The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop The Heat Killed My Truck

I haven't been on here in ages, but I've come looking for help like a wayward child. I've been using my 58 as a daily driver for the past week with no issues until today. I had it parked in the sun, and our local temperature had risen to 104 F. It was a bit hard to start, but it did start then stopped when I braked at the bottom of the driveway and put the clutch in. I had a very hard time getting it to restart but eventually did when I held the accelerator to the floor and pulled out the choke part way while pushing the starter pedal. When I got to the end of the block and put the clutch in while slowing for possible traffic and the dips created by the cross street gutters, the engine wound down and eventually stopped even though I started giving it gas again. Ideas and suggestions for diagnosing are very welcome.

Wow! Very sorry to hear of this issue. Where in NorCal does it reside? Is this a 235 motor?

Sounds like fuel starvation to me. Could be as simple as the fuel pump giving up the ghost. But that's just a WAG.

I don't think it's the fuel pump as it was fine over the previous week when temps were below tripple digits, as well as for an errand I ran in the morning when it was only 85 or so.

I suspect the engine quitting in the high temperature is a coincidence. Vehicles that sit around not being driven and then suddenly are awakened from their slumber often develop problems they didn't have before.

You will have to do the usual investigation of fuel and ignition parts.

When it conked out and wouldn't start, did you investigate? look down the carb to see if goosing the throttle squirts fuel into the venturi? Disconnect the fuel line at the carb to see if fuel is actually getting to the carb?

After the last conkout, did it eventually restart? How did you get it home? Have you tried to start it since then?

"It's never the carburetor." Tell yourself that now with conviction.
Save the carburetor for last.
Do a simple test of how much fuel the fuel pump delivers into a Diet Coke bottle at the line going into the carburetor.
If the rate of delivery is suspect, see if fuel is making it's way from the fuel tank, including through the fuel filter if there is one upstream of fuel pump, and through the hard line at the fuel pump inlet fitting.
If everything is fine at this point, it's time to dig into the carburetor.

The reason to leave the carburetor for last is that if you rebuild a perfectly fine carburetor first and do something wrong upon reassembly, and your real problem was caused by issues upstream of the carburetor, you will then have 2 problems at the same time.
That is worse scenario to ever have.

Do you use a mechanical pump or an electric pump? What kind of fuel filter are you using? If it's been on there for a long time, pull it off and cut it open.

Could your gasoline have gone bad from sitting?

The fact that the fuel pump was OK the previous week has no bearing on it's performance this week. If you haven't tested it, you don't know if it's working.

Stuff has to break at some point. Just ask the guy who keeled over from a heart attack, thinking "huh! my ticker was fine just a bit ago."

Just to hammer it home.....as others have said....it's NOT the outside temp of your area. It IS a fuel delivery issue.... or a load of bad gas.

Also, 20% of the time it's an issue caused by something the owner did recently and didn't tell on himself.

Signature says 235.

The motor likes to run at 160 deg +

Loosen the gas tank filler cap, if it is not venting, the high temperature may have caused the tank to pressurize and flood the carb. As others have noted, test the fuel volume and pressure.

Mechanical fuel pump.
I removed the couple of gallons of gas that had been sitting in the tank over the winter. With fresh gas, it did stumble a bit for a few minutes then seemed to run just fine (assumed any bad fuel in the line and carb was combusted in those minutes).
There is a fuel filter between the pump and carb.
I could not get it started again to drive it the block back home at that time. I came back 4 hours later (truck had been sitting in the shade) and after much trying, eventually got it running. After revving the engine for a minute or so, it idled ok, and I took it for 20 minute drive where I had a couple of stop signs and speeds up to 60 mph. It seemed fine.

The engine started right up (maybe 3 seconds on the starter) at 11 AM and 96 degrees the next morning and idled as smooth as it ever has.

My grandfather replaced the original gas cap with a "modern" one in the early 80's that was vented, but I'll try that as well if/when it happens again.

Also, I'll order a replacement fuel filter and change that as soon as I get it (it's at least 20 years old). I'll check fuel flow this weekend.

Good idea.

The modern replacement gas caps have a valve that seems to stick often causing a vacuum condition in the tank.

See if you can breathe through your fuel filter. If you can't that's the culprit. Cut your filter open and see if it's clogged full of crud.

I replaced the fuel filter just due to how old it was, but it appears that the problem is the fuel pump. I have a new mechanical fuel pump on order and hope to have it by Saturday so I can install it before work on Monday.

Thanks for all the responses.

Good luck with it. The new ones are notorious for being defective straight out of the box. If your old one has screws holding it together, hang on to it and rebuild it or have it rebuilt.

Way to make me feel good. Lol. Yes, the old one is held together with screws, and I was going to try rebuilding it. Jim Carter said they had a replacement fuel pump when I ordered it on Wednesday. Have they shipped it yet? Of course not. Glad I paid extra for the 2 Day priority mail 🙄. I'm beginning to wonder if they actually have one and plan to call them tomorrow, Monday.

Didn't want to make you feel bad.

I had a new one fail in a few hundred miles and its replacement wouldn't pump a drop straight from the box. Another guy on this site had exactly the same story with 2 pumps and many others have similar problems.

I sent my OEM replacement pump that was probably from the 1980s or so to Then and Now Automotive to have it rebuilt. 11,000 miles later its going strong.

Does your original pump have a glass cover on it?

It doesn't have the glass cover. It might have been replaced about 20 years ago when my wife had a local guy "fix it" as a surprise for me. I don't remember it ever having a glass cover, and I got it when my grandfather died in 1985. So, he probably replaced it at some point. I'm going to start a new topic on the fuel pump saga.

That's alright. As long as it's screwed together, it can be rebuilt properly.