Anyone heading to Luray?

[colonelpowers]

I wanted to see if anyone going to Luray and passing through Southwest Virginia on I 81 might be willing to stop by Marion, Virginia for a few minutes to check out my T and help me figure out what is causing it to run rough. I have posted about this before and have worked my way down your list of suggestions but still I haven't hit on the solution. I could even meet there at the exit so as not to waste too much of your time.

Thanks and God Bless,

Joshua A Powers

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I am about an hour south of you just outside of Bristol in a town called Elizabethton. If you can get it onto a trailer and bring it to my shop, I will be glad to give it a listen and offer some suggestions. I have a coil tester, and likely most parts that you would need if you find yourself needing to change them out in the parking lot. Send me a PM if that is something you want to explore.

[Scott_Conger]

Joshua, you have previously mentioned "surging" which is typically a fuel starvation issue, and you mentioned that you had added a fuel filter and were advised to remove the fuel filter...did you?

You have previously mentioned that the car ran worse and worse and was sucking down the battery...additionally you said that the ignition switch is flakey and rarely can run on MAG, but when on MAG, it runs great. Did you resolve the battery issue and fix the switch?

If you have not addressed these items, it is going to be a major Snipe hunt to get you sorted out in a short time. Brent's a smart and knowledgeable guy, but there is just so much that someone can do if there are multiple paths to failure that remain identified but unresolved.

Any info you can forward to Brent NOW will pay off in greater chance of success later.

[colonelpowers]

First, I do want to thank everyone who has offered advice thus far. I am normally very adept at sorting out issues when they arise but I don't know if it is other things that I have going on that have muddled my thinking or what. Anyway, here is an update on what I have tried thusfar. I removed the ad on fuel filter and cleaned the screen in the sediment bowl ( it had a little junk but not much) The carb is a restored kingston and had not been ran previously without the filter so it should be fine. I did drain the bowl to check for anything (rust,dirt,etc.) but it was fine. I removed and cleaned the timer and plugs. Checked every pertinent wire for shorts or fraying. I tried bypassing the ignition switch with a toggle to rule it out. My coils were rebuilt and adjusted with ecct by the coil man in Michigan who advertises in the club magazine (I forget his name). The generator was rebuilt by Buckeye in Ohio and it has a NuRex cutout. As mentioned, during the trip when the trouble started, the battery was drawn down significantly despite the amp gauge always showing a couple amps of charge. New battery, old but clean battery cables and starter switch. I did check for broken valve springs; they were fine but original. The only possible clue that I haven't searched out yet is that the number 4 cylinder now has slightly less compression than it had previously, maybe carbon? Recently, it had upper 40s-50 across the board. Now that back cylinder is at about 40. I don't think that it would cause the problem, would it? The car starts easily and doesn't have a significant loss of power, it just isn't running smoothly and still has that perceptible surging.

[Dan Hatch]

Here is a wag. Check the connection of the pickups in Coilbox. Most later cars have steel screws and they lose contact with the bronze contacts.
I change to brass screws and soldered them to contact.

[radiatorman]

1926 Ford Tudor with 500 miles on rebuilt engine and every thing else.
I had been running with out a paper fuel filter down stream of the sediment bowl and decided to upgrade from a lawn mower filter to a auto type filter from local auto parts store. After installing in line filter I had engine running and it just quit after fifteen minutes, I checked fuel amount and it had six gallons in it. I closed shut off valve and disconnected fuel line at the carburetor and opened fuel and nothing, so I bypassed the filter and had fuel flow. I removed the the screen mesh filter from the sediment bowl which had very little debris on it, installed a new screen filter and another new paper filter and engine quit again. I have since removed the the inline paper filter and engine runs fine.

After the first paper filter sat for a while and dried out I reinstalled it to satisfy my my brain, engine ran for fifteen minutes and it quit, so I cut it open. I assume the micron rating of the filter may be very fine, but doesn't support letting a bad filter dry out and then its good again.

Fuel filter.docx

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[pkhammer]

I had the very same experience with a model A. I don't think those type of filters work well with a gravity fuel system. They apparently need a pump to literally suck the fuel through. The good old sediment bowl is what still works with gravity flow.

[radiatorman]

It's possible the rubber hose that comes with the filter may have some additives leaching out and causing the filter to plug up.