65 starts dies won't restart | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models
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65 starts dies won't restart

  • Thread starter Thread starter Skip
  • Start date Start date
Skip
Reaction score
1
Thunderbird Year
1965
So I finally got my 65 on the road thanks to the help of the members on here ... but now I have a new problem ..

Took her out to drive and after about an hour or so she coughed sputtered and died ... let her set for a few hours while trying to figure out what happened and nothing !!!
She tries to turn over but won't start she is getting gas ... had her towed home and next morning she fired right up no problem ... she ran great ... however she died so again I let her set while trying to figure out what went wrong and still can't come up with an answer on my own ... she was low on coolant so I tipped her off but she will turn over but will not start ... I will look again today but I could use some advise as to there to look ... this is driving me nuts !!!!

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I know I wrote to you before when you had a steering column problem and your fix was to replace the column. You said it stalled and would not restart then had it towed and it sat overnight. It started right up and ran great but then died again. You didn't say how long it ran before dying. My troubleshooting process usually starts with the thought that you need spark, air and fuel to get that "boom pow!". My opinion is that you in fact have an issue with fuel. But if you are 100% certain it's not a fuel problem I suggest you check or replace the coil. It is possible the coil is failing after it gets hot. In my experience usually a coil is functioning or not but have had people tell me that changing a coil solved their problem. If you find your coil is good I would suggest something going on with the fuel system. Possibly a clogged fuel filter that slows fuel flow due to particles blocking it up. Then the particles settle while not running and allow enough fuel to pass to run the car until it clogs up again. Another thought is particles in the gas tank clogging the intake tube and dropping back to the bottom of the tank after it sits a while. Third area (regarding fuel) I would check is the carburetor. It could be a sticky float, bad needle valve or bad power valve (also referred to as an accelerator pump).
One more thing.... Once the car stalled did you look down into the carb while actuating the throttle linkage to see if it was squirting fuel? If no squirt then it could be power valve or vapor lock.
 
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Thank you flat Ernie and fordrodsteven

I did change the coil points and condenser it started right up ... I had already replaced the fuel pump and filter and only had 5 miles on it ... I haven't gotten to drive it much sense the latest fix but plan on doing that after work today... hopefully driving over to get new tires and an alignment...
 
Hey Skip, I see you changed the points and condenser and it seems to solve the problem. I invested in a Pertronics Flame Thrower coil and Electronic modular for the distributor for my 67 Shelby. It looks like the original equipment but uses higher voltage to the plugs. The original coil could be anywhere for 25000 to 30000 volts where as the Flame Thrower is an excess of 42000 volts it allows the plugs to burn cleaner which increases the life of the plugs. I have had it for over 4 years now without a problem. It is not that expensive you can get it for under $100.00 and it takes about 30 minutes to put in. The only thing you have to do is retime the distributor again. With electronic ignition your car becomes much more dependable, keep the old points and condenser in the glove box just in case it goes bad. You never can tell when Gremblims will show up. Good Luck Rick
 
Hey Skip, I see you changed the points and condenser and it seems to solve the problem. I invested in a Pertronics Flame Thrower coil and Electronic modular for the distributor for my 67 Shelby. It looks like the original equipment but uses higher voltage to the plugs. The original coil could be anywhere for 25000 to 30000 volts where as the Flame Thrower is an excess of 42000 volts it allows the plugs to burn cleaner which increases the life of the plugs. I have had it for over 4 years now without a problem. It is not that expensive you can get it for under $100.00 and it takes about 30 minutes to put in. The only thing you have to do is retime the distributor again. With electronic ignition your car becomes much more dependable, keep the old points and condenser in the glove box just in case it goes bad. You never can tell when Gremblims will show up. Good Luck Rick
Ya I finally got her up and going again but on the way home from buying new tires I lost all my coolint and now when I start her she just pumps out all the coolint not Shute what to do now ... the temp gage isn't working and neither is the oil gage .... so now I'm about to start all over it seams ...
 
Find out where the coolant is going is your first project. If you overheat the engine to many times you could crack the block, warp the heads or worse seize the engine. The reason you might have had problems with keeping the engine running before is it got so hot it boiled the gas in the carburetor. Good luck Rick
 
Find out where the coolant is going is your first project. If you overheat the engine to many times you could crack the block, warp the heads or worse seize the engine. The reason you might have had problems with keeping the engine running before is it got so hot it boiled the gas in the carburetor. Good luck Rick
The coolant is pouring out of the overflow tube as the car is running... even when cold now
 
If you can remove the thermostat from the engine and refill the engine with water, then start the engine and leave the radiator cap off. Let it run for awhile and keep the coolant level up to the top of the radiator. After a while if you see bubbles coming out and the level starts to drop, if this happens you have a problem. It could be a bad head gasket or a cracked head or block. This is bad but not unrepairable. If you don't see any bubbles it might have been just a bad thermostat. Stay in touch I will try to help you as much as possible. Good luck Rick
 
If you can remove the thermostat from the engine and refill the engine with water, then start the engine and leave the radiator cap off. Let it run for awhile and keep the coolant level up to the top of the radiator. After a while if you see bubbles coming out and the level starts to drop, if this happens you have a problem. It could be a bad head gasket or a cracked head or block. This is bad but not unrepairable. If you don't see any bubbles it might have been just a bad thermostat. Stay in touch I will try to help you as much as possible. Good luck Rick

Thank you captrick
As soon as I finish pulling my extra motor that is my plan
 
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