Help Mr. Wizard

Spider

Gear Grinder
Feb 21, 2017
16
Minnesota
First Name
Spider
Willys Model
  1. Wagon
Willys Year:
  1. 1953
  2. 1962
I need some help. Does anyone know a expert near Minneapolis? Have a 57 pickup that I just cannot get running. I'm sure it's my fault but being a newby , IMG_20251121_134428623.jpgbase line is hard to determine. I want to drive this machine. Already restored, I imagine at great expense. Would appreciate your help.
 
Spider said:
I need some help. Does anyone know an expert near Minneapolis? Have a 57 pickup that I just cannot get running. I'm sure it's my fault but being a newby , View attachment 207451base line is hard to determine. I want to drive this machine. Already restored, I imagine at great expense. Would appreciate your help.
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I live in Hastings. Not sure where you live. There are several folks around.

Start with what it is the problem will help folks help you
 
Has six cyl 226. Ran well before it didn't. Still runs well at one speed with choke almost all the way out. Will not accelerate. Cough sputters and dies with any gas pedal. Stopped running well on road. Put in new points. Gapped correctly. 34 degree dwell. Cleaned distributor. New cap,plugs. Seemed like not enough gas. Presumed it had been sitting. Had carb overhauled at the carburetor shop. Still runs well at one speed with choke almost all the way out. Seems like not enough gas. Had fuel pump overhauled. All new filters. Used gas can to eliminate fuel tank issues. Runs well at one speed, starts first crank, dies and sputters with any gas pedal, choke almost all the way out. Old vacuum wiper line seems to be sealed, not vacuum leak. Carb tight to manifold. Timed as best I can with mark on balancer. I have another Willys with super hurricane so I understand the timing by how it runs.. runs well at one speed, starts promptly, dies and sputters with any acceleration.
 
Spider said:
Has six cyl 226. Ran well before it didn't. Still runs well at one speed with choke almost all the way out. Will not accelerate. Cough sputters and dies with any gas pedal. Stopped running well on road. Put in new points. Gapped correctly. 34 degree dwell. Cleaned distributor. New cap,plugs. Seemed like not enough gas. Presumed it had been sitting. Had carb overhauled at the carburetor shop. Still runs well at one speed with choke almost all the way out. Seems like not enough gas. Had fuel pump overhauled. All new filters. Used gas can to eliminate fuel tank issues. Runs well at one speed, starts first crank, dies and sputters with any gas pedal, choke almost all the way out. Old vacuum wiper line seems to be sealed, not vacuum leak. Carb tight to manifold. Timed as best I can with mark on balancer. I have another Willys with super hurricane so I understand the timing by how it runs.. runs well at one speed, starts promptly, dies and sputters with any acceleration.
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Well. Hopefully truck guy with the 226 experience can jump in.

I do hear a lot of folks complain about poor quality of new parts especially ignition parts.
 
If it runs only with the choke out, it suggests there is either too much air (vacuum leak) or too little fuel.

If you are pretty sure it’s not a vacuum leak, you could start by either testing the fuel pump output or by bypassing the fuel system altogether with a small tank and hose providing gravity feed to the carburetor.

To test the fuel pump output, disconnect the fuel line at the carburetor and crank the engine over for 30 seconds, catching the fuel in a bottle. When already primed, the pump should produce about a pint of gas in 30 seconds of cranking.

If the fuel supply is OK, then it’s likely something inside the carb. I’ll discuss that in a subsequent post.
 
Is the carburetor the stock Carter YF 2467S? The 2467S number is usually (but not always) stamped vertically on a the side of the barrel, perhaps best seen from the rear, something like this:

IMG_2533.jpeg
Perhaps post a pic of the carb if you can.
 
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I would suspect any new electrical components unless they are OEM new old stock or OEM vender new old stock.
Have you done a proper compression test.
Very low compression will provide very low vacuum

Just thinkin outside
 
Cu
Lookout Ranch said:
Sorry, I didn’t answer your real question. If someone here can’t recommend a mechanic who works on old cars, go to a a car show or cars-n-coffee event around town this weekend and ask some of the guys and gals if they know of anyone.
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To Kurt’s point there is the Hastings classic car show on the 20th

Lots of cool older rides.

IMG_5474.jpeg
 
Those symptoms sure sound like fuel starvation. If you already hooked up a gas can and fed it directly to the carb via gravity, that would point to an internal carb issue. It seems like there's only enough gas to idle and opening the throttle leans it out as all that air can get it, but it's not getting enough gas to go with the increase in air.
 
From the beginning it sounds like you're not getting fuel to the carburetor. Non vented gas cap? Bad fuel pump? So, I would eliminate the possible fuel problem with an electric fuel pump connected to a temporary fuel tank.

Many years ago, I worked on a 5 year old gasoline powered school bus. It would always sputter and die on the same curve in the road. Another mechanic had looked it over twice and found nothing. He was sent out to repair it on road. When he arrived, the bus started up with a little starter fluid and ran fine for another 10 miles back to the yard. It started and ran well the next day.... Until the same curve on the same road...

I got the truck in my stall and found no problem with anything until I looked in fuel tank. I saw a dark spot on the bottom of the tank. I siphoned most of the gas out of the tank and looked again. There was a small bubble of water near the suction filter on the end of the fuel pickup. Wow!!

I removed the fuel sender and found the in tank filter had fine dirt on it and the tank had a few tablespoons of clear water.

The cause of the engine sputtering and shutting off? Water in the tank would move to the dirty fuel pickup filter and wet it. But only on that same curve in the road. The filter, covered with fine dirt and water, blocked fuel flow. But with the truck stopped, gravity moved the water away from the filter and enough fuel would flow so the truck started and ran normally.

I hope you enjoyed this true story. I have lots of 'em. Ha!
 
I don’t mean to be an A**, but you did not mention any information on your actual fuel line. Definitely sounds like fuel starvation if you can idle and run in first gear. The 226 will pull a tree stump out and will cough and die from dirt in the lines. I am now in the habit of cleaning out my fuel line every time I replace the fuel filter, after chasing my tail on “vapor lock” problems in August.
 
Check the connections on the coil. If engine was repainted, make sure the body of the distributor is well grounded and not insulated through paint. Is your mechanical advance working... can you see the advance one the timing light to timing mark?
beyond these things, it sounds like a fuel issue to me. Main jet could be clogged too. Is accelerator pump working?

Check/replace condenser under the cap
 
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