My t starts trying to go forward as the engine starts

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: My t starts trying to go forward as the engine starts
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By wes heustess on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 07:33 pm:

Not as if you had a modern car in gear but just a moderate roll. Is the drive band to tight?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 07:42 pm:

Wes, that is normal in T. The multi disc clutch tends to hand up a little with the oil until the car warms up. The situation can be improved by parking the car with the handbrake right forward to squeeze the oil out of the clutch. a lighter weight of oil can also help, but I have no experience of your weather to be able to make a suggestion about this.

Hope this helps,

Allan from down under


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By wes heustess on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 07:44 pm:

Sounds normal. Thanks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Layden Butler on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 07:46 pm:

Never a bad idea to chock the tires when starting. Yes such creeping is normal but a good handbrake adjustment should hold it firm.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 07:55 pm:

Should only be a slight roll.

If more, like moderate, you should adjust for 'free neutral'. This should be done too, each time to take up the low band several turns or more. Or if you have turned in the 3 screws for the clutch levers, the T will creep moderate until you adjust the clutch lever bolt for better 'free neutral'.

The T won't have a 'real' neutral, but you can defer the more rapid creep with a good adjustment of the clevis lever on the brake/neutral lever and the slow speed pedal, and the clutch lever bolt.



Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By steven c van hoesen on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 08:54 pm:

hi, look at aug.9 2014 @ 11:40 pm."starter problems" these people help me with my problems, there good advice and info. has work. steve


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Williamson on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 09:13 pm:

If you park with the handbrake forward, just make sure you pull it on before starting. It can be a bit hard to crank in high gear! ;)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 10:02 pm:

Read Farewell To Model T, by Lee Strout White. It talks all about that. It's also good for a few chuckles, and maybe even a few tears!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill dugger on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 10:31 pm:

Wes: Here is a short story that my late friend told me about his 1914 T. He always drove it into his garage, so it would be easier to start. Well this early morning he went to start it, normal "check the spark, check the brake/clutch lever and the throttle, pulled the choke and cranked 2 or 3 times, then and turned the key on and then pulled the crank handle up and it started, well it wanted to leave thru the back of the garage, and he had his hand on the radiator pushing to keep it from squeezing him against the wall. He hollered for his wife to come out and shut the "G. D.thing off which she did.
From that point on he backed the '14 in garage, and his words were that if the DAMN thinks it want to leave it can whether he is in the drive seat or not.
Dwayne told that to me one day when we were installing my top on my '19.
I have had that to happen to my '19 but was able to hold it back.
So parking it with the brake/lever forward is a wise idea.
Have fun and keep the "T" running


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Harper - Keene, NH on Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 10:48 pm:

Hi Wes,

As mentioned above, your car having "the creeps" is a common but very undesirable characteristic. It can be adjusted away. Dan Treace's post regarding the free neutral is the first adjustment which you must perform.

The next, and I feel just as critical, is to ensure that when the brake lever is pulled all of the way back, it really locks up both rear wheels. And, as you pull the lever slowly backwards, check that the rear wheels both begin to drag at the same time. You do not want one to lock up before the other, as your car may go sideways; not fun.

Good luck with your project. Bill


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Friday, August 15, 2014 - 08:53 am:

I jack up a rear wheel and chock the front wheel. Makes cranking a lot easier in cold weather and it certainly won't creep that way. Leave the hand lever in the neutral position but not far enough back to set the brake and then pull the brake back to stop the spinning wheel once the car starts.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grady L Puryear on Friday, August 15, 2014 - 09:12 am:

I have mentioned this before, I had a similar experience to the one described by Mr. Dugger, back when I was a lot younger and stronger. I had parked my T in a shed close to the house, pretty cold morning, when it fired up, it pushed me back to the wall and was really putting the hurt on me. There was no one to call for help, and I was really in a bind, I finally had enough sense to pull out the choke wire that came through the radiator, and kill it before it killed me. That was 70 or more years ago, and I still remember it every time I hand crank one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Friday, August 15, 2014 - 09:36 am:

Sounds like your parking brakes need to be adjusted. Try one full turn on each clevis and if that isn't enough, try two. That should do it.

Yes, parking the car with the parking brake off as advised above and using chocks to hold it in place is a good idea. Of course, if your car wants to creep forward and you hold it in place with the brake, you'll be increasing the load on the starter (or your arm) and that's not good. The answer to that might be a thinner motor oil like 5W-30, and/or mixing that with some Marvel Mystery Oil.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug Wilson on Friday, August 15, 2014 - 10:52 am:

A buddy of mine's T with a fresh engine and new clutch discs always wanted to creep real bad when cold starting it. Once the engine came up to operating temperature, it was not a problem. We tried all of above, adjust parking brakes, adjust free neutral, be sure bands are not too tight. A cup of ATF in the oil cured it. It's better now that it has some miles on it


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Friday, August 15, 2014 - 11:28 am:

Same issue, but a little different with aux. trans.

My TT has a Muncie, so I don't have the creep problem because of the true neutral. However, there is sure a difference when shifting into gear when stopped. When not fully warm, it's really hard to do. Once fully warm it shifts easily, which of course means I always let it warm up for a while.


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