Gone 8 miles!!! Questions? Problems.

L

Late31ugh?

Junior Member
Hi finally trust it enough go for short trips around the neighborhood. Well I'd I did until this afternoon. I have several questions. Today was depressing. Background engine was rebuilt by a well known model a restorer and was broken in on a run stand before it was reinstalled. No work has been done to it since then.
1. It's getting hot and spilling water out the overflow tube when shut off. - Can driving it with incorrect timing (manual lever) or mixture (choke rod)cause it to get hot?
2. Water is also very rusty. Is this normal for an engine during brake in?
3. Today it left a trail of oil. If it's over filled or incorrect oil make it leave an oil trail? Can overheating cause this?
4. Started getting hard to shift and grinded more before the end of our short trip. Can engine oil get to the clutch?
5. If the gear box leaks can it mimic a engine leak? Oil was running down the engine side of the bell housing and dripping off the carter pin in the hole on the bottom of the housing.
6. Carb Float randomly sticks. Any ideas why?

I know that's a lot any advise on these topics is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
If you need help, it sounds like you do, why not say where you are. Maybe someone knowable could stop by and help you. It seems you are over your head with problems.
 
Patience is key with machinery.

About the water...it may not be overheating if it just pukes when stopped. Make sure the water level in the radiator is a couple of inches below the "neck" of the radiator when cold, when I first got my "A" I over-filled it and there was a lot of rusty water overflow when stopped. Rusty water just means you need to flush the system to get that out...no big deal, just an over-the-counter flush works good...both the radiator and block probably already had developed deposits of surface rust, unless both were recently flushed.



Clean off the oil that has leaked and see where it is coming from, then go from there with the leak troubleshooting.



The clutch probably needs an adjustment "tweak" to make sure it fully disengages when depressed. Try reducing the pedal free play and see if that helps. Unless there was some kind of gasket or seal failure, it is unlikely it is soaked with oil as it would be chattering.



All that stuff is fairly common to the first run of a replaced engine so don't be too discouraged.


If the carb float is causing fuel leakage only after shut-down, just make sure to turn off the fuel when done for now...plenty of time to take care of that later. Try running some carb cleaner to help break down any deposits that might cause things to hang up some. I always use carb (or injector) cleaner on machines that haven't been run for a while - with fresh gas. It's a cheap and easy first step for trouble shooting a fickle carb.
 
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The transmission oil smells different than the engine oil so that can be your clue.

Flush the cooling systems and use 50/50 water and antifreeze. Do not try to fill the radiator to the very top. Fill to just at the bottom of the deflector in the radiator.

Is the radiator new? If it is very old it may be time for a new one.

New engines run hot until they are broken in. Just take it easy for the first 1,000 miles. Even though it was run on a stand, it will still take some miles before it will be completely broken in.

Start with the timing lever about half way. Advance the timing until the engine stops improving performance and retard one notch. You can do this at a fast idle.

Open the GAV until the engine starts to run rough then close it down just until the engine is running smooth. If your float valve is sticking you may not be able to adjust the GAV correctly. Do this on a warm engine. The float may be rubbing against something in the carburetor to make the valve stick or the valve may need to be replaced.

Engine oil can leak from the rear cam bearing if the gasket was not installed or gasket cement was not used. Check the dip stick to see if the engine oil is at the correct level. Check the transmission oil level too. You should be using 10W-30 modern detergent oil.

Check the clutch adjustment. You should have 1 inch of free movement in the clutch pedal before resistance is felt. If you do not have 1 inch free play, adjust the clutch before you drive the car again or you could burn up the clutch. The transmission can be more difficult to shift when the oil in the transmission gets warm.

Ask for help from a fellow Model A owner in your local club. You can have a tech session and invite all the club members to your house. Feed them.

Ask the person who rebuilt the engine for help.
 
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Hello, it takes awhile to get a car “sorted “as the British car owners say . follow the good advice in the posts .If it’s an original radiator may need at least cleaned out, but it hard to find a radiator shop that still does that kind of work , the one in town here just closed up. Stay with it you will be one of the few people that still know how to drive a real car that requires drivers input. I think every one that has an antique car has had some disappointing experiences I recently bought a Model A didn’t get more than 10 miles from point of purchase and found myself on side of the road, so I can relate.
 
Thanks for all the good suggestions. All good advise. The radiator has a new core so hopefully that's not the problem. It's been a long time (decades) since I last drove this car so im relearning how to drive it. It seemed the happiest with the ignition retarted and a little throttle. Otherwise it wanted to stall when stopping. Now that I've calmed down a bit and done some more reading and thinking I might have had it retarded to much and that might explain the overheating. The carb has been rebuilt and all passages are clean and the timing is correct. Idle & GAV adjustment are my next topics to ponder? Should the idle be higher while the engine is still breaking in? The GAV seems happyish with about 1/2 turn but is that right should/could it be more? Does a engine with a high compression head require the GAV to be open more than stock?
 
This may help.
 

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1/2 to 1 turn out is not at all unusual when the engine is warmed up. With the ethanol that is added to a lot of the gas, it is often necessary to run the carburetor a little more on the rich side than when using straight gasoline.

I like to set the idle a little higher than normal on a newly rebuilt engine until it has some miles on it. I think it helps keep everything well lubricated during the break in process. I DO NOT like the just let a newly rebuilt engine idle for long periods of time. I think it is hard on them.

my opinion,

Chris W.
 
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I think a Model A Ford engine seeks it's own level by spitting. New core -Why do you think it is overheating? New engine might be a little tight. Just wait. As long as the radiator cores are covered you have enough water.
 
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