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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Vapor lock

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Vapor lock -- page: 1 2     46coupe 03-24-2022 @ 3:30 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 273 Joined: Oct 2015 My 46 Ford vapor locks after driving 15 minutes and shutting down the engine. New high flow water pumps were installed and I wrapped the fuel line with special heat resistant tape. Nothing has helped. I bought the spacer that goes under the carb so it will be raised up and plan on installing that next. If that doesn't work what other options are available? When the lock occurs and I try to restart, the engine turns over very slowly which will not fire. The battery is fully charged. Suggestions welcome. JayChicago 03-24-2022 @ 5:49 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 556 Joined: Jan 2016 My first thought on this is: "How do you know it is vapor lock" ? Coil failure after getting warm (about fifteen minutes driving) is also a common problem with our cars. And there could be several other things. When engine fails, have you looked down the throat of carburetor while pumping the throttle linkage? Normally you should see two squirts of fuel. If problem is vapor lock, carb will be starved of fuel, no squirt. If squirt is visible, problem is probably elsewhere. marko39 03-25-2022 @ 6:09 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 45 Joined: Sep 2016 Could be a starter issue if it turns slow when warm. 37RAGTOPMAN 03-25-2022 @ 6:20 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1992 Joined: Oct 2009 46 COUPE on vapor lock, check you gas cap and make sure it is a VENTED CAP, and make sure you do not have any clogged vent lines, if you have them ALSO start you 46 and let it run for 15minutes, to get it up to operating temp shut it off, and see if it does not start, if not try a ICE pack, on the coil, for a few minutes, if it starts it is the coil I have done this more then once, might be a not a bad idea to send to Skip to have the coil rebuilt, how old is the coil you are using, ? hope this helps 37Ragtopman , Maine just remember people if you want new car performance it might need new or rebuilt parts to perform like a new car, you would not put 50 year old parts on a new car and expect it to perform like new, 1931 Flamingo 03-25-2022 @ 7:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 396 Joined: Nov 2019 Just for HA-HA's...........................try replacing the condenser. Paul in CT carcrazy 03-25-2022 @ 2:37 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1979 Joined: Oct 2009 One way to isolate an ignition system problem is to use starter fluid to see if the engine will fire after it is hot and has experienced "vapor lock." If the engine does not even try to start when using starter fluid, there is no spark and further inspection of the ignition system is warranted. Many times when a coil is going bad, it will start and operate until it warms up. Once warm, the coil will no longer provide a reliable spark. If the spark plug wires have been replaced with "radio resistance wires", these can fail when they get warm and no longer pass enough current to provide sufficient spark. The wires can be checked with an ohmmeter to determine the resistance cold and hot. When these wires go bad, they can indicate infinite resistance when hot. To check for vapor lock when the engine is hot and refusing to start, remove the air cleaner and look down into the carburetor to see if you have fuel squirting down into each barrel of the carburetor when you operate the throttle lever. If no fuel is seen squirting into the engine, there is no fuel in the carburetor. 51woodie 03-25-2022 @ 4:34 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 561 Joined: Jan 2017 When I started my apprenticeship, I was paired with an “old” mechanic to work on a car that had a suspected ignition problem. He told me to put my hand on the fender and hold onto the coil wire. I said, “I’m green, but not crazy, you hold the wire and I’ll hit the key.” More conversation followed, but he held the wire, I hit the key, and he hit his head on the hood. After he quit with the expletives, he said, “Yup, it’s got good spark!” He never tried any more tricks on me after. If you suspect no spark…… hold the coil wire! TomO 03-25-2022 @ 7:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 If your engine cranks over very slow when hot, your starter is probably dropping the voltage to the coil causing a very weak spark. Have you made any changes or repairs lately? Did this problem just start or have you been living with it and now it has become so bad that you can't live with it? If you have been living with the problem, it could be 12V cables or bad grounding cables. If it just started, then it is probably time to have your starter serviced. Tom 46coupe 03-26-2022 @ 2:24 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 273 Joined: Oct 2015 Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I'll start checking all areas as time allows. The starter was looked at a few years ago. It was ok. I don't know how old the coil is so after I check fuel flow I'll check the coil and resistor. I probably won't get to it for the next few days, but will let you all know what I find. TomO 03-26-2022 @ 12:07 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 Fuel flow is not going to fix a slow starter. Check your battery for good capacity (650 CCA or more), check that the battery is fully charged, check all of the cables in the starter circuit for condition and capacity( pay particular attention to where the cables are soldered to the connector, green or gray corrosion means the cable is failing. Do NOT use 12v cables), check that all connections are clean (battery posts, grounding studs, solenoid connections and starter connections), make sure that all connections are tight and not over tightened (over tightening the starter connection can lead to broken wires inside the starter) Answer my questions about changes and when the problem started. Once you get the slow cranking speed problem repaired, you can do a fuel delivery test to see if your fuel pump and lines are operating correctly. Tom

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