Idiling Problems Squared (1 Viewer)

[GLTHFJ60]

My truck is a pain in the ass. I love it, but it is a pain.

My problem with idling is that it will not idle. Not at all. I have taken apart the carb and shroud to inspect a cracked manifold and I did not find a crack anywhere.

If I just crank the engine, it will not fire. If I pump the gas pedal and then crank the engine, it will run until it runs out of gas and stalls.

My idea is that there is something wrong with the fuel system. Possibly a sucky fuel pump or a clogged fuel filter. Any ideas????

Thank You!!!

 

[Mike S]

Has the truck been doing this since you got it? Is it running OK once started, but fails to idle?

Check the fuel level in the carb sight glass. Take off the fuel filter and replace filter cartridge. Check that fuel is reaching the carb from the FP.

Check to see that the fuel cut-off solenoid is working - or not. This can be a cause of exactly what you are discribing.

 

[soggy60]

2nd the motion on the solenoid !

Sound waaaay too familiar

 

[chitown40]

Before Al has a chance to post up on this , put another ground wire on the fuel cut solenoid. Since I don't think you have the FSM yet, you can turn the ignition to 'ON' and then unplug and then plug-in the green connector on the carb. If you don't hear a distinct 'click', then either the ground is bad, you have no power going to it, or the solenoid is faulty.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Well, I just came back inside from checking the solenoid, and that is not the problem. I heard a distinct click from inside the carb, and that is what I was looking for I believe. Oh well.

It has not been doing it since I got it. When the PO delivered it, he drove it to my house, which is about a mile from his house. I drove it around my block to make sure that it ran, and to diagnose any problems, and it ran fine. I then proceded to put it into my garage where I was planning that it would sit until I could earn enough money to insure it.

About a week later, I needed to get something out of my garage so I backed it out. Then, it idled roughly and would stall if it idled for 30 seconds or more. I put it back thinking that I would fix it later.

When I had enough time to inspect the problem, I went to turn it on and it would not idle at all. Like I said in my first post, it will only run if I pump the throttle before I crank the engine. When I do that, it will burn the gas that I pumped in and then stall unless I feed it more. I don't know what is wrong.

 

[chitown40]

Will it idle with the choke on? Did you take a vacuum reading from the manifold while it was running? These things can tell a lot, like if you have a vacuum leak or not, and will help you determine if it is fuel related on leak related.

 

[krzyabncanuck]

Not too sure, but it sounds like it might be cold blooded. IE needs the choke on for a bit when 1st started.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I forgot to say that the only that I can start it is if I have the choke on full and with much gas. It will only crank if I use only choke.

Could this be a bad intake/exhaust manifold gasket?

What do you mean by a vacuum reading? Can I do this at home?

 

[FJ40Jim]

For you folks who have never owned a vehicle from the 1950's, i'll explain the manual choke.
To start a manual choke vehicle, first pull the choke knob all the way out.
now pump the gas pedal several smooth strokes all the way to the floor. Don't stab the gas pedal because it takes the accel pump about 2 seconds to fully discharge.
Now turn the key and it should start.
If it doesn't start, pump the gas a couple more times and try again.
Once it is started, begine pushing the choke knob in to bring the idle down to something reasonable, but not so slow that it dies.
After a minute or two push the choke in some more, but don't let it die.
After a few more minutes, depending on the weather, it may be possible to completely push in the choke and have a stable idle.

HTH!

 

[hammer1]

my old 40 ( 20 years ago) suffered from rust in the gas tank. maybe thats it?
hammer

 

[chitown40]

FJ40Jim: Good info.

GLTHFJ60: I'd bet my paycheck you have a cracked intake manifold. YOu probably won't be able to see the crack from the top (underneath the carb) unless it's real severe. You'd have to pull the set of manifolds to see for sure. YOu can take a can of carb cleaner and spray around the intake manifold gasket and the base of the carb while the vehicle is idling. In your case leave the choke on just enough to keep it running. Spray around the manifold/head surface and around the carb base. If the engine speed picks up, you have a vacuum leak. As far as vacuum, go to your local parts store and buy a vacuum gauge -- its one of the best tools you can have. Whenever my 60 acts up, the first thing I do is slap on the vacuum gauge to make sure I have no leaks. Connect the vac gauge to the intake manifold via the brake booster port. Take a reading. Should be over 16mm/hg per factory manual. I'm willing to bet yours is around 8-10 max. If it is, get out your MANUAL (you bought one by now, right?) and start removing the manifolds. Get a gasket set from someone like SOR.com and then see if the manifold is cracked/warped etc. If you need a new one, either buy OEM (pricy), or try to find someone with a matched set of exhaust/intake manifolds for sale. Have a machine shop clean 'em up, check 'em for cracks, and then plane them nice and smooth so it mounts to the head nice and flush. Follow the instructions in the manual and you'll have no problem. Also do a compression test before you start tearing into the engine and post up your numbers.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I'll have to go out and buy a vacuum gage and a compression gage, my tool box is lacking.

I will do a compression test and get back to you. Thanks for the info.