Greetings , and Help !!!

Derekj

Member
Hi All, I have been a very long time follower of this site and appreciate all the info this forum has to offer.
I have a 1964 Ford 4000 Industrial with front end loader.
When I bought it, I flushed the tank, installed a new petcock and carburetor. She has been running great for about a year now and finally decided to stump me a little. When shredding for a while, she starts to jerk and stumble as though being starved for fuel If I pump the throttle a bit she will smooth out for about 100 yards then stumble and quit. She starts right up after a cooling period and works great for another 10 minutes and then quits again.
I have done the following : Checked the water,(Full and not hot enough to overheat) , wrapped my fuel line with foil in-case of vapor lock , installed a new 12 volt coil , check distributor,rotor and plugs and wires. Flow from gas tank is clean and free. When she runs there are no issues until she gets warm.
Any comments and thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
When it quits and won't start, immediately check the spark by pulling one of the spark plug wires and holding it near a good clean ground point while you crank the starter for a few turns. You should see a bright blue/white spark that will jump at least 1/4" gap to ground. If spark is weak and/or yellowish in color that is not a good enough spark and I would suspect the coil or maybe the condensor might be going bad.

If you have a strong bright blue/white spark then look at the fuel delivery like maybe the float and/or needle valve is getting stuck closed. Try tapping the carb with the handle of a screwdriver at that point to see if you can free it up.
 

Guess I should have mentioned that I did check spark and it was good. I also replaced the coil as I had a new spare one. The fuel as mentioned is free flowing and I took the carb apart and it was clean . Needle and seat is set right as she runs great for about an hour before she goes into this state. It is really weird as she runs well then bam .... I checked nearly every wire and connection for a break and /or bad connection. Took the rotor out and cleaned it as well as the distributor cap. Cleaned the points and short of new plugs, I really am stumped.
 
Not sure about the industrial model. Does it have a fuel pump?

If no fuel pump and you are absolutely certain that the fuel flow is adequate for heavy loads (screen inside tank clean?), change the ignition switch.

Dean
 
Derek,

I also don't know if your tractor has a fuel pump (often called a lift pump), but as Dean mentioned, if it has a fuel pump, that could be the
problem.

Does the fuel line from the gas tank go DIRECTLY to the carburetor? If not, there very well may be a fuel pump in the circuit.

Tom in TN
 
When it shuts off, jump down and pop the cap off of the gas tank, if you hear an inrush of air, you can either run it with the cap cracked open or buy a new cap. Have had that problem when the vent was plugged on mine.
 
Don't know about the smarts but I would not suspect the condenser.

That said, it's cheap and easy to change it.

Dean
 


Hey Guys, thanks for all the responses. No Pump. Gravity fed. Clean tank, New petcock and in tank filter. 2 inline filters One plastic and one glass. Absolutely free flowing. As mentioned she runs great foe about an hour and then quits. As far as the gas cap, It rattles on the top its so loose. No restrictions at all. The only thing that I have not done is replaced the relay/condenser. From the coil, there is a negative wire from the coil to the side of the distributor and a positive that runs to the , I want to say relay. What are the symptoms of a bad condenser ?
 
Are the in-line filters designed for gravity flow systems? Most are not.

Why two?

Most condenser failures (which are quite rare) produce misfire at high RPM.

Dean
 
Sean, I have wrenched on bikes and engines for 40 years and have come against some weird symptoms, this is one of them. I understand that due to the internet , one can't understand another's skill and or knowledge. I removed each plug, cleaned them and checked the gap. Just before I installed them, one at a time I plugged them and ground the against the block and cranked the engine over a few times and ensured that there was a nice "heavy" spark. I also installed an extra fuel filter because this tractor is used for shredding and I want to take all the precautions possible. And Yes, the filter is designed for gravity fed, inline application. As mentioned a few times , this tractor runs great for about an hour before it messes around, almost like it is heat related.
Here is what I have done thus far. Cleaned carb, checked float level, cleaned air cleaner, cleaned gas tank after removing it from tractor, installed brand new petcock with in-tank filter, installed inline filter and left original glass bowl filter. Fuel flows freely without any restrictions. No blocked breather problems with the tank. Wrapped fuel line and inline filter with foil tape in case it could of being "vapor lock" . Cleaned and gapped plugs. Installed a new coil as I had it in stock and replaced the condenser. Cleaned the points . Flushed the radiator. The symptom that I get is almost as if the choke was engaged all of a sudden. She runs great for about an hour, then if I let her sit for 30 minutes , she will run for about 5 minutes after that. I have checked nearly all the wires for loose connections as well as the battery. I am officially Stumped.
 
When it shuts off, check the coil to see if its 'abnormally' hot, it wouldn't be the first time I had gotten a bad coil right out of the box.
 

I know you mentioned you wrapped the fuel link in foil tape to prevent vapor lock, but this is smelling suspiciously like vapor lock. Any chance you can post a picture of your fuel line routing?

I'm sure you know that too close to the manifold ain't good, and any possible (even slight) uphill bends can wreak havoc.

Kevin
 
I had that problem repeatedly when burning ethanol gas. The rubber on the float valve gets sticky after a while. Since going back to using real gas, it's been okay. Costs more, though.
 
This is a four cylinder tractor, right? I don't see how "pumping" the throttle will do anything when your carburetor doesn't have an accelerator pump.

It sounds suspiciously like a failing ignition switch. Another possibility is bad points. Re-check their condition and gap.
 
UPDATE ....
Well after trying everything in the book, I decided to install a new fuel line and routed it in the opposite direction to where it was totally behind the engine and now she runs like a dream. I guess the wrapping with foil did not suffice. Thanks to all for y'alls input.
 
OK, I didn't see the very last post, but vapor locking seemed to be the source of the symptoms.

Hmmm, issues surface after an hour of use..vapor locking?
Is fuel line routed near exhaust? Try insulating the gas line that runs near heat source.

-CBull
 

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