I got the 1973 4-door out this weekend...been driving it around. On two occasions this evening this happened: I would drive the car, go inside a restaurant/store, etc. Come out twenty minutes later. Car would fire right up....drive about 3 blocks and die. Pump the dicken out of the accelorator. It would fire and die again. Blow some starting fluid down the carb....fire right up....would stay running as long as one person kept their foot on the gas (the wife)...and I would shoot sprays of starting fluid down the carb a blast at a time. After about 30 seconds of this.....car would be fine and I could drive it anywhere. Drove about 20 miles...shut it off..went inside for about 20 minutes...repeat as before. I have my thoughts.....but what do you folks think? 302 V-8....all factory.
1983 Olds would do the same thing. again, olds / ford, not the best comparison. needed a fuel pump. it would start and run off the fuel left on the bowl, but the bad pump allowed all the fuel above the level in the tank to drain back. then it was hell to get running, cause the pump wouldnt suck air too well. threw in a pump, never been a problem since. checked the oil for fuel?
It also could the the ingtion coil or ingtion moudulator. I went a week with the car randomly dying and ended up replacing the fuel pump, the fuel filter, the ingtion moudulator twice and then the coil. Plus ran out of gas in that week too. My bet would be the fuel pump or coil.
Just went thru the same problem with my cyclone. Thought is was the fuel pump, replaced and it helped a bit. Real culprit was the accelerater pump in the carb. Dan
Well...here's the scoop. When i bought the car...they had an electric fule pump on it...but it wasn't hooked up. the original fuel pump was hooked back up (First clue). In the trunk was a rebuilt carb...still in the box. On the car was a rebuilt carb...fresh out of the box. Also in the trunk was a brand new fuel pump still in the box (second clue). The car ran and drove when I bought it last August...so i didn't think too much about it. Brought it home, took off the electric fuel pump (was told by previous owner they put it on there for fuel economy). I never removed all the miles of hose, since it was hooked up and running when I bought the car. With the above clues...I suspect the fuel pump. I also suspected what mercgt73 suspected...fuel bowl is emptied out about 3 blocks after I get it running. Installed the new one today, removed all the excess hose...seems to run fine today....so far.
you have you answer but... Just wanted to say I had a motorcyle that did that , but it turned out the gas cap was defective and not venting.. didn't allow air in the tank.. so it created a vacuum, anyhow for what it is worth if the gas cap doesn't vent it will act that way to. I would get a bout 10 miles it would die, and I would take the cap off, then it would allow air in the tank again go a few more miles then die. But then these have vent in them separate from the gas cap, so a clog in that vent could theoretically cause this.. right? Just somthing to keep in mind for future reference
71 and up Comets and Mavericks don't have vented caps. They vent through a valve in the top of the tank and route the vapors up to the charcole canister and on to the air cleaner housing. You are right though, if its not venting it will cause problems. It's easy to check, disconnect the line comming from the tank up at the charcole cannister, put a very low pressure air through the filler neck and see if its venting. I also had this exact problem once on a Bronco. Turned out to be 25 yr old factory spring clamps on a piece of fuel line under the truck. They would just allow air to be sucked in once in a while.
Hello: My 70 Maverick is doing the same thing as yours. Except mine is a 200 6 banger. Did you ever fingure out the problem with it dying? Let me know !! Thanks Bobby Radford
craig, i had s rubber gas line sucking flat. it was the vent on the tank stopped up...frank...:bananaman :bananaman hope the pump takes care of it.
