Hi Everyone, After a year of putting it off, I finally plan to begin working on my 1971 Comet this weekend. I'm by no means a mechanic, but I have a shop manual to help and I hope I don't screw the car up even more As I'm not too knowledgeable in this area, I was hoping to get your guys' advice with some of my car symptoms. There are two big issues 1) The gap point in the distributor always changes. I'll set it to 20 mils as described in the shop manual and over time (short amount of time like driving it for 5-20 miles) the gap point will either be too small or too large. The car constantly dies and I'm constantly resetting the points. I have recently replaced the distributor cap, the capacitor, the points, and the swivel arm that rotates on the shaft that spins (Yeah I have no idea what's this is called). Any thoughts as to why the points change over time? I've used thredlock and nail polish to hold the locking screw in place, but that doesn't seem to work. I was planning on taking the whole thing apart to see if there's anything obvious that's wrong with it. Should I use a lock washer? Here's a photo: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nazbrjuc3fzhcif/2015-01-18 12.54.20.jpg?dl=0 2) I can only drive about 4-5 gallons worth of fuel before the car "runs out of gas". I say this because when I get to the gas station, I can only put 4-5 gallons of gas into the tank before it starts to overflow. What I plan on doing is checking the two hoses to the tank to see if there's a clog any where. Several months ago, I did take the fuel hose off from the tank and drained the tank about 3-4 gallons but that was it as I had to stop. This time I plan on draining the whole tank and dropping the tank to see if there's anything going on in the inside. Should I replace the tank? What should I look for that will indicate if the tank should be replaced? Anything else that may be the issue as to why I can only drive 4-5 gallons before I have to refill and when I do I can only get 4-5 gallons into the tank? 3) Various issues like wipers don't work, front passenger door won't open (handle stuck I think), master break cylinder leaks causing me to constantly fill with break fluid. On the bright side of things, I have replaced my spark plugs about 6 months ago and there's new tires on it. I've had this car since I was a teenager, so it's been about 14 years now and I would love to get it back into running shape. When it does run, it's a blast and I love it. I just don't have the confidence to drive it for that long as I'm constantly waiting for it to die on me again. Any advice would be helpful. And my apologies for such a long post.
#1 Your distributor looks shot...use a dwell meter to set the points. #2 Sounds like the pickup tube is rotted off making it too short to reach the bottom of the tank #3 Linkage might of fell off inside the door
Agreed... On the dist check to see if there is side play in the pivot that's in lower left of pict... The breaker plate(what points mount on) moves in a arc when the vacuum advances activates, but any side to side movement is unacceptable... Also the lead from coil has been overheated where it connects to points, possibly is a poor connection there... Won't cause points to change adjustment but could cause rough running...
Thank you very much for your comments. I will certainly do/check what you recommended. And thanks to everyone else for their comment. I'll be sure to check the movement of the dist.
Cigar Set your points with a dwell meter ( most people don't have them any more ) at 28 -32 deg. at engine cranking speed this method replaces the using feller gauges to set points. After setting points with dwell meter and still hooked up start engine watch meter at same time rise engine RPM from idle to about 2000 - 3000 RPM if dwell move more than 5 to 7 deg. your distributor is worn out and to be replaced. Brake fluid leak check if fluid is leaking into car under pedal or at wheels if so repair as necessary
Make sure your vent tube is not blocked. It lets the vapor s into a charcoal canister on the passengers side under the hood.
I agree w/ all the above advice. My first priority, replace the master cyl., wheel cylinders, rubber brake hoses. It might be the steel lines are in need of replacement, at the very least a close inspection to determine if they need replacement. Also, I wud dump the point setup for something requiring no adjustment and better reliability.
If this car was sitting for a long time. Don't take a chance on your brakes. I found out the hard way.
