Does this sound like my fuel filter?

[SunKing]

My car is 68 Mustang w/ .302 and an aftermarket Edelbrock carb.

So this morning I'm drving to work , crusing at 45mph and the engine turns off. I coast off the road and it starts up like nothing's wrong. Then about 10 mins later I'm on the freeway crusing 70mph and it does it again. I pull over and it start right back up again. I'm hoping this is just a fuel filter issue?  If so are all fuel filters the same or do I need to tell the parts clerk my carb model # or engine?

[storch]

do you have the original type of distributor with the points and condenser or was it upgraded to electronic ignition?

[lazs2]

When it dies... remove the air filter and look down the carb as you give it full throttle... does it spray gas from the accelerator pump into the venturi?

If not.. you have a fuel starvation problem.   It is not a bad idea to change the filter in any case.  it should be cheap and easy on a carb equipped car.

lazs

[Debonair]

carb ice

[loser]

Does the car have a mechanical or electric fuel pump?

If it is mechanical it doesnt make sense that the fuel pump would be able to load up the float bowls enough to start the engine again once it dies and you coast to the side of the road.

One would also assume that the engine would be running in a lean state if the fuel filter was that clogged and would be running hot constantly.

Also Laz, unless things have changed the edelbrock carb is a shiny vacuum secondary Carter AFB and cranking the throttle wide open would dump fuel from the secondary float bowl which should be full (secondary side shouldnt be open and thus a full float bowl at 45MPH..75.. might be a different story.) If the primary side is dry then yeah Id say fuel filter too. AS long as he knows what to look for.

[Maverick]

Does it cut off all of a sudden like a switch or does it sputter then shut off?

If it's sudden it's ignition related. If it sputtered a bit then it may be fuel related.

[lukster]

Any idication you might have a bad alternator? Do your lights and gauges go out when the engine dies?

[SunKing]

THe carb is an older orginal style.

The car  heaves once, like it slipped out of gear then the engine is off.

Lights don't dim or anything when it dies.

Alt, battery, and starter are all new as of July.


Edit---

Could a lose ground wire from the battery cause this?

[SunKing]

Originally posted by Debonair
carb ice

Meaning actual ice in the carb?

[storch]

Originally posted by SunKing
THe carb is an older orginal style.

The car  heaves once, like it slipped out of gear then the engine is off.

Lights don't dim or anything when it dies.

Alt, battery, and starter are all new as of July.


Edit---

Could a lose ground wire from the battery cause this?

not if the alternator is working properly

[rpm]

Sounds like ignition to me. My best guess would be a bad coil. Possibly a loose hotwire to the coil.

[CavemanJ]

ping pong ball in the gas tank!

[SunKing]

Just got a chance to look at it in the light.
Early this morning I wasn't able to see this but there was a red wire going to the carb that was jsut dangling unconnected.

Here's a picture of where the wire connects.

Is it safe to say this was the problem? What does the wire control?



Thanks.

[cpxxx]

Originally posted by Debonair
carb ice

Don't laugh. I had it in my Suzuki Swift, (Geo Metro in the USA). It would suddenly run rough and stop. Wait a minute, the ice melts and off we go. My brother who originally owned it is an aircraft engineer and confirmed that was the problem.

On my way to work every morning it would stop at exactly the same place. It was mad  

[rpm]

SunKing, that's your electric choke. It should normally be connected, but that should be causing hard cold starts, not your problems.

If you have a timing light you can rule out ignition very quickly. No flash, no ignition.

Give your coil a good inspection. Is the case swolen or cracked? Trace ALL the wires from the coil, not just the big one. Are the connections tight and insulation in good shape?

Look at your distributor cap. Is it cracked or loose fitting? Check the points and condenser. Are the wires tight?