Yesterday, drove the '53 for the first time out on the highway since about Oct. 2011. Doesn't really count I had it around the block about a year ago, I think.
End of the season 2011 it started to run rough and black smoke. Figured out pretty quickly it was leaking O rings on the throttle body injectors (car has a 80s ford drivetrain with TB EFI).
I'd planned to fix it over the winter of '11-'12. But, my Dad passing that March pretty much nixed 'most any projects for the spring/summer last year.
Last fall, I finally got the parts kit to fix it and a few weeks ago took the TB apart. The battery in the car was near flat too (sat for a year in the garage) and initially didn't even want to take a charge.
So, I got it all back together and the battery charged up. Got in the car, and turned the key. It cranked over, but other than maybe 1 or 2 fires it was a no-start. Very repeatable too. Tried several times with same results.
OK, I had the TB off and apart, that is the place to start. Last thing touched.
I could hear the fuel pump running when I turned the key to ON. OK. Check.
Put the gauge on the TB test port. Fuel pressure OK. Check.
I'd had to unplug the injectors. This setup has a large plug that has not only the injector wires, but also the throttle position sensor included. Maybe I broke a wire?
I got out my home-made "noid" light. Basically a blinky light you plug into the harness in place of the injector to verify if the ECU is sending power to them. I hooked that up, and cranked the engine. Blinky, blinky. OK check.
Check the throttle sensor resistance from the plug. Seems OK. Check.
Reconnected the injectors and tried starting again. Same symptoms.
I felt the tips of the injectors after cranking. Damp with gas as I would expect.
Did somehow the run down battery damage the ECU? It should not (and I should know as we design these sorts of things were I work, although this unit is pretty prehistoric in comparison). So happens I have a spare ECU someplace. Came from running car so should be OK.
Root around for 1/2hr to find it. Swap it out and try starting again. Same exact
symptoms. Engine cranks, maybe 1 or 2 fires and that is it.
Must be a spark problem? It was supper time and I was disgusted with it all so time to let it sit until later.
Google the problem the next week in case any insights turn up. Found some articles on how to check for spark (probably could have found same in the manuals too but what is the fun in that?).
So, yesterday after doing some other stuff, it was time to look at this again. I'd put the battery on the charger for a few hours prior so it was good for some testing.
Just for the heck of it, try starting the car before moving on to checking for spark. Remember, the car has been sitting for about 2 weeks since I last messed with it. Hadn't done anything since the last no-start attempt.
I got in and turned the key, it cranks over, then fires off but this time instead of just cranking after 1 or 2 shots, it catches and runs!!!! Runs pretty rough in fact, but stays running and gradually smoothens out. Whoopee!
I let it run up to operating temperature in the garage while checking for leaks, etc. New O rings appear to be holding. Nothing else leaking. I shut if off and put the air cleaner back on, then went in the house to get my wallet.
Time for a test drive!
I was half expecting it not to start, but it started right up. Backed out of the garage for the 1st time in a year and headed out of town. First time for that in over 1-1/2yrs.
I drove around for about 1/2hr, a few miles at 75mph on the interstate even and came back. Snapped this picture of it sitting in the driveway. Hard to see, but the car is really dusty. I had to clean the windshield before I went out as too dirty to see out of with the sun getting low.
So, still no explanation of why it would not start 2 weeks ago...
My guess right now is it was a fuel problem. Sticking injectors. I felt a bit of gas on the tips but in retrospect, I am thinking it was "damp" but not wet. With as much cranking as I did, it should have been wet and stinky with gas in the TB but it was not. Then setting for 2 weeks with freshly recirculated gas on the injectors, they loosened up. These things had been sitting around dry for a while. When I first took the TB apart, I had a stuck screw that the head stripped out so the parts were laying dry on my bench until the next weekend after getting new screws. This is now >18mo gas in the car. Got me to wondering if it would even burn at all for a while. I should probably dump in a bottle of snake oil injector cleaner perhaps...
Yes, there are still bare trees here. Actually, this morning on the way to work I made note of there still being some SNOW in some shady spots in a couple of tree lines where there had been enormous drifts this winter. This is a good month later than usual for the last snow to be seen in these parts and about 2 months later than last year when it was a early spring. In the past week some farmers are getting their land worked for planting finally.
