[Zachaios]

The car started perfectly fine until 2 days ago. It is a 200 ci straight 6 new starter, battery, solenoid, and alternater. The carb squirts gas.

I just put fresh gas in it.

could it be the spark plug,distributor,coils flywheel?

I only mention the flywheel because behind the starter i found small meatl flakes i think the old starter was grinding the teeth alittle because for some reason the idiot put a spacer between one of the bolts causeing it to sit at an angle
.
Ocasionally it starts but only runs for a few seconds and dies. Is the flywheel only required to start the car or both to start the car and keep it running? Also the fan in the front of the engine doesnt have a problem spinning the engine just wont start.

What are the symptons of bad spark plug, wireset, distributor, or coils?

Is there an easy way to test these parts?

Sorry im new to classic cars.

 

[westin]

The flywheel teeth are only needed for the starting of the engine. If the car starts, but runs for only a few seconds before stopping, my thought would be to check out the fuel situation. You state that the car squirts gas but does it do so once the engine dies? Since the engine does seem to run well for those few seconds, it appears the electrical system is doing its job, and the carburetor is getting enough air. That leaves the fuel as the problem. So check the spray in the carburetor as soon as the car dies--is the gas still spraying or not.

Other problem areas are the fuel filter and the ignition coil (I once had a problem similar to yours which turned out to be a small crack in the coil.) and the cap and rotor.

Always remember that it takes air, fuel and ignition to make an engine run. Check each of these three before going any deeper. If they all check out, the fourth thing required by an engine is compression. If the fuel and air mixture is not compressed enough, the spark will not light the fuel causing the explosion needed to drive the piston down. (This involves the valves and rings of the pistons.)

My quess lies in the fuel area.

 

[bressal]

Check the spark. If no spark, then likely the points have worn so they are no longer opening (the distributor cam opens the points). Just adjust the points to 014" - .016" at the maximum opening. Check the ignition timing afterward, as the point gap has a small influence on timing.

 

[gregg]

Check the color of the spark at the plugs. Should be blue or white looking. If yellow, not a good spark. Could be a bad condenser or coil.

 

[auley]

make sure your carb is clean....that would let it run a bit and then die it could just be out of adjustment. sounds like your getting fire so your plugs and wires are probably be ok but a tune up wouldnt hurt

 

[roselyn]

its probably just a fuse

 

[berke]

Take it to a local reputable mechanic to have looked at. You
may very well need those shims for that starter and you sure
don't want to screw up that flywheel any more than it may be
already. The flywheel is there primarily to spin the engine
only which is turned by the starter. After that, it has nothing to do
with your stalling issue.

At this point in time it sounds like it's a small issue here. Don't
make things worse if you're not sure what you're doing with this
car.

A seasoned older mechanic should be happy to service such
a car.

Good Luck on your fix....

 

[shaddoc]

1965 ...are you younger or older than your ride? I gotta figure younger. What you have is a nice classic car that requires regular, hands-on maintenance. I am assuming you bought/got this car from someone else and it's a recent acquisition. How much do you know about working on cars? Are you willing to learn? Invest in a good repair manual and look it over ...it'll tell and show you how to do the normal maintenance items this car will require. Was this car driven regularly or was it left sitting in a garage for awhile?

The first thing I would do is a complete tune-up. This will require you to replace the points, condenser, rotor and cap ...these are all located on the distributor ...and are the major wear items in the ignition system. You will need to replace the plugs with new ones ..and make sure they are properly gapped. Your wires are probably okay ....You will need a tach/dwell meter, some feeler gauges and a spark plug gaping gauge to perform a tune up.

Second thing I would do is rebuild the carb. The little 1bbl carb is relatively easy to work on. If the vehicle has sat for extended periods, then there might very well be a lot of crud in the internals of the carb. Gasoline turns into a varnish-like gooey substance when left for long periods. You will need to learn how to adjust the idle mixture and idle speed ...the tach/dwell meter comes in handy for this.

The fact it starts then dies might indicate your fuel pump is not long for this world ...there are methods to check its health.

Depending on how the car was used (did it sit for long periods or was it driven regularly) will be a clue as to whether the fuel tank has rust in it ..which may be another reason the car doesn't run. If the rust has plugged the fuel filter then you'lll need to address the fuel tank (reproductions are probably plentiful).

If all this sounds too yukky to deal with then open your wallet wide and take it to a good local shop that is familiar with older (vintage) vehicles ...you may have to search for one as most "techs" at most shops weren't even born when your car was made. Hopefully you'll see this as a challenge and a chance to learn something about automotive history.

Also, there are scads of classic Mustang forums on the web and this is were I'd go for further questions about your new baby ...and the forums are great sources of knowledge. Have fun with it and do get some grease under your fingernails ....

Mike
67 Pontiac
73 Beetle