critical parts are replaced and should be working. Have you checked the points gap? You said they were replaced. Another thing to check would be with the air cleaner removed--and you looking into the carb--you should see a spray of fuel when the throttle is depressed. A vacuum leak somewhere--maybe in your wiper motor--might be an issue. One last idea would be to check to see that the fuel level in your carburetor bowl is correct. Good luck.

Jim

ps. I've sometimes had problems with my fuel pump. The gasket between the glass bowl and the body of the pump can sometimes leak. Air bubbles will be present in the glass bowl and the engine will starve for fuel.

 

You didn’t mention the condenser, did you replace that? They can be tested if you have a condenser tester.

JB

 

Welcome to the forum. As you have said, a compression test would be suggested. A good LONG run at highway speed has been known to do wonders to make these old things straighten up and run right. The engine needs to get to operating temperatures.

 

Since it idles well but has poor throttle response, I would try advancing the timing a little. With the distributor loose enough to rotate, and with the engine at idle, try rotating the distributor clockwise a bit. The idle speed should increase. Just move it a little bit, then see if runs better. I think the factory base timing is 3 degrees before top dead center, but you will need a timing light to set it. Timing by ear can work, so just keep advancing until the engine runs best and has no spark knock under load. Keep experimenting with test drives, and back off if you hear knocking.

 

Thank you all for the great, quick suggestions. I did replace the condenser when I replaced points. Also set the gap at that time. I went out and took the air filter off and depressed the throttle. I do see a decent shot of fuel coming out. I have attached a video of what it looks like. I wouldnt really call it a spray, but I dont have much to compare it to. It might be completely fine. I did notice what appears to be a small leak around in the fuel hard line from the tank where it connects to the fuel pump soft line, so I will address that.

When checking the carb, noticed that I was able to keep opening the choke beyond where it was sitting (even though the choke appeared to be fully open when looking at the **** inside the cab). Probably 15-20 degrees more open than it was previously. Thinking maybe that is contributing to some of the issue? I will give it a start in the morning and see if there is any significant difference. If not, I will move on to timing and compression check.

 

Good news! After opening the choke fully and advancing the timing slightly, it seems to be running much better. I took it up and down the street a few times and it is responsive and seems to run pretty well. Still some odd sounds here and there, but maybe things just getting situated and waking up after 30+ years of not really driving around. I discovered a small oil leak and radiator leak, both of which I think are easily repairable. I am going to fix those, do a good once over looking at spark plugs, fluid lines, check compressions etc then try to take it for a longer spin and see how it goes.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I am very excited start driving it around!