[Dallas72]

Hello everyone
I'm fron Italy and I have a 1971 351 C Convertible Stang with FMX turn o matic tranny
The mechanic clean the carb, change the spark plugs, the cables, fuel pump, and the car run great, but there is a problem, after 15 minutes the engine die
I check the fuel pump and it works ( it's brand new ), when the engine stops I checked if there is fuel in the carb and yes there is so I don't know what it could be
When I turn off the car I hear the engine like if inside is boiling and before I've never heard this strange sound
The mechanix told me that is why she took off the thermostatic valve
Could you help me please ?
Thanx in advance
Best regards
Dallas72

 

[5.0 Chero]

Sounds like it is overheating if She removed the thermostat from the Cleveland it will never run cool with out it. A Cleveland takes a special thermostat

Robert Shaw Thermostat

Part Number 333-180​

and also has a restrictive plate that has to be in there.

 

[Scott66GTA]

Check for a bad coil, Also, the fuel pickup sock in the tank could be clogged. The ignition switch could be heating up and failing, too. Verify spark and fuel pressure when it dies.

 

[Dallas72]

Thanks a lot
The problem is that here in Italy ( birthplace of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo ), none knows about V8
I changed 5 so called mechanics and my Stang still has problems
First it was running with 7 cylinders at low rpm instead of 8, then they tried to adjust the carb and it was a mess ( engine flooded ), then the told me that the rockets had to be adjusten, then I discovered that the rockets are not adjustable and now this problem
I don't know how to solve it but I'll follow your tips
Thanx

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

Your car Temperature.

You must tell us how HOT your car is getting when it does run.

You must have the timing checked for proper IDLE setting and MAX Advance setting.

You should take a Temperature reading of the coil when the engine stops running. I think the Coil is the problem there.

You MUST run a Thermostat. It Regulates your engine temperature.

You SHOULD tell us what kind of Fan your car is operating.

You should try to explain to us why the Mechanic said you needed to adjust your valves.

After all that is done, you should show us pictures of your car.

 

[Dallas72]

Ok I have a Pertronix coil and today I changed with a brand new coil but the problem persist
About the temperature of the coil, I have to go to a friend of mine, because I don't have the proper tools
About the fan, I will tell you
About the mechanic, can you believe that I live 25 minutes from Maranello Ferrari's Plant and the mechanics here, don't know nothing about USA V8 engine ?
It seems to me to live at the age of the stone here in Italy
I used to live in Dallas,Texas, than when my visa expired, I come back to Italy VERY BAD MISTAKE

 

[70leadfoot]

OK this maybe a shot in the dark because I have the MSD ignition system but I've read on another forum where a few guys have had issues with Pertronix systems right out of the box and some it took awhile now I'm not bashing thier system as many have had no issues. Now one way to tell if the actual Pertronix in your distributor is bad is to reinstall a set of points and try driving it for as long as it quit running before 15 minutes, if it still runs than you have to replace the Pertronix in your distributor. NOTE: You may have a loose or bare wire that is contacting metal causing a grounding situation..... JMO...... Jim

 

[Scott66GTA]

Since you're in Italy, see if you can find a DeTomaso Pantera dealer or mechanic. They put 351C's in them...

 

[puttster]

Did you check the instructions on the Petronix to see what kind of volts it wants? If it has a built in resistor (3 ohm between terminals, test with elec wires removed) then you want the full battery of 12-13 volts running to it. If it doesn't, (coil tests at 1-2 ohms) then if you run the full 12 volts to it it will overheat. I wonder if the gurguling sound is the oil in the coil boiling?? Nah, probably not.

However, it might be the fuel system, I have heard about fuel boiling in the carburetor bowl when it's hot. Or maybe the choke is busted and won't open up for you.

Another possibilty is you have a non-venting gas tank cap. After 15 minutes a vacuum builds up in the tank that won't let the fuel out into the hose. When the car quits and the fuel pump stops, maybe the gurgling is the gasoline getting sucked back into the tank.

How does that car work for italian girls? Probably killing you when it will run for just 15 min, hardly enough time!

 

[teyerdhal]

One of my friend had the same problem (15-20 min of running), it was the ignition.

The ceramic resistor (no pink wire on the car) needed fo the pertronix I was overheating (dont know why) and his resistance value was growing with heat to a point there was no more power for the coil!

I swapped the resistor for another one (bigger) no more overheating and everything is fine.

