1953 Ford jubilee won’t go uphill

[RottenCornStock55]

So when I went to my property to go cut down some brush with my bush hog and needed to get to the top of a small 20 degree slope, the carburetor would hiss (jet?), jerk forwards and backwards then stall. Anyone have any ideas to why this would be happening?

 

[rScotty]

Hiss? Like a backfire through the carb? Sounds like a tune up issue. Something set wrong.

Have you set your valves lately? Is it possible that you might not have given an intake valve enough clearance? It should have .015" intake and exhaust at top dead center on the compression stroke. . That is enough clearance to feel easily.

Getting the timing way too advanced will do that as well - check the points and timing.

Last thing I can think of is the float position. That is an adjustment one makes when replacing a needle and seat. If the carb is slightly overfull it might flood when you start up hills. BTW, 20 degrees is a very steep hill. On the highway, you see runouts for trucks on hills that have a sustained 5 or 6 degree slope.

 

[RottenCornStock55]

Hiss? Like a backfire through the carb? Sounds like a tune up issue. Something set wrong.

Have you set your valves lately? Is it possible that you might not have given an intake valve enough clearance? It should have .015" intake and exhaust at top dead center on the compression stroke. . That is enough clearance to feel easily.

Getting the timing way too advanced will do that as well - check the points and timing.

Last thing I can think of is the float position. That is an adjustment one makes when replacing a needle and seat. If the carb is slightly overfull it might flood when you start up hills. BTW, 20 degrees is a very steep hill. On the highway, you see runouts for trucks on hills that have a sustained 5 or 6 degree slope.

I Will Check the valves, what would I check the clearance with? And on second thought I think it was more of a 10 to 12 degree hill

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I Will Check the valves, what would I check the clearance with? And on second thought I think it was more of a 10 to 12 degree hill

I've only seen 20 degrees on the Alaskan highway. You have an up draft carb on that. Carb, timing, points, and valves. I'll guess two of those ain't right. Leave the valves alone until you learn how to check them.

 

[John0829]

Have you ever used the tractor for this task before? If so then don't worry about the valves, leave them alone. Do a proper electrical tune up and LEAVE the carb and timing alone until you are sure you have good blue spark. ONLY then maybe open the main jet a 1/4 to 1/2 turn as for the timing, adjust it only if you have a timing light and know how to use it, timing is 8 BTC. The updraft carb (properly working) does not care what angle you are on, I was using my 850 Ford today going up and down 30+ degree slopes never missing a beat cutting heavy grass.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

So when I went to my property to go cut down some brush with my bush hog and needed to get to the top of a small 20 degree slope, the carburetor would hiss (jet?), jerk forwards and backwards then stall. Anyone have any ideas to why this would be happening?

You could also have a fuel restriction. Do you still have a glass fuel bowl under the tank with a fuel valve on it? Them things had a fine mesh screen up above the bowl, and it could be crudded up. Take the bowl off. The screen has rubber around it and is the gasket that seals the glass bowl. If it's clogged, spray it off with carb cleaner. Wear safety glasses. I uséd to read, flush your eyes with running water, and thought no way. You get carb cleaner in your eyes, yes you can. You can run that water hose full blast in your open eyes, it feels so good.

 

[rScotty]

I Will Check the valves, what would I check the clearance with? And on second thought I think it was more of a 10 to 12 degree hill

Interesting question about what to check the clearance with. Aw... don't worry about it. When your mechanical buddy comes over to set the valves he will most likely have a set of feeler guages. I think you are going to need some help with this.

Ballpark figures: A quick and dirty tune up on an old Ford that almost runs right is a mere sixpack affair. A real tuneup is worth a case. Make that a premium case and one to take home if new parts are involved or carb needs cleaning.

For things of the right thickness....I had to look around the shop. You asked an interesting question. .015" is handy because it is what the points are set at as well as the valves....but most things are thicker than that.

Some business cards - the average ones - are about fifteen thousandths thick. Playing cards tend to be thinner at about .010". The double-ended blade in your box cutter or the flat part of a hand hacksaw blade is .025"....a bit too thick, but handy to know. A dime is .050" - way, way too thick for tractor work!

Most disposable scalpel blades are 015" thick.

And nickels are a wonderful .075" thick. Corrosion resistant and just the right hardness and size to drill for use as a heavy duty washer.

rScotty

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve found sudden lack of power in my limited experience either fuel flow or once weak condenser…

Fuel flow plagues a lot of older gravity system due to corrosion over the years limiting flow…

A motor can idle and move fine with little to no load but but pour on the gas and the lack of flow kicks in.

Had an old Ford that just purred and easy to start…

As soon as I needed power for the brush cutter there was none… it never died but no power under load…

(A related fuel issue turned out to be plugged tank air vent… start and drive off fine and peter-out accelerating in short order.)

Another time helping a friend checking everything we could think of neighbor came by and said bad condenser equals weak spark and weak spark gets snuffed out under load… he was 100% right.

Just my 2 cents…

 

[Mike1955]

You could also have a fuel restriction. Do you still have a glass fuel bowl under the tank with a fuel valve on it? Them things had a fine mesh screen up above the bowl, and it could be crudded up. Take the bowl off. The screen has rubber around it and is the gasket that seals the glass bowl. If it's clogged, spray it off with carb cleaner. Wear safety glasses. I uséd to read, flush your eyes with running water, and thought no way. You get carb cleaner in your eyes, yes you can. You can run that water hose full blast in your open eyes, it feels so good.

Starving for gas would be the first thing I would check.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Starving for gas would be the first thing I would check.

Or the governor is disconnected.