First Drive with the '24, Burning Wood worry

O

omextreme

Junior Member
Well thanks to Rusty in N. GA the 24 is up and running. Still needs a few things but it runs and drives. I have a few questions if yall dont mind.

Having never driven a "T" before when i pulled back into driveway after a few laps around the neighborhood a few things i noticed.

Water in radiator was at a rolling boil heard very loudly for a few minutes after shutting down engine.

My floor boards shifted while climbing in the car and I saw the exhaust manifold where the tail pipe connects glowing red and the board above it was smoking slightly. (the board was out of place so it was sitting pretty close to the pipe)

Normal or not?

Thanks
Adam
 
You need to give it more gas via the spray needle and advance the spark more. Part of gas job it to also to cool. If you are running too lean and not enough advance on the spark you will cause the manifold to over heat and can also burn valves. Just listen to the motor, if it sounds like its running smooth at a quick idle it's probable good. The water thing is normal.
 
Sounds too lean and spark still retarded some. Altho not unusual to see that manifold glowing dull red at night when running extended WOT, its not a common thing to see it that red in the daylite(?).
Theres various ways and methods to set timing rod lengths that others will advise here shortly Im sure, but those are very symptomatic conditions.
My fresh motor (at 65F abient) will run all day long and never exceed 180 on the motometer. After a brisk run on a new motor, its not too unusual to have to pull the lower hose and give ol' Bessy a good flushin'.
If its running as hot as you describe, on shut down, you should hear the rolling boil for a few seconds, probably accomanied my some steady steam out of the overflow tube. My bets on the timing issue.
One other issue is water pump or natural circulation; thermo siphon. If the pump is not turning (if there is one) its effectively hampering circulation. The thermo siphon system is pretty much self regulating with flow and temp. Also, if Rusty installed a thermo stat get rid of it! ws
 
the glow at the manifold was at dusk but maybe it is a little lean. So I'll open the carb adjuster ( CCW ? ) and run with spark advanced more ( down further ? )

thanks
 
"Back in the day..." when model T's were racing the driver typically grabbed both levers from underneath and squeezed them together. These guys rarely have a single sweet spot on any carburetor. Hills, weight, temp, and humidity all cause different needle needs so constant attention isnt out of the norm. Personally, I lean mine down until you hear a noticable difference then open it up another 1/8 - 1/4 turn (ccw).
Mines even weirder than that, as when I do a cold start, a single pull on the choke will flood it. I merely open the needle 1/4 turn, close the throttle for a few spins (more manifold vacuum) then open the throttle and she lites off.
Doesnt matter what the exspurts say. EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT. ws
 
Burning the floor is pretty abnormal. Boiling is not that good for it either, should just simmer away for a few seconds.
You can run with the spark advanced about 30 degrees (nearly full advance) all day except for pulling steep hills or away from a stop. Normally you only need to open the gas mixture until it stops speeding the engine up, any more and the exhaust starts smelling like fuel. You can fine tune it on the open road if you like. goodluck
 
If it were mine I would flush the cooling system if it was sitting for a long time before now. Also more advance and maybe more gas. But again if it's been sitting for a long time you will need to drive it a little more to get the hang of it.
Something that get's me is that there are some that are scared to move the timing or play with the mixture. You can always turn it back where it was.

Thinking about it now pull the plugs and look to see if it was way lean. Have fun.
 
31 A4door said:
If it were mine I would flush the cooling system if it was sitting for a long time before now. Also more advance and maybe more gas. But again if it's been sitting for a long time you will need to drive it a little more to get the hang of it.
Something that get's me is that there are some that are scared to move the timing or play with the mixture. You can always turn it back where it was.

Thinking about it now pull the plugs and look to see if it was way lean. Have fun.
Click to expand...
Hi Adam, running a little hot on the exhaust could also be caused by the muffler coming a bit loose and not creating enough back pressure, which in effect leans out the engine. As for the radiator, I would guess it needs a good flushing.

Good luck,

Rob
 
Model T tailpipes fit loose into the muffler anyway. Unlike the Model A that had a bracket that allowed the whole muffler/tail pipe to slide back and forth with expansion and contraction the Model T muffler was bolted to the frame. The tail pipe is or should be left loose where it slides into the muffler so it can do the same thing. The U bolt supplied in the kits should not be used. If the lack of back pressure was the case, he still need to open the needle valve and more advance on the timing.
 
Hi Red, i agree wtih the installation instructions for a Model T mufflerthat you provided.

I guess I was not clear, I was referring to the baffles coming loose, or becoming misaligned within the muffler. I have found this to be a problem I have encountered, and it causes the exhaust to run very hot, and no amount of timing advance or carburator adjustment can overcome it. I tack welded the baffles and outter case on my newer reproduction muffler, as well as, put a spot of weld on the back side of the nut on the draw rod, to allieviate this problem I had last summer.

If you have not had this experience you probably cannot appreciate my suggestion.:)
 
After fiddling some more with the T, I leaned the carb out until the engine started starving and richened it back 1/4 turn. Advanced the timing to 30deg and puttered around the neighborhood a few times. The glowing seems to have stopped and the water in the radiator only boils for about 1 min after parking.

As for the muffler its new, radiator was flushed once and will be flushed again. (plain water or antifreeze mix?)

Now on the the parking brake or lack there of issue......

Thanks
Adam
 
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