LOSS OF POWER

[HAP]

I AM A RELATIVELY NEW MODEL T OWNER. WHEN i TOOK MY 1925 T OUT OF STORAGE IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND RAN OK WITHOUT ANY LOAD...IT WOULD GO IN REVERSE BUT WHEN TRYING TO GO FORWARD IT WOULD GO A BIT AND THEN DIE. IT WOULD START RIGHT UP AGAIN AND IDLE OK BUT DIE EVERY TIME I TRIED TO GO FORWARD (SEVERAL TRYS). THE HAND BRAKE WAS RELEASED TO NEUTRAL BEFORE TRYING TO GO FORWARD. i FINALLY GOT IT BACK IN THE GARAGE. ANYONE HAVE IDEAS AS TO CAUSE AND HOE TO FIX? COULD IT BE TIMING OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS SIMPLE? I PUT IN NEW GAS AS PART OF RETURN TO SERVICE.

[Piewagon]

Before dispensing advice I guess I would like to ask a few questions. How long have you owned the T or more specifically have you driven it before on some drives of more than around the block? Sometimes the hand brake will grip tighter going one direction (forward?) than when going the other. To make sure - shut off the motor and put the lever in what you feel is the neutral position and see if you can push the car forward by yourself on level ground. I can push mine forward on level ground and I am only 157 lbs and am 75 years old. You may not have both rear wheels free when in "neutral" position.

[Norman Kling]

Have you tried to move as far in reverse as you moved in low? I think you have a fuel supply problem and when it is not running some fuel flows into the carburetor and when you start out in low, you use up all that fuel and it is not replenished fast enough to continue to drive. Some things to check:
1. Fuel valve at tank is fully open. The filter screen at the sediment bowl is not clogged up. If you open the petcock under the sediment bowl, gas should flow out freely. If not either the screen is clogged or there is something at the bottom of the tank blocking fuel from flowing freely into the sediment bulb.
2. The line between the sediment bowl and carburetor is clear and both ends are uphill from the lowest point in the line. There should be no high spot between the two ends. The line is far enough from the exhaust pipe that you don't get,"vapor lock". And there are no in line filters between the sediment bowl and carburetor.
3. The Model T was made to use gravity flow, but some people have added a fuel pump. If you have a fuel pump in the system, that it is working and neither not pumping fuel nor pumping in air into the system.
4. The float in the carburetor still floats and the needle valve passageway is not blocked with sediment. You can check here by opening the petcock at the bottom of the carburetor and draining out gas. The flow should be constant.
5. If the car has been parked for many months, the new gas tends to become like varnish and will cause problems which needs to be cleaned up before the fuel will flow. So when you park for extended periods it is best to either drain the gas or add a product like "extend" to keep the fuel in working condition. Note, if you drain the fuel when you park the car, you can still use it in another car, so it won't go to waste. Just drain before it goes bad.
Norm

[Norman Kling]

Under number 5. I should have omitted the work "new" gas. It is the old gas which gets like varnish, but after that happens, adding new gas will not unclog the system. It needs to be manually cleaned out. Compressed air blown through the fuel line will sometimes clear it.
Norm

[Burger in Spokane]

I think you need to think outside the box on this one and consider how much money
you will save in cancelling your gym membership, and how great a physical fitness
program it would be just to push the car instead of relying on it moving under it's own
power. You will be able to shovel 20 tons of coal with the best of them after a few
months of pushing that car 10+ miles a day and the rest of the family can just ride along
like normal. You will be a hero.