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Quote:

Interesting you mention it.... I have notice that she runs better on a full tank. I didn't put two and two together, but on the way TO town it was fine with around 1/2 tank. I did a lot of driving in town, and on the way back home there was probably less than 1/4 tank when I started having troubles. Maybe I should start looking for a new gas tank...

Dear Fory:

Sounds like you need some data. Why not go to NAPA and purchase the K-D ajustable spark tester.

With the tester connected to ground you should be seeing at least 20kv at idle (24kv is the ideal). Next take the car out on the road and when it starts acting up pull over and check the spark (you may need to make up a dark box to use the tool outside).

As for fuel, road test the car running from a 5 gallon jug. I've dealt with cases were there are chunks of stuff that clogs the pick up.

Hi ,I had EXAXTLY the same problem ,ran fine ,idled great but up a hill or too fast would sputter and die ,

does your car just cut out dead or start to missfire ?

instant death is electrical ,
choking and wheezing is carb / fuel ,

my up hill ,high load issue was a gunkie fuel filter ,
when the engine got thirsty ,like the inefficient straight eights that were designed to propel the car at the 1950 45mph speed limit gets when spinning at 65mph they use some gas!
the glass bowell fuel filter, if you have one ,what color is the element ?,they are supposed to be white ,if brown ,thats shellac from gas gunk ,rinse it out with brake parts cleaner ,if a solid element just replace it ,if you drive your car sporadically gas gunk is your enemy ,particularly the new ethanol gassses ,
,its an easy fix that can be a dramatic problem solver ,beware dancing around ,really excited your packard runs, in front of the uncomprehending eyes of your not excited family members who dont realize this is a huge mechanical triumph
,also some carburators have a little filter element right in the crb at the terminal end of the fuel line ,I dont think the carter 2 bbl does tho ,
another ting thatll help with gas gunk is to drive your packard all of the time

It definitely is a fuel issue then... It'll start cutting out/surging, but if I slow down a little it evens out for a while. Sometimes it only does it in 3rd, sometimes it does it at lower speeds in 2nd. I run two filters, a sealed plastic type before the pump, and a glass one before the carb. I'll clean both of them and see how it does. Ive confirmed that it makes a huge difference with a full tank vs. less than 1/4 tank. I'll make a mental note the 1/4 = empty until I can drop the tank and flush it again.

In another thread I've learned my carb is also too small for my motor... I found a correct carb for sale for a decent price, so hopefully it'll be here soon enough. In the mean time I have a motocraft 2bbl off a friends Mustang that should help quench the ol girls thirst.

As for driving, I drive it almost everyday, except when I'm low on funds and then i drive my Bug. But she gets driven at least 5 days a week. A tank lasts me about a week if that says anything...LOL

I have been having similar problems with my '48. After doing all the fuel tank, carb, and filter stuff, mine would would idle all day long but die after a short drive, only to start back after a brief rest. I determined it was fuel starvation by pouring a little gas into the carb and firing it up.

I have been reading some threads here; I know about BigKev's fuel tank issue, and considered that until today.

After a test drive, I pulled it back into my shop and disconnected the fuel line at the carb (I don't have a glass bowl filter there) and turned the engine over. Nothing came out. I was reading earlier about vented gas caps, so I checked mine. This time when I removed the cap, the air rushed in and I could even hear the tank pop back from the equalization of pressure.

Most modern aftermarket caps are not vented, and this was another one I tried today that I had lying around.

After removing the cap, I turned the engine over with the line still off, and viol?... I had fuel delivery.

Gas caps must be vented.

The vented cap issue. Yes!!! There is also a CARB vent. Methods of carb venting can vary from model to model of carb so one has to determine the kind of vent their particular carb has. A plugged carb vent usualy results in poor hot starts and carb "flooding".

With the onslought of alcohol in fuels the carb NEEDLE IF RESILIENT type needle Will often swell cuasing a LEAN condition especialy under load such as climbing a long hill.

Over the years i've dealt with many carbs across many many different applications from string trimmers to cars to Motorcycles to medium duty trucks, the list goes on. Many of them older "junk" type vehicles in every day or at least weekly service. Most vehicle owners want to attack carb from stand point of a "rebuild". In my experience very very few carbs ever need a (COMPLETE) rebuild unless they wwere used for something that mite resemble boat anchor useage.

Nearly all automotive diagnosis/maintenace is a simple philosophy: First things FIRST. SIMPLE things that are fast ez and cheap to do FIRST!!!!! Otherwise one will wind up spending alot of money and time and just mite end up with results that run for 30 days just to crap out again as worse!!!

But then again who am i to talk????? I am fully confident that much of the special interest car community is really not interested in driving the cars at all but rather only interested in having a conversation piece or display item to ogle over. TO each his own.

An update on my similar situation:

After testing without a fuel cap and getting the same results, (stalling and dying after about 1/2 to 3/4 mile), I returned to my shop, and removed the fuel filter that I had placed at the tank, and it revealed a cup full of rust and debris coming from the intake side. The tank still has stuff in it.

I also learned that mechanical fuel pumps aren't made to pull fuel through a filter, only push it. With that in mind, even a small amount of sediment can cause a fuel starvation problem under high demand when combined with a pre-pump mounted filter.

To test my theory, I drained and removed the tank, hooked up some clear plastic 5/16" ID tubing to fuel line at the tank, ran it into the trunk through the backup light mounting hole, and fashioned a 5 gallon tank with a metal pickup tube and attached it to the plastic hose.

DISCLAIMER: FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY! DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE WITH THIS SETUP! NOT LIKE I DID!

On the road, for the first time I was able to venture more than a half mile from my shop, as the car ran great with no stalling. I drove all over the place for the first time, as my overdrive started to work properly. I hit 55 mph as my iPhone GPS speedometer app indicated, and the more I drove, the better she ran. I used up one can of gas and had to stop and fill it at one point.

I ordered the Eastwood tank repair kit ($49.95), and will give it a try. I can't afford the $400+ for the Renu USA repair. I understand that the Eastwood system works well as long as you follow directions carefully and are sure to get the tank dry before adding the coating. Check my blog in a few days for the results.

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Yes, PackardV8, that's a good point. When I rebuilt my carb I re-used the metal needle, keeping the rubber tipped one that came with the kit as a spare, just in case.

BTW, see those two gaskets at the top right side of the photo that are identical? They replace the one gasket that goes between the throttle body and the carb housing, and if you're not paying attention, you won't notice that you have to use them both to make up the thickness of the original one you removed, as the original is actually two stapled together. Took me a little while to figure out why the screws were too long and I couldn't get the throttle body on tight.

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Mite want to drop your spare 'rubber' tipped needle in some modern gas to soak until u need it. Change the gas in storeage container of the needle every 6 months or at least once a year.
This would be a good test to see how well it holds up to 'gasohol" AS WELL AS any other changes that mite be made to gasoline over the future years.

Just because some current materials used for resilient tipped needles are compatable with current fuel formulations does NOT mean that they will be compatible with any FUTURE formulations.

However, i'm sure your solid tipped needle will be the best service over all unless maybe future fuels get somekind of acid added to them.

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I would disagree, if the filter isn't clogged, it should be able to pull through the filter just fine. If it doesn't, you have a marginal pump.

The eastwood kit is only going to work if you can get the inside of the tank surgical clean and etched properly. There was so much crud in my tank that even multiple acid treatments couldn't get the tank clean enough. So I just had the Renu process done on it. They media blasted the tank inside and out, and baked on the sealer. Pricey yes, but great peace of mind to know you are going to get stranded somewhere.

As a side note, the Renu guys charge extra to remove failed DIY sealer from the tank.