carb problems?

[sacopee]

I have a 1939 Silver Streak with a straight eight. the car starts every time, however after I travel about 2 to three miles the engine quits. It starts up again but when I try to move it stalls. If I let it cool down for a while, it starts and drives for another couple of miles. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?


Thanks, Ron

[Stu Norman]

Your symptoms sound like a fuel delivery problem.

Next time it happens, pull over and check your carb. Does the accelerator pump squirt fuel when you floor it? If not, you're running out of fuel. Probable causes could be a dirty fuel filter, clogged pickup sock in the fuel tank, weak fuel pump, vapor lock (is your fuel line routed too close to your exhaust?) or a combination of these things. Might even be a clogged fuel tank vent. (Does the car make a WHOOSH noise when you take the gas cap off?)

OK, what if you do have fuel? Then you have a spark problem. From the symptoms I would suspect your coil is bad, heating up and loosing an internal connection.

[sacopee]

Thanks! I have tried everything but the tank end. I will check that.

Thanks again for the reply.

[Stu Norman]

Let us know how it turns out.

[sacopee]

Hi!

The problem was with the carburetor. We tried a different one and it worked fine. Don't know the specific problem, but will work on it this winter. Thanks for all the input.

Ron