78 carbuerator and dash troubles
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Freshman User
Joined: May 2010
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78 carbuerator and dash troubles
So I bought a 78 f100 lariat in the hopes of rebuilding it. It drives really nice when im at a steady speed or when i hit red lights but as soon as i get on the interstate into atlanta traffic my engine starts stalling and eventually dies. Last time I had to wait about 30 minutes on the side of the interstate for the engine to cool. My theory is that the floats in my carbuerator are sticking and it's stalling out my eninge. Is that something that can be fixed by recalibrating it? or what? im planning on getting a new one eventually but right now i rely on this truck and i dont have the money for another.
My other issue is on my dash every meter but my gas gauge doesn't work. I haven't cracked it open to take a look mainly because wiring isnt really my thing. has anyone had a similar issue and do you have any advice? I'm still a novice with cars but im learning.
My other issue is on my dash every meter but my gas gauge doesn't work. I haven't cracked it open to take a look mainly because wiring isnt really my thing. has anyone had a similar issue and do you have any advice? I'm still a novice with cars but im learning.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,134
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From: Mississippi
I had a 79 with a 351m back in the mid 80s and it would do the same thing, just quit at highway speeds, iirc it was the ignition module overheating, after it cooled 10-15 mins it would fire up and run fine.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,395
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From: Alabama
Had a 351M in my '78 F100 Custom, it did the same thing...Carb needed a good cleaning, I just replaced it with a 351W, truck really came alive...but maybe just a good carb cleaning...or better yet purchase a rebuild kit, spend an afternoon rebuild the carb and rebuild it...will do wonders for the truck!
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,735
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From: TX
Sounds tome like an electrical issue. What bamaf150 said, ignition module (driverside innerfender, silver box up near the firewall) overheating and failing. Or the pickup in the distributor does the same thing. Normally you can get the ignition module tested, but if it only fails when it gets hot, it wont test faulty because it would of cooled down by the time you take it in. They are cheap, only $20. Plus, it's never a bad idea to have spares in the truck 
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,511
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From: hinckley ohio
so your gas guage works.And others don't look for the wire that goes down by your oil filter and see if its hooked up to the oil preasure switch that is behind the oil filter.Tempature sending unit is behind the distributor see if it is hooked up aswill.On the stalling I'd to say the module as stated above very easy to change.
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Freshman User
Joined: May 2010
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Thanks everybody! i took some time to clean the carb. and so far it doesnt seem to have any issues, it runs alot smoother too. gonna take a look at the wire stuff tomorrow and change my ignition module while im at it. just in case.
