Re: AA engine problems

Posted by Ken Manninen on July 06, 1998 at 07:04:54

In Reply to: Re: AA engine problems
posted by carla on July 05, 1998 at 22:26:16

: : I had my '31 tudor and '31 AA in the Fourth of July parade yesterday. A fellow A owner drove the AA about 5 miles to the parade site. We travelled together and when I arrived there I realized he wasn't behind me anymore. I assumed he got caught up in the traffic. When he did arrive he said the truck made a lot of rapping noises and the engine died. He coasted to the side of the road and tried starting it and it started. He drove the rest of the way and we did the parade with no more difficulty. I drove the AA home after the parade and about half way home it did the same thing. I stopped let it sit for awhile and hit the starter. It started and I drove it about a half mile when it started rapping again. A friend happened by and we towed it home. I checked the oil and it was ok. I had a motometer on that did not register overheating, however I did notice that the block was wet as if the head gasket was leaking. Any and all answers will be appreciated. Ken
: hi ken.
: there have been a number of postings here recently about the various gremlins and glitches which will make an engine lose power and/or stop running.
: the combination of loss of power and a rapping noise could be due to valves sticking open intermittently.
: i think, but i'm not too knowledgeable about this, that some of the oil companies are using additives for cleaner burning or emissions reduction which, as a side-effect, will cause the fuel to go stale more rapidly than earlier gasolines, and form an especially nasty, sticky varnish.
: i know first-hand of one incident, in which a tank of gasoline sat unused for 1 1/2 years. when it was drained, a friend of ours put 5 gal in the tank of his dodge truck, thinking it would mix with the 10 gal in the tank, and burn alright---believe it or not, in less than 20 miles the stale gas varnish coated the valve stems and seized the valves, stopping the engine.
: so, ken, is there a chance that some varnish might have formed in the tank and is going into the valve guides?
: i have to admit that i'm just theorising, but what about draining the fuel tank, then putting in, say, 2 gal of "berrymans" or similar carb cleaner, then bubbling this with an air line to agitate awhile, then draining again?
: maybe pull the side cover off the engine, and crank the engine whilst spraying carb cleaner on the valve stems?
: it's not such a bad job, on one of these, to pull the head, remove and clean the valves and guides, and lap the valves in a bit---this is also a chance to check the tappet-clearance
: ( .015) so--if you can see your way clear to spend this much time on your truck, it couldn't hurt, and might help in terms of reliability. a head gasket and some lapping-paste are cheap.
: hope this helps
: carla
Carla, Thanks for your suggestions. I don't believe that stale gas is the problem in this case as I drained and refilled the tank when I installed new packing in the shut off valve this summer, but pulling the head and checking the valves is certainly a place to start. I'll let you know what I find when I've done it.Ken Manninen

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