B) I have brought up this subject on the last forum but am returning to it here in hopes of finding more information. My 1950 Pacemaker runs generally well on the flat, but when encountering a hill of any size it bogs down and barely gets over the top. I often have to go down to second gear to get over a long hill on an interstate highway. I the past it has been suggested to me that the fuel pressure is low, but a change of fuel pump hasn't affected it. Another thought was that the manifold gasket was leaking, but a change of that hasn't helped. The person who suggested the gasket as the culprit still thinks a vacuum leak is the cause. As there aren't many vacuum lines on a Pacemaker that could be leaking, I've checked them and they seem good. He also mentioned that there is a diaphragm inside the distributer that could be responsible. Can anyone tell me if there is such a diaphragm in the distributer and whether it is replaceable?
I've had the compression checked and it is good which apparently rules out valves as the cause. But I am at whit's end and could use some information about the distributer and whether that could be the cause.
I thank you all in advance.
Geoff Blake
The distributor has a vacuum advance unit on the outside. Do this test. With a timing light, disconnect the vacuum line that screws into the unit, then bring the engine up to 1800 RPM's and see where the timing mark is. Now connect the vacuum line back on the vacuum advance, bring the RPM's back to 1800 and the timing mark should go out of sight, if still in same place as first test, you need a new vacuum advance. There could be other problems also, metering rod not set correctly. Walt.
When taking the hills, is it just that the engine doesn't have as much power as it should, or does it actually run poorly? (i.e., run rough, hesitate, pop through the carb, etc.) I'm thinking it's probably not the vacuum advance, since when going up a hill under load, the vacuum is low and the advance is backed off anyway. Did this behavior start all of a sudden, get gradually worse over time, or what? If it happened rather abruptly, could be a slipped timing chain.
Combinaton of stretched out timing chain and the oilpump/ distributor brass drive gear worn to razor sharp edges will lead to low power under load. If this is an original 232 with over 50,000 miles, I would be looking at the timing chain and the oilpump/ distributor drive gear.
I agree with Park about the vacuum advance. When you floor the gas pedal, this unit does not adjust the timing, because the vacuum in the intake manifold is very weak. If the diaphragm in the vacuum advance is broken, this unit also will not adjust the vacuum. Therefore it would not have a significant effect on operation at full throttle.
The purpose of the vacuum advance is to advance the timing with the gas pedal part way down, to increase efficiency. This improves fuel economy and reduces the amount of heat produced by the engine. It has a useful effect if one is driving on a level road at about 40 miles per hour, for example.
Is the engine running smoothly but is weak when climbing a hill, or does it feel like the engine is sputtering while climbing the hill?
Per
What the engine does is, as I am driving along on the level or an up and down road, it runs well and has good power to accelerate. If I am going along at 40-45 mph and come to a steep hill or a long one that is not so steep, the car slows markedly and putting my foot down does nothing to add any power. The engine does not run roughly or sputter, it remains smooth but just lacks power. Once I get over the particular hill and the road levels out or turns downhill the car accelerates very well.
I was thinking the other day about when, I guess three years ago, we were going to Manchester, Vermont for the show there. At one point we came upon a hill and there was a slower traffic lane to the right. I pulled right to be out of other traffic's way, but there was a van pulling a trailer with a furnace on it, just ahead of us. The van went slower than we could have gone but he held us up and we had to slog along behind him. Now, I would be the slowest on the hill and that van would pull away from us easily. I used to go down to Charby's meet in western Connecticut and had no problems with hills and there were many along that route.
This problem has appeared in the past two to three years. I had the timing chain replaced a few years ago, and now, Per you have gotten me to wondering if it may have been put in a tooth or two off from where it should be. The specifics of when the power loss happened is not clear to me but it could have occurred at the time of the chain replacement. That could be something to check into before running off in other directions.
I will have to speak to the mechanic about that and bring the car in to have him check it.
Geoff Blake
I'M GUESSING YOU MAY HAVE CHANGED THE REAR AXEL GEARS SO YOU COULD RUN FASTER IF THATS IS THE CASE THAT WOULD BE YOUR PROBLEM JUST A THOUGHT??
Another thing is what are your valves set at? Were they set cold or hot and what settings? Walt.
Geoff, Did you have the valves adjusted since Per and I looked at it at the Eastern Regional ? The compression test Per did showed your valve were not seating properly when the engine was Hot, but were ok when first started. Also, I recommended that you pull the fuel tank & have it cleaned & sealed due to excessive rust in the fuel system.
I would set the valves as Walt Mordenti recommends @ .014(int), .017(exh) cold. I have been using this setting with great results and no ticking at all.
Tom Brintnall.
Some years ago I bought a car whose engine had been replaced. The car ran very smoothly, but was very week. It behaved exactly the way you are describing. I checked the timing, and found that it was two teeth off. After I corrected this, the car had normal power.
Geoff,
Some years ago I bought a car whose engine had been replaced. It ran smoothly but was very weak. Just like the way you are describing your car's operation. I checked the timing marks, and found that it was two teeth off. After I corrected this, the car had normal power.
Per
Statement/Question:
I'm not exactly the oldest of old-timers at this Hudson stuff (I was born in one 66 years ago) but I've seen quite a few extremely sloppy timing chains (just yesterday, in fact) in Hudsons and have not yet seen one that has "jumped time". Has anyone seen one that's actually jumped and not just installed incorrectly as Per mentioned?
F
B) Paul, I know the history of the car and I know the rear axle has not been changed.
Tom, I guess I misunderstood, but I thought the compression readings Per got at the regional were considered good and not the problem. That Sunday I put in the valve from Daytona and that stopped the gas leaking, but I've not had an opportunity to pull the tank and have it cleaned. I noticed when I changed that valve there was a good deal of fine sediment in the bowl even though there were two filters before the carburetor.
Per, I will check the chain because, as I wrote before, there could be a time connection between when it was replaced and the start of the power loss.
Frank, I have actually had a Hudson chain skip a tooth while driving. It was in the early seventies in my 1931 Essex doing about 40 mph.
Geoff Blake
So, The question I have for you now is... When was the last time the valves were adjusted ? I know you have had this car for many years and they should have been checked several times since you have owned it, part of normal maintenance.
Tom
Tom,
At the meet, I intended to test the valves when the engine was hot, but the leakage of gas through the float valve prevented me doing it.
I had described how insufficient valve clearance was a problem with the engine in my '49. With the'49, the engine didn't run completely smoothly when it got warmed up. Since this engine is running smoothly but just is weak, I'm thinking that the engine may be off a tooth or two.
My Canadian friend Tom had the center of the fiber timing gear in a '34 Hudson eight slip a little, causing the engine to run smoothly but it was weak. This happened while he was driving, so the timing immediately became somewhat retarded.
Per
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