OK I and pretty handy with the older cars but just for the sake of finding a place to start troubleshooting what do you all think about this and where I should start looking. The 73 grabber over the past few days has been popping and sputtering under hard acceleration. Was running fine at normal highway speeds with no real problem. Started up fine and Idled smooth. It was doing what we used to call "breaking down" under hard acceleration like when I would wind out 1st and 2nd gear. I don't want to mislead anyone but one of the circumstances is that is started happening right after I let the gas get below a 1/4 tank. I immediately went to the gas station and filled her up with 93 octane and it seemed to be a little beter but still sputtering and popping when I was I was taching it up. Anyway this morning ont he way to work I was coming up a hill and I downshifted and pushed on the gas a little and she sputtered and popped and then Backfired hard twice and cut off. I turned the key off then back on and the momentum of the car started it again and then when I pulled over she sputter and cut off and then wouldn't restart. I had a similar thing happen when I used to drive the old Galaxy and it wound up being the fuel filter was getting glogged and the engine was starving under hard acceleration and it would cause it to backfire and as soon as I changed the fuel filter it was ok again. Not sure if that is what is wrong with the Maverick but I guess it is a good place to start. I'll prolly stop on the way home and get an inline filter and change that out when I get home and see what happens. If that doesn't work other than the obvious of checking the points where would you all start looking? Remember symptoms were sputtering and popping under hard acceleration for a day or two then it sputtered and popped and backfired while acclerating hard going up a hill (under a strain) then backfired twice and cut off and now will not restart. Where would you start the troubleshooting process if this was your car?? any and all comments are welcome.
My first thoughts are dirty fuel filter or water in the gas. Backfiring and now it won't restart at all... timing chain maybe?
Yeah I thought about the timing when it first started sputtering and popping under hard acceleration but the wierd part was it was running way to smooth at normal speeds and at Idle it was smooth and started by the time the engine turned over half a turn. But I guess it could be timing. I hope not but I guess it could be. Thanks for the suggestion. By the way when I went to pick it up with the tow dolly I threw the jumpers on it and it did start one last time but cut right back off. So I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing?
use a cup of gas, pour some in the carb see if it will start. If it does but tries to die pour a little more in to keep it running. If this works then you know it's a fuel problem.
i would second that but without the pouring part.. that can mask other problems.. get a clean coffee can, or gas container..route a temporaty rubber fuel line from the external fuel source and attach it to the carb. if it runs, it is a fuel problem, plugged filter, bad gas, etc. if it still does not run, it is electrical, start by checking your battery, to see if it has 14.0 volts anyhting less than 11 volts and it will cause problems..if the battery is good, check for a nice spark at the plugs.. if that is good, then it is timing right off the bat, i was thinking the same as jamie.. water in the line.. you said you ran it below 1/4 tank and since then it has done this.. it could be that it sucked up alot of junk.. i would take the fuel filter off anyways.. it is cheap and will elminate any possible problems when i blew my fuel lines out.. i disconnected the fuel line from the carb and the gas tank and got a air compressor and blew everyhting towards the gas tank.. into a jar.. this told me the condition of the fuwl lines... it came out red on color, so i went and bought 25' morosso 3/8" aluminum fuel line and replaced it all, and bought a new fuel filter, and all new rubber hose and completely redid it all. ever since that, i didnt have any problems.. i also had the fuel tank cleaned out at a radiator shop.. cost me $25 to get it cleaned and they said they could coat it for $125.. i laughed and said no thanks.. troubleshooting can be a pain in the butt, good luck
Im thinking electrical, having to use jumpers to get her going leads me to think the battery's not charging and aint got enought juice to keep her going
"you said you ran it below 1/4 tank and since then it has done this.. it could be that it sucked up alot of junk".. what would this have to do with anything? the fuel pickup is on the bottom of the tank...so from the time you start the car with a full tank it is picking up any...junk..off the bottom. so with ...full...3/4...1/2...1/4...empty...it picks up junk if it's there. ......
well I am 99% sure that it is just the stupid points closed up. When I got home this evening I got in the car and pumped the gas twice (normal starting procedure) and hit the key and she started right up. Ran it down the street and wound out 1st gear and she sputtered and stammered and stalled out. pulled over and started her up again and took it home. Got to thinking and went back out and checked the poitns and the gap looked way to closed. went to get my feeler guages and couldn't find them (of course I haven't had anything with points in many years) anyway I went to the book and checked what the gap is supposed to be and for a 73 with a 302 it says .017 a 72 302 is .027 so I went back out with the old trick and took a matchbook cover and set the gap in the point with the match book cover and started her up and ran down the street and she ran 98% better. wound out first and got no sputtering and hit second and she stumbled (like a hesitation) just a little and then wound out tight without any problem. I think I am going to call the speed shop down the street from work tomorrow and see if they have the Pertronix Ignitor 1281 and take those points out and put the Pertronix in. If they don't have them then I guess I'll buy a set of feeler guages on the way home to set the points right and order the Pertronix Ignitor off ebay.
well my battery is weak but it hasn't been giving me any trouble to speak of. But the real problem is I am pretty sure that the person that had it before me put an underdrive altenator pulley on it because if I run the heater fan and turn the car off and try to restart the car right away and it doesn't start first turn over I have had to jump it. Also if I run the headlights and the heater fan I get the tiniest weakest glow of the altenator light. So all in all Yes I do really need a battery but I think I figured out that it is the poitns and I am going to replace them with a pertronix ignitor
You like the Pertronix. If you think you are having a charging issue, it really could be several things. My first Comet had a bad problem that I finally chased down to being a fractured wire between the alt and the volt regulator, and this was after replacing both of them and the battery. The only way to really know what is going on is to diagnose it with a machine that can read the system. Many auto parts stores will do this for you for no fee. Other than that it is just guesswork. These cars are 30+ years old and the wiring deteriorates, too. One change I would like to make on mine is to put my headlights on a relay to that they have a better shot of voltage and will be brighter.