Hey guys...Here's an update. Sorry for the long post, but I have a few questions that I will summarize first. Thank you all for any responses. Also, I want to order all the parts today so I can finish it next weekend so the girlfriend can get her parking spot back, so please recommend some other parts to get if I didn't suggest it below. 1) Buy a new vapor separator? Original one was clogged up. Have since cleaned it out. If I should get a new one, where do you recommend I get one? Looked on autokrafters and rockauto and I couldn't find it. I may be looking in the wrong area. 1b) How to check metal vapor line? 12"-15" rubber hose from vapor line of tank to metal hose was cleared. Still need to check the rubber hose on the other end that connects to the charcoal canister which is easy. But how do I check the long metal hose that runs from the tank to the front? Blow into it and have someone check the other end? 2) Fuel sending unit completely rusted and it appears to be rotted. Plan on replacing with the part from the 3rd link below. Any objections to that one? If so, any recommendations? 3) How to tell if you should replace the tank? Looked in side as it was pretty rusty with some junk visible. See link 4. 4) Want to replace my paints in the distributor with an points eliminator kit such as the one from the last link on the bottom. Is this the proper kit? Is there anything else that I need? Will this fix my points issue? Points will open/close over time and I'm constantly adjusting it. Do you recommend this kit or another? 5) I plan on buying a new seal for my master break cylinder to see if that stops the leaks as it appears to be coming from the lid portion of it. So maybe replace the cover too? I started with #2 from my original post. Which again, I was only able to drive on 4-5 gallons of gas before my car would die. I then could only fill up 4-5 gallons before the tank overflowed. I drained the tank yesterday and it appears that I had a full tank, meaning my car only used the top 4-5 gallons. After draining and dropping the tank, I took the vapor separator off (first picture below) and I noticed the small hole was clogged as I wasn't able to blow into the device. I unclogged it with a paperclip. I am wondering, with this device clogged could that be the reason as to why I can only run on 4-5 gallons of gas? A 12"-15" hose connects to this which connects to a metal hose which routes its way to the charcoal canister. This 12"-15" hose was cleared. The metal hose is still questionable as I'm not sure how to checked that. Should I blow into it and have the girlfriend on the other end to see if air comes out? I have yet to check the rubber hose on the other end that connects to the charcoal canister. I should probably do that. Also, I should pro Vapor separator that was clogged. Did not allow air flow. Could this be my issue for only getting to use 4-5 gallons before "running out of gas"? https://www.dropbox.com/s/57749b96h84i0t3/2015-01-24_14-33-02_984.jpg?dl=0 I also took the fuel sending unit out, see link 2 below. The fuel line was unclogged, but just rested to hell. My gas gauge wasn't working and now I think I know why after looking at it. I plan on replacing the fuel sending using with the part from link 3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/p246v8mzbtk4p17/2015-01-24_15-08-42_484.jpg?dl=0 Fuel sending unit that I am thinking about buying. Any reason as to why I should get this one? Do you recommend another? http://www.autokrafters.com/p-10475-fuel-sender-71-74-maverick-comet.aspx I looked in side of my gas tank and it looks pretty rusty in there. Have zero experience here. How to tell if I should replace the tank? Rusted flaky junk is visible when looking into the tank. Here's a picture: Inside of tank https://www.dropbox.com/s/56js5st1pi5td37/2015-01-24_15-10-22_308.jpg?dl=0 One last question, but it's not about my fuel tank. My other critical issue is with my gap points in my distributor. They never stay locked into position so they always open or close over time (short about of time). I plan on replacing my points with a points eliminator kit such as the link below. Is this all that I need? Is this a good one? will this fix my issue as long as I properly adjust the timing and dwell? Points eliminator kit. http://www.autokrafters.com/p-8923-accelreg-points-eliminator-kit-v8.aspx Again, my apologies for the wall of text. I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm trying to include as much info as I can. Thanks for your help.
My vapor separator was clogged, which connects to a rubber hose and then a metal, which runs all the way to the charcoal canister. Do you think this clogged vapor separator was my issue? Also if you have the time, please see my latest wall of text as there's a complete update in there with lots of questions
Thank you for your comment, I plan on replacing the seal to the master cylinder and possibly the lid as that's where I noticed the leak from. What do you recommend to eliminate the point setup? I'm thinking about getting this: http://www.autokrafters.com/p-8923-accelreg-points-eliminator-kit-v8.aspx Is this all that I need? Do you recommend this? I posted a wall of text with an update and a lot of questions just a few minutes ago. I would really appreciate it if you could check it out and comment on it with your opinion. Thank you.
#1 I would like to eliminate the points and get a conversion kit, such as this one. Is this all that I need? Do you recommend it? http://www.autokrafters.com/p-8923-accelreg-points-eliminator-kit-v8.aspx #2 I don't know about the pickup tube. Is that attached to the fuel sending unit? Please see pictures in my updated wall of text as I showed the fuel sending unit and how it was all rusty. My tank was full and has been full for over a year now. That means my car only ran off of the top 4-5 gallons. I noticed my vapor separator was clogged and didn't let air in. I suspect this to be my issue. Do you think this would cause it? #3 I'll have to have the door issue for later, but I will check it out once I get the car running again. Thank you and please check out my updated wall of text if you can as I have quite a few questions after yesterday's work. Thank you again for your comment.
#1 This is the same part number...but a lot cheaper http://www.summitracing.com/parts/acc-2020/overview/ #2 Yes, you pickup tube is half gone...replace the sending unit. Pickup tube is part of the sending unit
