indystang66

My mustang sat for awhile. I did start it when I was home. This last time it I could barely get it to hold.

I though bad gas..So I drained the gas and put new gas in..NO

Carb..took it apart and dipped/cleaned it..NO

It seems to be getting good gas the the carb.

When I start the stang it starts, but i have to hold the gas all the way down for it to barely keep going then it dies and shoots fire out of the carb.

Could it be that the timing is off? If so I know nothing about timing and could use some help. Could this be done with the distributor?

Thanks alot.

JMD

Check your ignition timing, if it is WAY off you might consider that the valve timing may have slipped a tooth. This only happens (practically anyway) with the stock fiber type timing gears, and would likely only happen if your engine is one of the very few that have never been apart in the last 20 or 30 years....

kalli

ya, check on the timing first. however for that you'd need a timing gun. however you could just give it a try this way: loosen distributor hold down clamp, turn the distributor 10 degrees clockwise. see if that's any better,. if not try 10 degrees the other way. once you get it running try to adjust the distributor so that it stays running and accepts gas. once you done that you'll still need a timing gun to time it properly. however at least you know where your problem is.

what could be the case as well is that the carb is dumping fuel and you need the throttle wide open for all the air to help it. if you get it running check if you can see gas in the carburetor. at normal operation (idle) you should never see any gas unless when you press the throttle (accellerator spraying at top)

indystang66

Ok, so I need to loosen the bolt on bottom and lift the distributor to disengage the gear. Then I will turn it 10 degrees lower to engage gear and tighten bolt. Right?

Ive been thinking of replacing the distributor. So any suggestions for a new one? Hipo 289 1966.

pbfoot

Please do not lift distibutor up.Just loosen bolt and distributor will turn.If you do not know anything about timing do not mess with it!If you insist on doing it anyway mark distributor with a majic marker and make a mark on the block so you can line it back up again.If the car was running well before it sat up its not the timing.

kalli

Just like pbfoot says. Loosen. Don't lift. Just turn

JMD

I should have been more clear, if your ignition timing is off by a LOT, then something caused this, that something is likely going to be slipped valve timing. I was saying that if the ignition timing is off a lot, it will indicate a need to check the valve timing.

I should have mentioned, if you are running points, you might just need to set them. In fact, if you have points , this is a much more likely issue than either ignition or valve timing. If the points are way off, timing will be off too, and the points must be set before timing is set.

KMatch

Pull some spark plugs. Older ignitions are weak and if the car is started a few times and shut off without warming up, the plugs will build a layer of black soot that wasn't allowed to burn off. It reaches a point where the soot turns into a short circuit and not allowing a spark (carbon is a conductor). More than 3 or 4 bad plugs and you've got 4 cylinders trying to run an engine by spinning 4 dead cylinders and it'll barely run with your foot on the floor. Sound familiar? Pull a few plugs and see.

indystang66

Yeah I do not know much about timing or points to be honest. I am going to have my neighbor come over and take a look. He has all the tools and knowledge. But this should give me a start. Thanks for all the help.