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davecon6

Junior Member
Hello all,

I have been poking around the forum for some time now and just finally registered a few days ago. Certainly lots of great info to be found!

My father and I have a 1928 Roadster that has been in the family since the 50's when my grandfather purchased it. Please see the attached photo. We also have a 1930 Phaeton that will be a whole post in itself and a 1931 Roadster in 1,000,000 pieces to be put together or sold as a project.

I am trying to get the '28 to run reliably after sitting for 3-4 years. It never ran perfect and I was always a little nervous venturing too far from home. Now, I want to spend the time and money making it safe and reliable so that it will actually get driven more like it should. So, here is the problem- the car fires right up, runs fine when going slow (1st and 2nd gear up to maybe 20-25 mph.) After the car gets warm and I pick up speed and attempt to travel in 3rd gear it FEELS like the car is running out of fuel and it eventually quits. After sitting for a minute it will start right back up and run for a bit then quit again. It rarely acts this way when in second gear, somehow it seems related to the increase in speed and maybe the lower RPM of being in a higher gear.

Up to this point I have done the following:
1. Drained old gas and filled with new.
2. New intake and exhaust manifold (including gasket and glands) because there was definitely a crack in the intake manifold.
3. Clean the carb 2x (Tillotson Model X).
4. Confirmed float is set to 1 inch.
5. Checked for steady fuel flow both at carb inlet and fuel bowl drain
6. New spark plugs (gapped to .035).
7. Tried GAV set anywhere between 1/4 and 1 full turn open at both an idle and at speed.
8. Reached out to my local club so I can attend the next meeting and join.

I am not really sure where to go from here. It is really frustrating because the car wants to run, but ends up quitting on me once I start to feel confident!

I truly appreciate any help you guys can offer.

Thanks in advance,
Dave
 

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If I read you correctly it is OK at low speeds but feels like it is running out of gas at higher speed. My first 2 suggestions are to try its with the gas cap off as the gas cap vent may be clogged. My second suggestion is that the fuel line into the carburetor is pushed in too far resulting in a restricted flow of gas. It would flow OK when disconnected but have a partial flow when installed pushed in too far. There are other reasons but these first two are easy to check first.
 
The gas cap needs to be vented...it may be blocked.....next time it dies take the cap off and see if you hear air entering the tank...

You can clean the gas cap vents with brake cleaner aerosol...

Barnstuf types faster than I.....!
 

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The vent hole in your gas cap blocked ? As a joke back in the day guys would which the radiator cap with the gas cap on 28 & 29s as a pank that would give the symptoms your having.
 
Thanks for all the comments about the gas cap. The cap is certainly not original (and could be a radiator cap for all I know!) but it has two holes drilled in it to make sure it is venting properly. See attached photos.

I have not confirmed timing. The plugs look okay to me, they were replaced recently and don't look too bad. I will run the car again tomorrow and snap a photo of them.
 

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Also, another thought... if the car actually is running out of gas- wouldn't that be more likely to happen when running at a higher RPM like I am in second gear rather than speeding along at low RPM in 3rd?
 
With the holes drilled into the side of the cap like that they might be on the wrong side of the gasket and not allowing air to flow into the tank. Drive with the cap loose for a while and see if it helps.

Is it coughing and backfiring when at higher rpm's? If so it could be the flexible wire between the upper and lower plate in the distributor frayed and not making a good circuit. Check and clean your points along with making sure your timing is set correctly.
 
Larry Jenkins said:
Put in a new condensor.
Click to expand...

1crosscut said:
With the holes drilled into the side of the cap like that they might be on the wrong side of the gasket and not allowing air to flow into the tank. Drive with the cap loose for a while and see if it helps.

Is it coughing and backfiring when at higher rpm's? If so it could be the flexible wire between the upper and lower plate in the distributor frayed and not making a good circuit. Check and clean your points along with making sure your timing is set correctly.
Click to expand...

My apologies, I failed to mention that this car had a FSI electronic ignition installed about 10 years ago.

I will run the car later today with the gas cap extra loose and will snap a photo of the plugs as well. Depending on how it goes with the gas cap loose I will check the timing (something I have not done before so I will have to read up on it first).

Thank you again!!
 
Does the manifold seem to get excessively hot? Wrong timing procedure will allow it to run pretty decent at low RPM but not when pulling. Also the manifold will get really hot. Just a thought.
 
It's OK to check the timing but don't change anything until you know for sure that it is a problem. changing things in a hunt for a problem can introduce another problem making diagnosis much more difficult. I would suspect the ignition system since it is not stock, but don't know how except to put it back to stock. I trust none of the "improvements" to the Model A as Henry made it work good for 80+ years now. Jack
 
Try a different carburetor if you have one or can locate one. I don't mean not a Tillotson, which I like, just a different carb altogether. Sounds to me like you're running the fuel reservoir dry in the carb. I assume you've disconnected the fuel line from the carburetor and checked for fuel flow. Is there a filter in the bowl that could be obstructing flow? I've had that happen, and that's why I don't even use a filter in the bowl anymore.
 
If your electronic ignition is 10 years old, it might be the problem. I would give FSI a call and ask them. They are nice people and have a good help desk. Also a condenser change was recommended above, but its twin, the coil is also known to short out when it gets old and hot. If the one on your car is really old, a new one is a good idea for reliability...Ernie
 
jhowes said:
It's OK to check the timing but don't change anything until you know for sure that it is a problem. changing things in a hunt for a problem can introduce another problem making diagnosis much more difficult. I would suspect the ignition system since it is not stock, but don't know how except to put it back to stock. I trust none of the "improvements" to the Model A as Henry made it work good for 80+ years now. Jack
Click to expand...

I agree with every point in this assessment.

If the timing was right a year ago it is unlikely it has changed, but I don't know if that holds true with a non-stock FSI. I would also suspect the condenser, with the same reservation about the FSI.

But if you put in an original type distributor you will have to retime it. It is also unlikely that a timing issue would cause the problem you describe, unless it is so far off that it is causing extreme overheating.
 
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