MTFCA Forum

My 27 coupe has run poorly for a number of years. I had the fuel tank cleaned and sealed by a shop in Omaha, before running it for the first time. ( shop is no longer in business).
It ran great for about two years but started to lose power.
I replaced the pistons, put in new valves, with no or little difference.
At the moment, it will not start.
After draining the fuel, which wasn’t over 60 days old, I found a blue tint in the gas.
( see photos attached.) fresh gas on the left and gas from the coups gas tank, on the right.
It appears the liner put in the tank has started to bleed into the gas.
Would this cause the engine issues I have?

George

I know the old gas tank sealers were affected by ethanol when it came out. Would the sealer be that old? I haven't seen blue sealer before.

Some fuel from some brands is just blue...

losing power, changing pistons (based on what, exactly?), changing valves (based on what, exactly?), and now it doesn't start...

Losing power...on battery? on MAG? going up hills? after it warms up?

Won't start...spark? Fuel? Compression? Need info! Make all 3 happen and it will run...then you can diagnose power issues.

You're going to have to do some diagnostics and provide more information to get any sort of constructive advice. Guesses don't count as advice in my book, but you'll no doubt receive lots of them. The more info you can provide, the closer the guesses will be to the actual solution.

Good luck!

Have you cleaned the screen in the sediment bulb. Have you adjusted the float in the carburetor lately? It should measure 15/64” from the machined flange to the flat surface of the float on the side opposite the hinge. You’ll need to make a measuring gauge for taking this measurement. Change out the gas and exchange for non-ethanol type gas. Locate a source near you. www.pure-gas.org. Jim Patrick

I agree with using non-ethanol fuel if you can get it, but some states - Massachusetts comes to mind, do not allow the sale of non-ethanol gasoline into registered motor vehicles. To get non-ethanol fuel in some states you will have to go to an airport with a gas can to purchase 100 octane low-lead avgas (which is not low in lead) or get ripped off by places who sell non-ethanol gas for astonishingly high prices. The major issue with 10% ethanol gas is that it has a much shorter shelf life then unadulterated gasoline. My guess is that Elkhorn is not in Massachusetts, so if you can get real gasoline I would recommend it.

I doubt if the blue tint in the gas is a problem. If the gas smells fresh and is not cloudy, it's probably OK. Some companies dye their fuel green or blue. Some is clear, and a lot of it has a yellowish tint. You've changed so many things since the original issue cropped up it's impossible to tell from out here what the problem(s) may be. If you have doubts about the fuel, it's not hard to safely drain and dispose of it. At this point, a book could be written on what to check and what to do to get the car back in operation. Some basic checks: Is the igniton sysatem working? Is fuel reaching the carburetor? Are the various linkages, such as throttle and spark, hooked up and working correctly? Does the engine have reasonable compression when cranked by hand? Is the compression about the same on all cylinders? Is the valve adjustment correct?

If the gas tank was lined several years ago, any bleeding at this point is very unlikely. Gas tank lining typically fails by peeling or flaking. This can cause clogged fuel lines and screens. it isn't likley to damage the engine. Lining that is installed in a properly prepared tank usally does a good job.

I had that happen to me years ago in a 64 ford galaxie. Mine turned the gas red. I opened the top of its carburetor and found pulverized red powder everywhere. The fuel filter was full of it to. The liner job in the tank failed and was in the fuel system. I would open up your fuel system components and see if you have any restrictions. Probably will be obvious if that’s the case.
Bryant

Could the red powder have been rust and leaded fuel residue?

Do you still have the original ignition system in the car? When you say it got to running bad was it on magneto or does it work. If the magneto isn’t working we’re you running it on battery?
Since you rebuilt the engine and it still won’t run it sounds like a timing or ignition problem.
Was anything ever done to the timer, coil box, wiring? If it was changed to a distributor that’s another story.

I would start thinking it’s an ignition issue and go that direction.

Gas out of the pump isn’t always the same color and that not be the issue. If it’s available use the better grade of gas that doesn’t have as much ethanol or none at all. and use a better grade if it’s available.
If you think it’s a gas issue then add a fuel filter and start using a higher grade of gas. BUT it sounds like it time check out the timer, wiring to the coil box and etc.

A T won’t run unless you have a good ignition system whether you have good gas or not.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:33 pm

Could the red powder have been rust and leaded fuel residue?

I dropped the fuel tank and there was large red liner particles floating in the gas. I guess the fuel pump was munching it up and craning it in the carb.

What has been done to the engine as far as ‘improvements’. You mentioned a fuel pump. Most T’s don’t have a fuel pump since they use gravity flow. So it must have been added.

John kuehn wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:50 pm

What has been done to the engine as far as ‘improvements’. You mentioned a fuel pump. Most T’s don’t have a fuel pump since they use gravity flow. So it must have been added.

John this was in reference to a 64 ford a few posts up with a similar gas issue.

. A small dent in a fuel line can cause all sorts of headaches. Such minor dents are often overlooked when tracking down fuel system problems.

Sorry about the mis reference but It could be time to go the ignition system route as far as the T goes.

Try draining the sediment bowl and check for rust or water. Do the same for the carburetor bowl. The fuel should flow freely when you open the valve at the bottom of the carburetor. Note, drain enough to be sure you are getting fuel from the tank and not just the gas in the bowl. Particles can be filtered out using a coffee filter in your funnel, but water must be discarded. If the fuel flows freely, you likely don't have a carburetor problem. Since it has been running poorly for some time, I would suspect a timing or spark problem. Check that you are getting spark to each plug and also that the plugs are firing. Check timing so with the lever all the way up, the spark comes just after the piston passes top dead center on the compression stroke. Clean the timer and replace if it is worn out. If you are using a distributor, check points, condensor, rotor and cap for problems and replace if necessary.
Norm