Intermittent stalling at operating temperature.

[Ichiban_Al]

Nice little wagon.

I would check ignition timing. May need advanced a bit. That could also be the problem with your stumble on acceleration.

So I grabbed a timing gun today and went at it. I understand the process of adjusting the timing, however I am having extreme difficulty seeing a timing mark on the balancer when the strobe fires. Any tips on finding it or what I should be looking for? What RPM should I be setting the timing at, and what is the normal idle (in park) RPM for 170 with ford-o-matic? What should it drop to when I load the engine in drive? Im asking now because the light has a tach so its helpful in doing my adjustments. Thanks so far for your help.

Very cool wagon. You're fortunate it was stored inside all those years.

I'd suggest also checking the float level as well as looking down inside the carb while running and accelerate it (wear safety glasses, just in case). If the accelerator pump in working you should see an instant squirt of fuel down the throat of the carb. Anything that appears hesitant, or near part-throttle before it squirts could just mean the pump travel lever (not sure what carb you have) may need to be tweaked to get it to pump as fast as you push on the pedal. Because the accelerator pump requires having the correct float level, it's worth doing that first just to be sure. Accelerator pump is nearly unused during steady-state travel, so freeway use wouldn't reveal an issue there, unless you were trying to pass someone.

Welcome, and looking forward to watching your progress.

Thanks! I get a pretty strong stream right away when I hit the accelerator. Also, last time I had the carb open I set the float to 1" which is spec for this Autolite 1100 with rubber/plastic float. Even when I hit it hard on the highway to pass I get no hesitation.

[Bill Pierce]

So I grabbed a timing gun today and went at it. I understand the process of adjusting the timing, however I am having extreme difficulty seeing a timing mark on the balancer when the strobe fires. Any tips on finding it or what I should be looking for? What RPM should I be setting the timing at, and what is the normal idle (in park) RPM for 170 with ford-o-matic? What should it drop to when I load the engine in drive? Im asking now because the light has a tach so its helpful in doing my adjustments.

I would turn the engine over by hand or with a wrench to TDC and mark the damper with a paint pen so you have a good mark. That will make it easier to see.

Initial timing should be 12 DEG for a automatic. I found setting timing on the highest vacuum helpful. Then you can listen for ping and back off as needed.

Set your idle at about 650 RPM once you get it running right.

[Ichiban_Al]

I would turn the engine over by hand or with a wrench to TDC and mark the damper with a paint pen so you have a good mark. That will make it easier to see.

Initial timing should be 12 DEG for a automatic. I found setting timing on the highest vacuum helpful. Then you can listen for ping and back off as needed.

Set your idle at about 650 RPM once you get it running right.

So that's 12 degrees with the vaccuum line from the carb removed?

[Bill Pierce]

Yes, you need a manual. There is one posted here http://www.tffn.net. it's a factory Ford manual. If your car is still stock all the specs are there.

I told you the wrong idle speed., the manual says 550-600 rpm.

[Luva65wagon]

Having a manual is great, but as for timing do what Bill mentioned earlier, which was to adjust timing to the highest vacuum reading and then drive it, pulling hills etc. If it pings, retard the timing a degree at a time until the pinging stops. This will accommodate for the fact that fuels today are not the fuels of 1961. You'll do better this way than using what the manual says, though it's still a good starting point if you're doing a rebuild or something.

[Ichiban_Al]

Thanks for the responses guys. I have the shop manual, it's just that some descriptions in there are a little short worded and don't go too far into detail. It's nice to hear it directly from those who have experienced it first hand, so thanks for the descriptions they've helped.

So today I had off from work so I was able to try a combination of things. First I put in a new air filter since the old one had collected 15 years of dust. This probably didn't change much but I felt it was good to do anyway.

When I rebuilt the carb I left the old float needle and seat in because I thought they looked pretty good, but now I compared to the new ones in the rebuild kit and they are noticeably different. I installed the ones from the kit. This may have eliminated my intermittent stalling problem. But I won't know for sure because I kind of went against an important rule of tuning, which is to only adjust one thing at a time to see the results it produces. That's obviously the best troubleshooting method but I was impatient and tried to adjust the timing again at the same time. At this point I wasn't stalling anymore but the acceleration was very hesitant off stops, so I advanced the timing until the stumble went away and the car began to run smoother and became more responsive. Since I still couldn't locate the timing mark, I adjusted by feel gradually until I felt good about the performance.


It seems better. I'm going to drive it for a few days and see how it acts. I know it's not really the right way to do the timing, but the car is acting better for sure. Not exactly perfect but I'm getting there. I'll let you guys know if stalling returns.

[Bill Pierce]

Good News!

To be honest I mostly just tune by ear anymore. Like I said before I use a vacuum gauge and adjust for the highest manifold vacuum then drive up a hill with my foot to the floor and listen for ping. If I hear any I retard timing until it goes away.

I would encourage you to join the national falcon club as well as the local club here as there is a ton of information and good people willing to give you a hand.

Have fun