I have a 69 Mach 1 Mustang with a 351w that has a pertronix ignition and coil and 600 Edelbrock Carb. It has had this set up for about 2 years. Here recently sometimes when you have been driving the car a bit(30 minutes or so) when you come to a stop the idle gets real rough and sometimes dies. When it dies it will not start back up. After letting the car set for about 2 hours then it will start again. Any ideas on possible causes?

 

Hello Jim, and welcome to the classic section of MF. It sounds to me as though you need to do some carburetor adjustment. In addition, I would make sure you have a good heat disbursement below the carb. You may be boiling the gas in the carb at temp. The Phenolic spacer usually solves that problem.

 

sounds like bad gas?..

 

I know I keep saying it but it sounds like a fuel filter. Tune it up and replace the fuel filter. I'll bet it runs great.

 

It could be bad gas, a plugged fuel filter or the carb getting hot enough to boil the gas in the bowl, but at any rate.....it is a fuel problem.

 

2yrs is along time for gas...terpintine anybody?....it probably gummed to hell

 

I agree Art......If the gas in the tank has been in there for 2 years, then you need to drain it all out, and replace it with new gas. Also, change the filter and overhaul the carb.

 

Thanks for the help people. But if you read the post you will see it saids it has had the same carb and pertronix for the last 2 years. It never states the same gas. It has fresh gas in the car and always does. The car has only about 3,000 miles on it since the fuel filter was changed.

 

Again, it sounds like vapor lock to me. After it dies, and you try to start it again, does the engine turn over hard, or does it spin normally? The next time it happens, pop the hood and listen to the carburetor. Do you hear fuel boiling? Phenolic spacers are relatively cheap, so get one on there and see if that resolves the problem.

 

The car turns over normal. Thanks for your help that does sound like that could be the problem. The last thing that was done with the car before this problem was putting in a new heater core. Thanks for your help. I think I will try the phenolic spacer. I will have to check clearance because I know I dont have a lot under the hood.