Truck dies at idle when driving

[RONC65SLICK]

Hello, I am new to working on cars and trucks and I have only had this slick for a short time. It is a 65 f100 352 V8 with a 3 on the tree. Someone put a Holley 4bl carb and dual exhaust on it sometime ago. It seems to start good with the chock out and then when I put it in runs ok but once I start driving it seems to just die out. It almost seems like maybe t is not getting enough gas or maybe the ideal needs to be turned up. Like I said I am no mechanic. I was thinking of changing the Distributor cap, rotor, points, condenser, wires and plugs and the coil.

I was adding the new coil because sometimes when I try to restart it. The truck act's like it has a dead battery and turns slow and seems like it won't start. then it finely fires over.

please help point me in the right direction.

Thanks

[Limestone66]

Sounds to me it could stand a good 'ol fashioned 'tune-up'. Idle screw could benefit with a quarter turn to keep it running, but i would definetly have someone check it out for you. Maybe someone you know thats mechanically inclined and knows what they're doing without taking it to a fully equiped automotive shop. Do that only as a last resort. Ya gotta be careful there. Good luck with that old 352, if ya take care of 'em, they'll last forever.

[charliemccraney]

Welcome to the world of old vehicles and doing it yourself. Don't throw parts at it! That's a surefire way to get upset and loose interest.
Buy a repair manual. Trouble shooting procedures will be outlined. Repair manuals are not always the best but for a beginner, they're pretty good, and something you can hold in your hands right now for reference. I think the older manuals are actually pretty good, like the factory manual for your truck, as opposed to the Haynes abominations for later models. Ask questions about anything outlined in that manual that you do not understand.

You're probably going to need to buy or borrow some specialty tools, but cross that bridge when you get there.

The coil will not fix your slow to crank engine (that's why you don't throw parts at it). One of several things is happening. Your battery actually is weak. The connections are not good, perhaps due to broken wires or corrosion. Your ignition timing is too advanced.

Not being able to idle can have many causes. You have to trouble shoot. Idle issues are great because you should be able to duplicate it in your driveway which makes it easier to diagnose.

The things you have proposed to replace probably wouldn't hurt, particularly if the history is unknown, but I would not expect them to fix your problems. In fact, since you're new at this, there is a possibility that you could make it worse by arbitrarily changing things that you don't fully understand. That by no means is to say that you shouldn't attempt it but focus on one issue at a time and throwing those parts at it is not the way to do it. I know I sure get upset when I make things worse and create two or three things to correct, rather than the one I had to begin with. Know what I mean?

It's good that you want to learn because in my opinion, it's an absolute necessity to be able to repair your older vehicle. These guys at the late model shops have probably never seen points and will probably search your vehicle for an hour before asking you where to plug in the obd cable. And to be fair, it's 2013, they have no reason to know about that. It is an absolutely last resort to take it to a shop unless you're lucky enough to have one nearby that specializes in classic and antique vehicles. You'll still have a high bill, but at least they'll know what to do with the vehicle.

[Hunter's 64]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-Ford-Picku ... 257b3be3bf

This is a full set , kind of spendy , but you can spend 125.00 on this and save yourself 1000.00's over the years in labor cost's , plus it's a great feeling knowing you do it yourself .......

Danny

[64 f100]

Oak Forest , IL. is, I suspect, way up north from me. I live in southeast Il. . If anywhere close, I would be glad to help you diagnose your problems. My advice is do the simple tests and the simple things first. So many of these truck have had replacement battery connections that are substandard and after awhile just are not good. If, this is the case with your truck I would start by cleaning all these connections. The specific connections I refer to are clamps to replace cable ends. Usually have two bolts holding the cable end where the original battery mount was cut off, wire stripped and then clamped by two bolts and a cover. Take these apart and wire brush untill clean enough to make good contact . Clean all ground connections, the one that goes to the block from the battery and the one going from the back of the engine to the cab. If, you can get the truck to an autozone parts place, have them check starter drag and battery condition. Make sure your battery has a full charge, before taking it to those people. Slow turnover and poor start often means draging or weak starter. If draging , the starter draws so much amperage it pulls the battey down and makes for weaker spark. You've aleady gotten some good advice about repair manuals, I would add one other very important piece of advice. Get a multimeter. You can buy a cheap one , it doesn't have to be exspensive. You need one that will work on a 12 volt system, and has resistance in ohms. Learn how to use it, as it is the handiest tool ever made for chasing down electrical problems. Your truck dies at idle after warming up, could be both electrical and or carb adjustment. However, it could also be a symptom of weak valves. REmember these trucks were made to run with leaded gas. Compression test might or might not reeal anything, but would be something worth doing. Can be done by one person with the right compression tester, but is easier if done by two.

Rich

[Toyz]

Oak Forest , IL. is, I suspect, way up north from me. I live in southeast Il. . If anywhere close, I would be glad to help you diagnose your problems. My advice is do the simple tests and the simple things first. So many of these truck have had replacement battery connections that are substandard and after awhile just are not good. If, this is the case with your truck I would start by cleaning all these connections. The specific connections I refer to are clamps to replace cable ends. Usually have two bolts holding the cable end where the original battery mount was cut off, wire stripped and then clamped by two bolts and a cover. Take these apart and wire brush untill clean enough to make good contact . Clean all ground connections, the one that goes to the block from the battery and the one going from the back of the engine to the cab. If, you can get the truck to an autozone parts place, have them check starter drag and battery condition. Make sure your battery has a full charge, before taking it to those people. Slow turnover and poor start often means draging or weak starter. If draging , the starter draws so much amperage it pulls the battey down and makes for weaker spark. You've aleady gotten some good advice about repair manuals, I would add one other very important piece of advice. Get a multimeter. You can buy a cheap one , it doesn't have to be exspensive. You need one that will work on a 12 volt system, and has resistance in ohms. Learn how to use it, as it is the handiest tool ever made for chasing down electrical problems. Your truck dies at idle after warming up, could be both eleowqctrical and or carb adjustment. However, it could also be a symptom of weak valves. REmember these trucks were made to run with leaded gas. Compression test might or might not reeal anything, but would be something worth doing. Can be done by one person with the right compression tester, but is easier if done by two.

Rich

Good info, Rich. A major part of my AAA calls were directly related to "emergency" cable ends. If my customers objected to replacing those ends with new cables, their electrical diagnosis was done elsewhere!
Paul

[RONC65SLICK]

Thanks for everyone's advice and help. I just bought the 3 books for the truck and once I have them I will start reading and testing. My uncle said he worked on these years ago and I will see if he can help me as well. he is much better at this stuff than I am and he will understand what the parts are called and what the book say's.

Thanks again