Hi Michael - Was wondering if by chance your car has overdrive. I have found, that as the wires age feeding the kick-down switch , and the govener on the OD, they sometimes become frayed and the bare wire core sometimes will make momentary contact with the trans/OD case, floorboard or cowl sheet metal and cause a very slight miss or stumble. Going thru this situation on my '53 Super Jet right now.

Nope, no OD - Hydramatic.

As for Walt's suggestion that my float might be low, that's possible, but I'm not sure that fits the symptoms. Let's say I'm on the flats and then I come to a long hill. As I put my foot down just a little to overcome the grade, the car starts to have this intermittent missing. But then, if i push the accelerator down even further, the problem goes away and i power up the hill. If it were a low float, wouldn't the car sputter more as i put more pressure on the pedal?

[quote="Michael Cohen" post=11057]Nope, no OD - Hydramatic.

As for Walt's suggestion that my float might be low, that's possible, but I'm not sure that fits the symptoms. Let's say I'm on the flats and then I come to a long hill. As I put my foot down just a little to overcome the grade, the car starts to have this intermittent missing. But then, if i push the accelerator down even further, the problem goes away and i power up the hill. If it were a low float, wouldn't the car sputter more as i put more pressure on the pedal?
What you described, I call a lean mis at tip in. That can be caused by not enough fuel, but also be the result of weak spark. If you are using points, don't overlook checking the gap. Maybe just a tweek of the timing.

Hi David - thanks for the feedback. So, as far as the distributor goes, I think that's in good shape, as i just did a quick check. I can verify the point gap by taking a dwell measurement later in the week. In the meantime, what do you mean by a "miss at tip in"?

"Tip in" is when you just barely open the throttle from idle. If the accelerator pump is not working, you have a momentary very lean mixture that some would call a "hesitation".

Ah, makes sense. Yes, that was the first thing I checked, the operation of the accelerator pump. But now that you've mentioned this, I need to think again about Walt's suggestion on low float level (in spite of the fact that the carburetor was just rebuilt, professionally). In these Carter WGD-2 carbs, is it possible for the accelerator pump to get starved for gas sooner than the high speed fuel circuit?

The carters WGD carbs have 2 different accelerator pumps, one is short and the other is a little longer. You may have the short one and need the long one. Walt.

Great suggestion...how would I know? Is there a measurement I can compare mine with? I'm planning to take the carb apart anyway, just to see if there's anything floating around in there blocking jets or closing off ports, etc. I can measure the pump and then check the adjustment vs. the shop manual.

I have been following this thread for a reason.. I have a WDO that is doing similar things.. I bought a 49 8 and it had carb problems. I was lucky to find a NOS carb on EBay.. I put it on the car and problem solved.. I put the old carb on the shelf.. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I have been building a 49 Two door sedan. piece by piece. I have a wide block 262 that I rebuilt. I put that old carb on the 262 and it runs just as bad as the 8 did with it. no surprise.. I just ordered a kit from Daytona Products. should be here in a day or two. only less than a 100 miles from here. They think the small difference in Cubic inches shouldn't cause any problems. I did find a dried up accelerator pump, which I replaced and tried the two pump link hookups with no help. Maybe my pump is the wrong one? I guess I'll find out when the kit arrives. By the way.. I only use non ethanol. It's available locally and since I don't use copious amounts.. The extra $ isn't a problem.

Hi all - well, it looks as if the problem might be water in the gasoline. After verifying my dwell reading of 38 degrees, I went on to the fuel system. I have a spare carburetor, so I swapped that in. I carefully disassembled the carb that was on the car, and what did i see rolling around in the bottom of the fuel bowl (where the float is)? A little drop of water. Even after i started the car up with the replacement carb, it wouldn't keep running. So, I think I need to discard the contents of the gas tank, about 10 gallons of water-contaminated fuel. Maybe if i'm careful to not disturb the car the water-laden portion, being heavier than gasoline, will flow out the drain first.

I'll keep everyone posted with the progress.

I seem to remember something about putting methelayted spirits into a fuel tank in situations like this. The water gets evenly "absorbed" by the meths and distributed through the fuel - eventually disappearing as the fuel is used?
Someone may be able to elaborate further or dispel as an old wives tale!!

Well, that wasn't it either. I drained some of the gas out of the tank and didn't see any more water. The car is really misbehaving now. I can get it to start and idle for about 10-15 seconds and then it starts sputtering and dies.I'm wondering if the fuel pump is not working right. I'll take that out next. Or maybe there's a restriction on the fuel line, such as a buildup at the pick-up end in the tank. I think I need some quality time to think about this.

If the car has been sitting for some time then it is likely to have a clogged fuel line. Check at the connection by the fuel pump, if you see green gunge at the union, then you likely have a build-up in the line, or the tank inlet. Or it could be your fuel pump or filter. Try fitting a by-pass electric pump first, into a can of fresh fuel, and see if that works. Good luck,
Geoff

Hi Geoff - thanks for the suggestions. I don't have a spare electric fuel pump lying around, so I'm going to try the old fashioned method of checking the output pressure with a gauge. I also want to check the fuel line somehow, maybe by disconnecting the flexible hose, replacing it with a fitting with some Tygon tubing and starting a siphon. It should flow in an unrestricted manner. If it's neither of these, pump or fuel line, I'm not sure where to go next.

One last thing...I'm starting to think about a bad coil as a possible suspect too. More on this later.

[quote="Michael Cohen" post=11131]Well, that wasn't it either. I drained some of the gas out of the tank and didn't see any more water. The car is really misbehaving now. I can get it to start and idle for about 10-15 seconds and then it starts sputtering and dies.I'm wondering if the fuel pump is not working right. I'll take that out next. Or maybe there's a restriction on the fuel line, such as a buildup at the pick-up end in the tank. I think I need some quality time to think about this.

I think someone suggested you remove the inlet line at the fuel pump and run a rubber gas line to a gas can. Did you do that? It will eliminate the tank and steel line as a possible problem. Try tightening up the screws on the fuel pump. You can also run a line directly to the carb and have the gas can elevated so gravity helps the fuel run.

Just be careful if you do this.