1978 Lincoln Continental Coupe

[TireSmoker]

Leaving that mechanical pump on the engine with no fuel may ruin it. I did that on one of my engines, and after going to use the pump again, it didn't work. Maybe it was coincidence. YMMV.

-Dave

[Maverick]

Guess it can't be good for it to be pumping away with nothing inside. I'll get a block off plate. Thanks.

[Basement Paul]

Not to mention the HP gain of not pumping that lever. Gotta be .3-.4hp... anyway, I like the block off plate idea.

-BP

[Maverick]

The fuel pump, etc., is in. The fuel pump relay, crash sensor and its relay are all wired up in an out of the way spot in the trunk. The unused idle solenoid lead will now signal the fuel pump relay. There's a 12V #4 wire to the unit for the aftermarket GPS/backup camera/audio system in the trunk. Tapped into that for the power in to the fuel pump relay.

Gave the electrical circuits, plumbing, and pump a test. PUMP RAN BUT NO FUEL FLOWING!!! The pump is installed at about the current fuel level with 1/4 tank. Looked like the rotating vane pump isn't priming. The tank is 16" high with the outlet about 12" from the bottom. The supply line to the pump ran up to the trunk floor so the fuel had to be pulled up about 12" before it could flow down to the pump. Guess that's asking too much for a rotating vane pump. To continue the test, I dropped the pump supply line below the tank outlet so now the pump needs to suck the fuel up about 6". Still no flow. Put a LITTLE air pressure in the tank to see if that would help the pump prime. Nope.

Called Edelbrock tech line to see what they have to say. Mostly he was saying, "There's fuel behind the pump, right?" No, apparently the unprimed pump can't suck the fuel up 6". "Must be defective, take it back where you bought it." CRAP!!

So, now I'm thinking I might have bought the wrong pump for this application? Maybe another one would pull better? Should I put the electric pump in series with the mechanical? Etc., etc., etc....

Both the input and output lines to the pump go up so, once the pump is primed, it should stay primed as long as it doesn't run out of fuel. Going on that theory, I used a hand vacuum pump at the carb input line to suck the fuel system full, turned on the pump, and heard the hallelujah chorus playing in my head!! Fuel starting flowing thru the vacuum pump into the catch bucket.

So now, I'll have to add a vacuum pump and hoses to the trunk tools in case the dang thing ever loses its prime again. I don't THINK it will as long as the tank isn't run empty.

I'll let it sit overnight and see if the pump stays primed. IF it does, I'll secure the pump supply line in its new location and do a couple minor things to finish up. Didn't go into all the setbacks and restarts but the fuel pump, etc install has been a lot more trouble than anticipated.

[Maverick]

This morning when the pump was powered, the fuel system pressurized immediately. So, I finished securing the fuel lines and wires and connected the switched signal wire for the fuel pump relay. Well, almost finished. Just have two tube holders to tighten to the floor (wife will crawl in the trunk tomorrow and hold the bolts while I tighten the nuts underneath). Then put the trunk back together (spare and liner) and it'll be ready to drive.

Idled it for a while and everything looks good. Pretty sure this is the end of the fuel boiling problems.

Next on the agenda is another go at the AC. Its weak again. WXO tried adding a little refrigerant but didn't think the high pressure was what it should be. I'll take it back to J&A and see what he says now that there's ample air flow thru the condenser.

[Basement Paul]

Yeah, the old, "Hey honey, can you hold some bolts in my trunk routine". I hope she doesn't fall for it...

-BP

[Maverick]

Well, she did it but with a lot of difficulty getting in and out. Almost wouldn't need to lock her in there if that was my intent. She was a good sport but I guess I won't ask her to do that again.

Pump works fine so far. Pressure was adjusted up some with engine off. With engine idling (increased voltage from alternator), pressure between the regulator and carb is again 6+ PSI and steady. With engine idling at temp, transparent filter stays full with no bubbles. I'll take it for a ride today and check it again.

Had the RR wheel off to mount the pump on the frame rail behind the axle. With the wheel back on it was surprising to see only about an inch of clearance to the tire. The pump will have to be moved AGAIN before the wider wheels/tires go on. I think it will fit on the inside of the frame rail. When its moved, the plumbing will have to be redone and the pump will lose its prime. The in-trunk primer kit will get a test.