End of the season 2011 it started to run rough and black smoke. Figured out pretty quickly it was leaking O rings on the throttle body injectors (car has a 80s ford drivetrain with TB EFI).
I'd planned to fix it over the winter of '11-'12. But, my Dad passing that March pretty much nixed 'most any projects for the spring/summer last year.
Last fall, I finally got the parts kit to fix it and a few weeks ago took the TB apart. The battery in the car was near flat too (sat for a year in the garage) and initially didn't even want to take a charge.
So, I got it all back together and the battery charged up. Got in the car, and turned the key. It cranked over, but other than maybe 1 or 2 fires it was a no-start. Very repeatable too. Tried several times with same results.
OK, I had the TB off and apart, that is the place to start. Last thing touched.
I could hear the fuel pump running when I turned the key to ON. OK. Check.
Put the gauge on the TB test port. Fuel pressure OK. Check.
I'd had to unplug the injectors. This setup has a large plug that has not only the injector wires, but also the throttle position sensor included. Maybe I broke a wire?
I got out my home-made "noid" light. Basically a blinky light you plug into the harness in place of the injector to verify if the ECU is sending power to them. I hooked that up, and cranked the engine. Blinky, blinky. OK check.
Check the throttle sensor resistance from the plug. Seems OK. Check.
Reconnected the injectors and tried starting again. Same symptoms.
I felt the tips of the injectors after cranking. Damp with gas as I would expect.
Did somehow the run down battery damage the ECU? It should not (and I should know as we design these sorts of things were I work, although this unit is pretty prehistoric in comparison). So happens I have a spare ECU someplace. Came from running car so should be OK.
Root around for 1/2hr to find it. Swap it out and try starting again. Same exact
symptoms. Engine cranks, maybe 1 or 2 fires and that is it.
Must be a spark problem? It was supper time and I was disgusted with it all so time to let it sit until later.
Google the problem the next week in case any insights turn up. Found some articles on how to check for spark (probably could have found same in the manuals too but what is the fun in that?).
So, yesterday after doing some other stuff, it was time to look at this again. I'd put the battery on the charger for a few hours prior so it was good for some testing.
Just for the heck of it, try starting the car before moving on to checking for spark. Remember, the car has been sitting for about 2 weeks since I last messed with it. Hadn't done anything since the last no-start attempt.
I got in and turned the key, it cranks over, then fires off but this time instead of just cranking after 1 or 2 shots, it catches and runs!!!! Runs pretty rough in fact, but stays running and gradually smoothens out. Whoopee!
I let it run up to operating temperature in the garage while checking for leaks, etc. New O rings appear to be holding. Nothing else leaking. I shut if off and put the air cleaner back on, then went in the house to get my wallet.
Time for a test drive!
I was half expecting it not to start, but it started right up. Backed out of the garage for the 1st time in a year and headed out of town. First time for that in over 1-1/2yrs.
I drove around for about 1/2hr, a few miles at 75mph on the interstate even and came back. Snapped this picture of it sitting in the driveway. Hard to see, but the car is really dusty. I had to clean the windshield before I went out as too dirty to see out of with the sun getting low.
So, still no explanation of why it would not start 2 weeks ago...
My guess right now is it was a fuel problem. Sticking injectors. I felt a bit of gas on the tips but in retrospect, I am thinking it was "damp" but not wet. With as much cranking as I did, it should have been wet and stinky with gas in the TB but it was not. Then setting for 2 weeks with freshly recirculated gas on the injectors, they loosened up. These things had been sitting around dry for a while. When I first took the TB apart, I had a stuck screw that the head stripped out so the parts were laying dry on my bench until the next weekend after getting new screws. This is now >18mo gas in the car. Got me to wondering if it would even burn at all for a while. I should probably dump in a bottle of snake oil injector cleaner perhaps...
Yes, there are still bare trees here. Actually, this morning on the way to work I made note of there still being some SNOW in some shady spots in a couple of tree lines where there had been enormous drifts this winter. This is a good month later than usual for the last snow to be seen in these parts and about 2 months later than last year when it was a early spring. In the past week some farmers are getting their land worked for planting finally.
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