In need of direction

crusin49

Hello to all. New member as of today. I am working on getting my 1949 hudson super six into a cruiser I can enjoy. I bought the car 1 year ago. I went for a short test drive before purchasing. After acquiring plates for the car we went for a drive that lasted 30 minutes. During the return drive the car stalled out and my problems began. Up to this point I have replaced head gasket, spark plugs, switched to electric fuel pump, water pump, radiator, fuel filter, cap and points. The car starts up and idles with no problem. My infrared gun says I'm running at 170 degrees. As soon as I get a half block down the road it stalls out. Usually won't restart unless it sits for a while. Do I need to advance my timing for the unleaded gas that is used today or am I missing something else? Any ideas will greatly be appreciated.

Glowplug

Your fuel tank is most likely causing fuel starvation due to
crud. Try to operate your engine from an alternative fuel tank with fresh fuel.  Connect the tank directly to the fuel pump.  Good Luck

Jon B

OldFarmer has a good idea.  Re-route the inlet on the fuel pump to a can of gas, first.  If the car runs fine, then you know it's either crud in the tank or the fuel line, OR a hole in the intake pipe in the tank, allowing air into the line.  . 

You didn't mention how hot it was, when you encountered this problem.  Your problem might also be heat-related: either vapor lock, or a bad coil.  Take a package of ice along with you on your next test drive and if you stall again, hold the ice around the coil to cool it down.  Then see if the car starts.

Have you replaced the condenser? If so, you might even buy ANOTHER new condenser and try that.  I've heard a lot of horror stories about new condensers nowadays and they're cheap enough.  (You'll eventually need another one anyway so why not buy a spare, now?)

ken1962

My 1974 jaguar v12 did the same thing always stopping at the same spot. It was when the traffic slowed and the car temp went a bit higher and cut the ignition. You have a fault in the coil or regulator - check the voltage output at the exact time of the stall - it will hide itself when cool

crusin49

Thanks for the tips. I love in Wisconsin so it never really gets that hot outside but I believe I eliminated vapor lock as a possibility. I will try the coil and condenser along with a feed of fuel from a different tank. Thanks for the advice.

Commodore_254

I had similar problems with my car. It would run fine down the road then I would let up on the accelerator and it would stall out. Would restart after some time then be ok for a while. Took me paying someone lots of money and not fixing a darn thing (plugs, points, condenser, coil, tune-up). I also thought I had a heat issue when I drove it home from the "mechanic" who said the motor was worn out I called my friend and he said "did you check the valves?" Half a day later runs like never-before!!! i hope you lapped them when you had the head gasket off. Best of luck!

crusin49

Well I finally got around to the car this weekend and replaced the coil and condenser as suggested. Also checked the gap on the points. I am started to feel as if I am going backwards in regards to progress. I have very little spark when I test is with an inline spark tester so the car will not start. It started a month ago but idled rough with a misfire. After all these new ignition parts I don't know where to turn. Any more suggestions? I would like to check timing and compression but it won't start.

Jon B

Okay, you've now eliminated some more possibilities, which is good.  We're closing in on this thing.  (Honest!)

Let's think for a moment about fuel supply.

You've got an electric fuel pump, so we can cross "bad fuel pump" off the list of possible problems.  But how about the fuel that's going into the pump?  Did you have a chance to try running the car off a spare can of gas that you carry on the front floor (fed via a neoprene hose that goes to the fuel pump inlet)?  If the car runs for some time after that, with no problems, then we know the problem lies upstream: crud in the tank, holes in the line (allowing air to get in), or an inline filter jammed with dirt (if you have an inline filter).

One "fix" at a time, and we'll get there!

Incidentally, I believe one can check the compression without actually starting the engine. Merely pull the coil wire, hold the vacuum tester in one spark plug hole, and hit the starter til you get a reading.  I think timing is the same way (though someone needs to jump into the conversation on this).  I've never tried this, but you get the flywheel around to TDC then hook up your timing light on #1 (or is it #6?) spark plug and then rotate the distributor until the light flashes.  (Note: this is probably NOT how it works but surely someone can explain this, here).

Glowplug

Check the distributor carefully for shorts. The cloth covered wire inside the distributor will create resistive shorts. The wiring is insulated through the distributor using Bakelite which can crack and with dirt embedded this creates a potential short. Weak spark comes from the inability of the coil to receive sufficient input voltage. Also look for proper grounding.

Per

You mentioned setting the gap of the points.  Try replacing them.  Points with a little corrosion on them work poorly, often enough that the engine won't start.

Geoff

If you have an ohm-meter, check the resistance from the wire that goes down to the  distributor from  the coil, to ground.  With the points closed you should have near enough to zero ohms.   If more the points need either replacing ro cleaning.   Also check the voltage at the other side of the coil with the ignition switched on.  you should have full battery here.  if not, the ignition swicth or contacts need  cleaning, tightening, replacing. 

BillUSN1

I would start back from the beginning.

The 49 is a 6v pos ground system.

Is yours?

If you replaced the fuel pump and coil, were they 6v parts and did you connect with pos as ground?

For the coil the + goes to the distr.

Once this is established and verified good, then you can move on to the fuel tank pickup.

SuperDave

Good point. If the coil is reversed it may work, but poorly.

Park_W

On an ordinary Hudson, having the coil polarity will not have a noticeable effect, unless you're trying for a speed record.  Credible references say it results in about a 15% reduction in spark voltage, which isn't going to cause starting problems unless there are other issues with the ignition system.

keithfullmeryahoocom

Ordinary Hudson, Park?  Lol...k

brnhornet52*

Have you checked your battery?  As to how old and what type?  You need a group 2 six volt
with the most cold cranking amps you can get.  Its very possible you might have a weak
battery or a battery too small to turn your engine fast enough to start and continue running.

Park_W

Geez, Keith, how could I have made that boo-boo?  I meant to say "On a typical marvelous but unmodified  Hudson . . .  .

48rob

49,

   Have you tried running with the fuel cap loose, or off?

I'm not a Hudson expert, but most fuel caps are vented, on others the tank/system are vented otherwise.
If a vented cap is mostly plugged, the pump will draw fuel until the tank runs out of air, then starve.
When you stop and wait a little while, air refills the tank.
A full fuel tank will starve much faster than one that is 1/4 full.
An easy way to check is to listen closely while you undo the cap right after stalling.
If you hear a sucking sound, it is plugged.

Rob

DavidC

A see-thru gas filter would also reveal a fuel starvation issue