[Maverick]

Boiling fuel isn't solved yet. Took it for a ride, came back, and the transparent, pre-carb filter was 3/4 empty and bubbling. Next steps will be to wrap the pressure regulator in insulating tape, mount it on 1" of phenolic plastic to get it off the intake manifold, and put insulating sleeves on all the under hood fuel lines. Nothing like doing each job multiple times.

The new bracket for the regulator will be easy. Just a straight piece of 1/8X3" flat steel trimmed to fit the space and drilled to mount the regulator.

I suspect there are a lot of cars with block-mounted mechanical fuel pumps and carbs running around boiling today's fuel and putting the most volatile stuff out the carb vents.

[Maverick]

Wrapped the pressure regulator in a few layers of insulating tape, then two layers of header wrap, then insulating tape again.



Pulled the plug out of the second, unused port out of the regulator and installed a 3/8 barbed nipple, 2" of hose and a cut off smooth-shanked 3/8 bolt (clamp to be added.) Vacuum applied to that port will be used to prime the fuel pump if it ever loses prime again. Haven't settled on what vacuum device will go in the trunk tool kit. First choice didn't work out.

That port can also be tapped for fuel for the generator if (when?) power goes out again. I've been wanting an easy way to stock up on generator fuel. Now the Lincoln gas tank can be topped off before a storm and the electric fuel pump will deliver 18 or so gallons of generator gas if needed. No more filling gas cans before a storm then pouring it into a vehicle when the power stays on, which it almost always does.

Rather than a phenolic spacer between the regulator and the block-mounted bracket, two 1/2X1.5" PVC pipe sleeves around the mounting screws will insulate the regulator from the hot bracket.



Had a problem with one of the hoses on a transmission cooler line. Almost came off. Spilled a lot of fluid and it barely made it home. A good supply of fuel injection hose clamps arrived today. Every rubber hose on a tube with no barbs is going to be double clamped with fuel injection clamps. Don't think I hurt the transmission.

[Maverick]

Still chasing the fuel boiling issue. Got it back together with the insulated regulator and took a little test drive. It runs better -- no longer feel improved power when the throttle is backed off from WOT, low vacuum. I wondered if the vacuum secondaries were not opening at WOT and low RPMs or the vacuum advance was pulling in more timing when throttle was closed some. Now I guess it was leaning out under WOT and getting better mixture at half throttle. Anyway, no power increase now when the throttle is lifted some. But, when I got back and the hood was lifted, the transparent filter was 3/4 empty again while idling. Shut it off and saw bubbles in the filter again. The insulating sleeves for the fuel line haven't arrived yet so MAYBE that will fix the bubbling.

Also got the double EFI hose clamps on all the rubber hose/tube joints. Took 4 quarts of ATF to refill the trans. No wonder it was slipping. Trans worked flawlessly so I guess its OK.

DID IT AGAIN!! Recall at the last drag strip outing, with air cleaner off, the air cleaner gasket got sucked into the carb and stuck the throttle open? Left the air cleaner off for the test drive and AGAIN sucked the gasket into the butterflies. Came to a stop sign and it didn't want to stop!! Fortunately, the gasket was all in one piece and came out without much difficulty. The next gasket will be GLUED onto the carb in case I forget to remove it AGAIN for a test drive.

BTW, the cold air intakes should help cool the carb when the air cleaner IS installed. Hope that, plus the insulating sleeves for the fuel line, will keep the fuel from vaporizing and a circulating regulator won't be necessary.

[Basement Paul]

I'm still pretty confused why you don't run a 160 thermostat and cool that thing down. IMO, this would make everything better. Especially living in a hot climate with no smog regulations. Maybe there's something I don't understand, but it seems logical to me at least.

-BP

[Maverick]

That could be something to try but there are two main reasons I'd rather not. It doesn't run well till its warmed up and there's a noise, maybe some piston slap, till it warms up. One of these days I'll take it to Boyette's (did the machine work and bearing fitting on the block) and get their take on the noise and the 160* thermostat option.

Other considerations: More choke doesn't help its cold bloodedness -- just needs to warm up. The Edelbrock Performer 460 intake has no exhaust heat. The 347 in the Maverick with the Edelbrock Air Gap experienced carb icing at least once. Original thermostat was 195. 160* thermostat doesn't make for the best heater output and I don't want to get into changing thermostats winter/summer.

Would be better all around if the vapor issues can be solved with insulation. There's hope that the insulating sleeves on the under hood fuel lines will fix it.