 

[Dallas72]

A friend of mine that has some USA cars and it's enough expert in fix engine, told me that in his opinion I have to change the distributor and the coil. Maybe for the distributor he's right but I already tried to change the coil and the problem still persist.
I will tell you after change the distributor
The strange thing is that the boiling sound when the engine is hot, coming from the engine block and never occurred before.

 

[Dallas72]

The choke opens when the engine is hot and about the engine cap..well,the sound of the boling water in the engine, never occurred before, so I'm worried
A friend of mine that has USA cars and fix USA engine as hobby, told me that it could be the distributor, so I will change it the next week and I'll let you know
Thanx buddy

 

[Dallas72]

I forgot I tried to run without the fuel cap and the problem also occurred
About the italian chicks, the problems are :
1 ) I'm married
2 ) If the car stops when I'm cruising downtown to looking for some lady, of course it's not the best thing

 

[ericcasas]

A friend of mine that has some USA cars and it's enough expert in fix engine, told me that in his opinion I have to change the distributor and the coil. Maybe for the distributor he's right but I already tried to change the coil and the problem still persist.
I will tell you after change the distributor
The strange thing is that the boiling sound when the engine is hot, coming from the engine block and never occurred before.

I think your car is overheating, especially if it takes the same amount of time for it to die everytime. There are two things at work here. What is the temperature reading of the car when it dies? Also, as the engine gets hot, it can cause the gas in the carburator to boil. The radiator fluid or the gas in the carb can make that boiling sound you are hearing. One thing you can do (since parts are harder to get for you) is just take the thermostat out to see if your car runs cool. If it stays cool, you need a new thermostat. It's job is to let your car warm up faster before it lets fluid over but if it freezes, your car wont get any fluid and you will overheat. If you take out the thermostat and it still has this problem, listen to see if the gas in the carb is boiling. If it's not, you have an ignition issue.

-Eric

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

Boiling sound comes from a poor Water Pump as well. Or AIR in the cooling system

If the car STARTS at all then I feel there is NO NEED to change the distributor.

 

[teyerdhal]

Once again, is there ignition sparks when your car die and dont want to restart??

You should test it.
When your engine die, unplug a wire put a sparkplug in it and crank the engine.

If there sparks, ok, look for something else, if there is no spark or a weak one, check the coil or/and the resistor.

Easy to do..

 

[Dallas72]

Hello

I changed and the sparks and the cables and the problem still persist

The guy friend of mine that is a sort of mechanic ( he fixed USA cars engines ), told me that in his opinion we have to change the head gaskets and the distibutor

What do you think ?

Thanks

Dallas72

 

[5.0 Chero]

I think your car is overheating, especially if it takes the same amount of time for it to die everytime. There are two things at work here. What is the temperature reading of the car when it dies? Also, as the engine gets hot, it can cause the gas in the carburator to boil. The radiator fluid or the gas in the carb can make that boiling sound you are hearing. One thing you can do (since parts are harder to get for you) is just take the thermostat out to see if your car runs cool. If it stays cool, you need a new thermostat. It's job is to let your car warm up faster before it lets fluid over but if it freezes, your car wont get any fluid and you will overheat. If you take out the thermostat and it still has this problem, listen to see if the gas in the carb is boiling. If it's not, you have an ignition issue.

-Eric

You do not pull the thermostat on a Cleveland it will run hot with out one. His Mechanic did that already now after the mechanic did remove the thermostat he is hearing the boiling sound.

 

[5.0 Chero]

After it dies how long do you have to wait until it wants to start again?
As said before right after it dies pull a plug wire and move the boot so you can hold the terminal close to the engine block about 6 to 8 mm away have some one turn the motor over and check for spark from the spark plug wire to ground. until we know if you have spark after it dies we cant help you,

also you need to have the correct Cleveland thermostat and restrictor plate installed in the motor or it will never run cool.

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

Hello

I changed and the sparks and the cables and the problem still persist

The guy friend of mine that is a sort of mechanic ( he fixed USA cars engines ), told me that in his opinion we have to change the head gaskets and the distibutor

What do you think ?

Thanks

Dallas72

The ONLY time you need to change the head gaskets is when they go bad.
If your HEAD gaskets are bad you will have some of the following symptoms.

1: MUCH pressure in the Radiator after only a few seconds of running a cold engine.

2: Coolant in your engine oil making it a light-Chocolate color or almost a white brown.

3: OIL in your Coolant, the coolant will be oily and will be very obvious when looked at.

4: Compression Loss between TWO cylinders making a misfire at ALL rpm ranges.

THOSE are the symptoms in which 99.9% of all instances in which you have a bad head gasket.