This is somewhat similar to a similar post. While driving my 66 F-250 back from MN a couple of months ago we would up replacing the battery by the time we got to Bute Montana on the way back to Spokane, WA. Everything has been running fine until about 4 days ago. The truck seems to start fine but after a while it starts struggling to say running. BY the time I get to work it seems to be able to idle @ stop signs and lights fine. THe battery was at fault last time but I'm wondering if I need a different alternator. I have an aftermarket stereo and a amp for the subwoffer for a total of 425 Watts. As far as I know this is the stock alternator of the camper special model. Is it possible the alternator is not able to or barely able to keep up with the stereo? I've been running with out tunes for the last few days since this started as wells as only running the heater if I get too cold. I had a similar issue with the generator in my 58 Mercury. They replaced the generator with a heavy duty alternator and I didn't have any problem until the P/S pump started leaking and made the belt slip.

I'm planning on grabbing my battery charger tonight and seeing how much juice the battery has and see if it solves the problem, but I'm after any ideas I can get to check out, this is my daily driver and I don't like having to use my wife's explorer in case something happens to her or my 10 month old daughter.

Thanks much,

Travis

1958 Mercury Monterey 4dr Sedan 383 V8
1966 F-250 Camper Special/Custom Cab 352V8
1997 Explorer XLT 302V8

 

Go ahead and get a voltmeter and read the voltage on the battery terminals with the truck off. Then start the truck, and read the voltage on the battery terminals again. Report back what you find. If it is only messing up after you first start it, then make sure you take your readings in the morning. If the voltage readings you give us look ok, you may have some other problem.

 

K i'll have to find my volt meter can't remember where I put it.

I pulled the battery tonight and put it on the charger. The charger read it was @ 100%. I did notice that the ground cable to the battery was loose enough I could move it without having to loosen the bolt. WHen I put the battery back in I tightened it down to where I couldn't move it.

Is it possible that the loose connection could have been the problem? If the terminals get warm it would make the metal expand and then the terminal would make better contact with the cable, to me that would make sense since the problem normally went away after 10 to 15 min of driving.

If that could not be it I'll grab those volt readings and post em.

THanks for the input,

Travis

 

Yes. The loose cable can definitely cause many types of problems, including what you described. But if it still does it, do the voltage check.

I have my suspicions that you may have a carb icing problem instead. Do you notice the problem is not as pronounced on a nice warm day, or on a very very cold dry day. And the problem is really bad on a cold rainy or damp day around 30 to 40 degrees?

 

Well chedked the battery last night on the charger and it waid it was @ 100%. It has been warming up to around 40 Degrees here and that when I really noticed it doing it plus it has been rather wet lately. I'm not familar with carb icing. I'll have to research what that is.

THanks for the input!

Travis

 

When the fuel and air go through the venturi of the carb, there is a cooling affect of the evaporation of the fuel. It gets so cold, that ice will start forming inside the carb from the moisture in the air. This messes the carb mixture all up. Eventually after driving it awhile, or letting it sit parked for awhile, heat from the engine will make it's way slowly up and warm the carb enough to make the icing problem go away.

Things that aggravate this problem are a clogged heat passage in the intake manifold. Most all v8 engines have an exhaust passage that runs through the intake manifold to help heat the carb area up. This passage can get clogged with carbon. The six cylinder engines usually have the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold mounted together to get the same affect.

Also a lot of the fords have an air cleaner with a pipe running down to a sheetmetal shroud around the exhaust manifold. There is an air flapper door in the air cleaner, and this directs warm air up into the carb intake by a vacuum thermostat in the air cleaner.

 

For carb icing, there is a hose running from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner intake. Over time, most people throw these hoses away. There is also a temperature sensitive vacuum operated valve on the air cleaner intake for bringing heated air up from the exhaust manifold.

Sorry....just noticed you said the same thing!!!! I think the exhaust passage you are talking about in the intake manifold is for EGR.

 

That air cleaner thing could be an issue since I don't have one. I'm running a Holly performace filter it was just running a fram filter. Both are the type with a top and bottom chrome piece to hold them in, no air cleaner intake. Have to see what I have to work with and may need to fabricate something once my MIG welder gets here next week.

Thanks for the info, learning all kinds of stuff today,

Travis
1958 Mercury Monterey 4dr sedan 383V8
1966 F-250 Custom CAb/Camper Special 352V8
1997 Explorer XLT 302V8

 

Sounds like you are running the perfect setup for carb-icing! Your best bet is to try and find the OEM air filter housing.

 

No, Franklin2 was correct, it ran across the intake long before they taped into it for an EGR.

 

I'm having a rough time undertanding how effective that would be, due to the insulator between the manifold & carb to prevent vapor lock.

 

The system did change through the years. The main job of the exhaust passage through the intake is to create a "hot spot" in the floor of the manifold, so when the air fuel mist comes out of the bottom of the carb, it will hit this hot spot and stay vaporized. If the fuel turns to a liquid when hitting the cold manifold, and drops out of the air mixture, it rolls around in the bottom of the intake making the engine run really rough. But the exhaust passage, along with the thermostat, do help somewhat in warming things up in the morning. The heat riser in the exhaust manifold that some vehicles have, works with this system by closing the exhaust off in one manifold, to force more of the exhaust through the intake to the other side of the engine to help it warm up.

In the early days some of the manufacturers did run the exhaust passage up directly to the carb. In these cases, the carb usually had a cast iron base. I don't know if ford ever used this setup or not. But these set-ups usually did not have the hot air aircleaner set-up.

Later on they did go with the aluminum base carbs, sometimes with spacers, and kept the exhaust passage in the intake going through the bottom floor of the intake. In all these cases I have run across, they do have the hot air system in the air cleaner assembly.

I have a 65 mustang with a 302 and the chrome aircleaner, and it is very bad about carb icing. I can actually drive 55 mph down the highway after starting out during a cold damp morning, and after about 5 minutes, let my foot off the gas, and the pedal sticks. I can kick it, and it will usually release. The ice builds up so bad, it locks the butterflies in the carb in place.

 

My 58 mercury had the exhaust passage to the original carb. I replaced the original 4ith a holly last year because the original was shot after it cought on fire. Not even rebuilding the carb helped.

I'll have to check with my brother in-law and see if he has the original air cleaner set up. If not I'll have to check with the all Ford junkyard near here and see if they have one.

THanks for the info,

Travis