[Maverick]

When I got the Lincoln last Summer, the AC wasn't working. WXO charged it and it did fine last Summer but not this Summer. We tried charging it again this year but WXO did not like what he was seeing on the gauges.

Took it into a local small shop, J&A Tire, where the owner has been in the business for 2-3 decades and appears to know his stuff. They evacuated the system, recharged it, worked on it for 1 3/4 hours and charged me $48. More details here http://www.thelincolnforum.net/phpbb3/v ... =2&t=47756

Anyone have any opinions?

[Maverick]

I've been chasing three mysterious (to me, at least) problems for weeks: fuel vaporization, starter hesitation, and AC issues. THINK one, the starter hesitation, may be solved.

Starter would hesitate (uh, uh, uh, ... vroom). This happened hot or cold. Installed a hi torque starter and 800 cca Interstate battery with no cure. Pulling the initial timing back some didn't cure it. Voltage to the starter is 10.7-10.9, which is above recommended minimum. Voltage drop across every connection is .1-.2 volts. Bad replacement starter? Bad replacement battery? Engine too tight. Looks like its none of the above.

The Duraspark ignition box was replaced with a FOMOCO unit when the engine wasn't running well. The cause of those problems was carb tuning which was solved with larger air bleeds. Didn't imagine the ignition module would cause the starting problem. But, causes I could imagine didn't pan out so it was time to look at "unlikely" causes. This thread showed that the starter issue occurred after the ignition box was replaced. So, I switched back to the original Duraspark box yesterday and the starter hasn't hesitated since. After poking around on the Internet, I found that some Duraspark boxes retard the spark (anywhere from 4 to 12*, depending on model) during cranking. The "I" terminal on the starter solenoid feeds the white wire on the Duraspark which triggers the retard function. I think the function either isn't there or it's not working in the replacement box. Apparently there are MANY Duraspark variations (lots of different numbers) and the number on the replacement box is NOT a replacement for the original box.

One down (I hope) and two to go.

[Maverick]

Status on three thorny problems:

. Balky starter. Still has not balked since the original Duraspark box was swapped back in.

. Fuel vaporization. With ALL the things I've done to keep the fuel cool, it's still happening. On a 95* day, after parking it for 10-15 minutes and restarting, fuel filter was mostly empty and bubbling, pressure went to zero, and it started hard and barely ran till cool fuel was delivered from the tank. Pump did not lose prime. A circulating regulator is on the way. I'm quite certain THAT will solve it as long as the pump stays primed. Even if it boils after sitting with a hot engine, the pump will circulate cool fuel and clear it up PDQ. I intended to use the fuel tank vent line that runs to the engine compartment as the return line but, its only 1/4". It'll be replaced with 3/8" adapted to the fuel vent valve on top of the tank.

. Inadequate AC. There were/are many unknowns about R134a conversion done by the previous owner.

-- Was all the R12 and mineral oil removed from the system? (Don't know.)
-- Was it evacuated well before charging with R134a and compatible oil? (Don't know.)
-- Was the accumulator/dryer replaced? (Yes.)
-- Is the system currently under or over charged? (Don't know.)
-- Was the desiccant in the dryer compatible with R134a? (Yes. Four Seasons 33380 dryer contains XH9 desiccant.)
-- Was the Suction Throttling Valve recalibrated for R134a? (Don't know. There's a pressure test connection on the STV that, if I had a gauge that would connect to it, would answer this one.)

So, what to do about the inadequate AC? Two possibilities:

Plan A: Replace the dryer, evacuate the system, recharge (4.25 lbs R134a) and try it out. Plan A should work if the problem is air or water in the system, the dryer is saturated, or the system under or over charged.

Plan A is in process. Dryer is replaced, possibly leaking Schrader valve in the low side charging port was replaced, and its being evacuated now. (Would replace the big Schrader valve in the high side port if I had a tool that would remove and install that over-sized valve.) Unfortunately, the new vacuum pump doesn't have a shut off valve so no way to know if the system will hold a vacuum. Shut off valve is something to look for if you're buying a vacuum pump.

Plan B will be done if Plan A doesn't do it. Remove the compressor and empty it of oil. If I can't veryify that the STV has been recalibrated for R134a, replace it. Replace the dryer. Replace the expansion valve (already have one). Somehow blow out the evaporator, condenser and all hoses, probably with R134a. Replace all the O-rings, add oil to and reinstall the compressor and hoses, evacuate the system, recharge it and HOPE its fixed.