63 T-Bird engine problem

[bearbowman]

I have a 63 hardtop with an edelbrock carb. I had a tune up done and the car starts perfectly and runs great, after 20 minutes or so the car shuts down and won't start like starving for gas. When car cools down she starts perfectly again!! Brought it to a mechanic he advise to buy new carb said gas dumping into carb. Spoke to another mechanic he advise to change points and gas pump? Has anyone else had a similar problem and if so what remedy worked? Thanks

[jopizz]

Are you sure that the choke is opening up all the way. If it's an Edelbrock it should have an electric choke rather than the heat activated choke that the Ford carburetor had.

John

[simplyconnected]

Raymond, these engines are very easy to troubleshoot. There are no sensors that will stop the engine from working.

So, let's take this one step at a time...
Fire needs three elements; heat (spark), air, and fuel.

After prolonged cranking can you smell raw gasoline? (Can you see gas squirting down the carb when you manually pull the throttle lever back?) Are the spark plugs showing a pretty blue spark? I assume your air cleaner is clean.

Now, you have to go to work and supply us with more information before we can suggest different causes. I would like to know what the TEMP gauge reads when the engine stops. - Dave

[Yadkin]

Unless they are at least 55 years old, stop talking to a mechanic about carburetors.

The choke would be my first guess. It probably isn't opening.

These things are easy to adjust, re-build, and fix. Get yourself a repair sheet from Mr. Edelbrock.

[Joe Johnston]

A friend has 2 signs in his shop - one each on opposite walls of his shop office.

#1 - 95% of the time, problems thought to be fuel related are electrical issues.

#2 - 95% of the time, problems thought to be electrical related are fuel issues.

I agree this sounds fuel related, but don't rule out a coil or condenser breaking down from normal heat buildup. Even though you just had a tune-up, the possibility exists you have a defective condenser (assuming you still have points and condenser ignition).

A bit of methodical investigating should lead you to the source of the problem before just buying a lot of new parts to put on it.

[simplyconnected]

...A bit of methodical investigating should lead you to the source of the problem before just buying a lot of new parts to put on it.

That's why we need accurate feedback before we can continue.

"It could be..." covers a host of possibilities but good troubleshooting separates Mechanics from Parts Changers. Both may end up with good results but Parts Changers usually cost more because they end up with a basket full of good parts they cannot use.

Gentlemen, what carb causes an engine to shut down after 20 min? And, what choke closes up when hot???

...the car starts perfectly and runs great, after 20 minutes or so the car shuts down and won't start like starving for gas. When car cools down she starts perfectly again!!..

- Dave

[jopizz]

Gentlemen, what carb causes an engine to shut down after 20 min? And, what choke closes up when hot???
- Dave

A car that has an electric choke that has no power will shut down as the engine warms up and will not start with a choke that's closed until it cools off. That's my personal experience with electric chokes.

John

[Yadkin]

John's guess is my guess as well.

Bearbowman, an electric choke has a heater in it that warms up a metal coil. As the coil expands it turns the choke plate. These cars did not come with these, so you should have a retrofit electrical connection somewhere. The circuit should be switched on with ignition so it comes on with start up, and stays on until you stop the engine (double check this with Mr. Edlebrock).

I don't know how many amps the choke uses, but I'm guessing it's substantial, and therefore shouldn't just be wired into to the ignition circuit. Instead it should be wired to a relay powered by the battery circuit, and the relay switched on by the ignition circuit. If you tie into the positive battery cable, be sure to put a fuse in that line.

The guy that tossed your old 4100 because he couldn't figure how to rebuild it probably didn't think through this minor electrical issue either.