1963 FORD falcon runs rough, really jumpy when given gas. not stable?
Asked by Mark Nov 02, 2014 at 01:52 AM about the 1963 Ford Falcon
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
i have a 63 ford falcon with a 68 170 ci engine block, auto 2 speed tranny. recently installed a new distributor, was worn bad, points burned ect. installed the new one, timing is correct and everything. 68 engines need to be 6 degrees on timing? before i got the new distributor the car had been running pretty smooth. up until recently where i started to notice a drop in acceleration slowly and not to often but as a day or 2 went by it got worse, like really bad jumping and jerking when you give it gas. i checked my tranny fluid and it was pretty bare so i added 4 qts for it and it still didnt help, the engine wouldnt even run but would turn. spark plugs are new, .35 gap? new carb too before i got the distributor. no matter where i rotate it, or fuel mixture i cant get it to run smooth adn not jerk every half second trying to move or even just stall and die. ive tried adjusting the float in the carb, raising it lowering it, and even after all this tinkering it still refuses to run clean. runs, but not smooth, no vapor lock, lines clean, getting gas and power. any ideas would very much be appreciated!!!
11 Answers
The fuel pump should be fairly cheap and straight forward to replace.
sweet! id hoped the new distributor woudve fixed the problem but hey nothing wrong with a new part! any other suggestions? i just cant accelerate anymore without non stop jerking on the engine trying to move even at low speeds
Maybe dirty fuel or clogged fuel filter or the manual pump is worn out. Also when you changed the dist did you switch from points to electronic ingnition?
funny thing is someone today was mentioning i should do that, along with replacing the generator with an alternator. funds currently 0 till Friday./ im thinking of replacing the fuel pump too just in case
Start with the fuel pump. And while you're at it, change your fuel filter.
Those guys are right..and getting rid of mechanical breaker points is one of the best things to do. And by doing so it's not like you are making your car computer-controlled, the timing advance is very important also centrifugal or vacuum either will work
i see i see. someone was recommending replacing the spark wires that lead to the cap? he said one could be miss firing or something, a bad wire. the plugs end up black all the time and i have to clean them. too rich in fuel. but tuning the mixture hasnt done anything. the fire order is in correct place. im planning on getin a new cap today, the breakers inside look un even and worn down, along with a small crack and a small chunk of its rim missing.
Got the new cap today likre it's losing power more? 12$ not bad but no luck, might get electric distributor stuff soon
also. the carb is for a 140 63 engine, worked fine before but could that be bad too?
ranchoman61 answered 9 years ago
replace the condenser in distributor, should cure ur problem, i have a 63 ranchero same engine, was doing same thing,
Did you ever figure out the problem??? I’m having the same issue changed to new distributor and after a few days I can get around with out the car jerking I get up 35 40. But when the car is in park I can make her bark no problem so it mustn’t be the the fuel pump. After reading this feed I’m suspecting the point? But they should be new. If you can let me know if you fixed the issue or what you decided to do I’d highly appreciate. Cheers
