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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Ethanol proof carb rebuild kit?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Ethanol proof carb rebuild kit? -- page: 1 2 3     supereal 02-08-2010 @ 9:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 It is important to remember that there is a difference between ethanol and methanol. The former is "hydroscopic" and, as noted above, attracts moisture. Some, but not all, is removed at the plant producing this type of alcohol. The other, methanol, is sold under the name "Heet", and combines with the moisture to create a burnable fuel, rather than separate into layers in the tank. Filling stations with low fuel sales often pump "wet" gas. I'd opt for a busy station when buying fuel for a lightly used vehicle, and put in a can of Heet. BERTHA 02-08-2010 @ 7:13 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 129 Joined: Nov 2009 ""The introduction of water on E-10 fuel can be disasterous. E-10 can hold up to four teaspoons of water in suspension per gallon. Once this saturation point is exceeded, the solution separates and the gas floats on top while the ethanol and water mix on the bottom. This event is called "phase separation". Ethanol fuel can absorb enough water to reach it's phase separation point in just over 3 months at 70% humidity. While the phase separation slurry in itself can cause problems by clogging fuel systems, the more immediate problem is that the remaining gasoline has now lost it's original octane value which can cause poor running and in some cases engine damage. When phase separation occurs, the fuel should be drained and replaced. Fuel storage and winterization has to be handled differently when using E-10 fuels. Manufacturers are warning that fuels need to be stabilized if un-used for as little as 2 weeks. Not all stabilizers are known to be E-10 compatible. Non-alcohol based fuel stabilizer additives are a must for ethanol fuel." Sta-bil and CRC have worked very well for both the Ford and boat. 24/7/365 for the Ford as it can sit for awhile between drives. MMO goes in at every fill up also. Had the original tank cleaned once and rebuilt the carb at the same time.(1988) We have owned the Ford since 1976. So far so good. This message was edited by BERTHA on 2-8-10 @ 7:17 AM supereal 01-09-2010 @ 9:43 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Valves that are set too tight will affect compression if they don't seat properly. Chances are that the valve seats are eroded if the clearance was inadequate. Flatbob 01-07-2010 @ 12:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 437 Joined: Oct 2009 TomO, if the valves were adjusted way loose on the two low cylinders could that explain the low compression? Also, am beginning to think I have a battery that's a little weak; maybe not spinning fast enough to get a good reading. Got a new quality rebuild kit for the Carb. Thanks, Bob supereal 01-07-2010 @ 9:32 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 To accurately test a battery, it requires a device with a built in load, both to reduce the surface charge, and to accurately measure the voltage with a calibrated load. Your reading would seem to indicate a weak cell. TomO 01-07-2010 @ 8:33 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 Good photo of the plugs. The engine is running rich and you are probably leaking fuel past the power valve gasket. This would cause your hard starting after shutdown. The low vacuum gauge readings could be due to a rich mixture. The compression readings suggest that you have a couple of valves that are sticking. A wet compression test and careful observation of the vacuum gauge will further help to diagnose this condition. Have your battery tested with a modern load tester. It will give you a good idea of the condition. Most places that sell batteries will test it for free. Tom BrianCT 01-07-2010 @ 6:25 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 95 Joined: Oct 2009 Is your volt meter calibrated? Maybe you should check a know good battery. Flatbob 01-06-2010 @ 4:55 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 437 Joined: Oct 2009 Ken, charged the battery to fully charged but showed only 5.93V across the battery terminals (worn out battery?) yet at the ignition switch hot side read 5.96V and drops to 5.50V on the other side of switch when ignition is in the on position. I think maybe I need a new battery again? Thanks, Bob Flatbob 01-06-2010 @ 8:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 437 Joined: Oct 2009 Ken, will follow up on your tips & recheck voltage readings. Thanks, Bob 39 Ken 01-05-2010 @ 2:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 380 Joined: Oct 2009 A fully charged battery should be about 6.7 volts. If it is low, you may need a new battery. When it's running, you should see about 7.2 on the volts. You didn't say, but what voltage did you have after it warmed up? Did it start right up again? New condensers are not always good. NOS after sitting on the shelf for a while will go bad. New ones made off shore; one out of three are OK, the rest, not so much. Same for a NOS coil. When they get hot, they fail. Get Skip to rebuild yours. He uses modern technology in his rebuilds and they work, hot or cold. My point re; the ignition switch was the internals of the switch get dirty and they build resistance inside of them. Check the voltage going into it then coming out of it. If it's clean, you'll see little to no loss. If it's dirty, you will have resistance. If the combined loss of voltage, starting with a low battery plus resistance in the circuit adds up to less than 3 volts or so at the coil, you probably won't get a start. TRJ mentioned your cables. Some of the repop cables are 12 volt with thick covering making you think it's 6 volt. I make mine out of 0/0 welding cable and as TRJ said, make sure the attach points for the cables are clean and not painted. Paint will not allow full contact of the attach point and you will see a voltage drop at that point. Especially when everything is hot. Where the starter meets the bell housing, that should be clean also with not paint. You should also have an attachment at the front of the starter to an oil pan bolt. This provides stabilisation to the starter as well as another grounding point. I hope this helps. Ken This message was edited by 39 Ken on 1-5-10 @ 2:41 PM

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