Thread: 63 Galaxie FE help?

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Howdy, all.
A friend is selling off his 63 Galaxie and he has employed me to get her back up and on the road after sitting for about 3 years.
Tbird 390, Ford 4 barrel, auto, console shift. I charged the oil pump, pre-lubed the cylinders, rebuilt the carb, fresh gas, replaced cap, rotor, points, condensor & coil.
She fired right up, but I'm having a problem that is stumping me.
For the third time now, I got to his house, and started her up. The brakes are a little sticky, so I've been doing a little back and forth to loosen them up with no real problems.
But each time, I roll forward and the engine starts to cut out. I throw it in neutral and gently rev to keep her lit.
The engine seems to be overloading with gas or something - that's just what it seems like - but the gentle massaging of the pedal seems to smooth it out.
I roll backwards in his driveway and the same thing happens in reverse. Each time, after the engine has smoothed back out to normal, I shut it off. It does not restart after that. The next time I go over, she fires right up.
The transmission was "rebuilt" by a guy who's reputation has steadily deteriorated in town, so it makes me think there could be an issue with the torque convertor? Maybe some control valve? She runs absolutely smooth idling or revving, but as soon as I put her in gear, the problem shows up.
Any ideas on what I could check? Did I mess up the carb somehow? That doesn't seem to be an issue because of the smooth running in Park, but ya never know.
We are trying to get this thing sold asap (he just had TRIPLETS!) and need to button the Old Gal up.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks all, and feel free to email me directly.
Thanks,
George

You didn't say if the 63 has power brakes or not, but if it does, I'd bet the booster is bad. Sounds like a vacuum leak. Especially if you step on the brakes and the idle smoothes out. JMO.

Hm. That is an interesting idea - and I'll check that out in the morning. But the booster is a brand new rebuild. I don't sense any problems with brake feel, but I'll pay closer attention.

Keep it comin' fellahs!

Geo

Originally posted by DennyW
Never rule out the new part just because it's new or rebuilt.

Yeah, Denny, been there, done that, way too many times. I know what you mean. Georgiepoo, also check the hose and the connnection going to the booster. You might be surprised at what you find.

Okay. Just got back to the house after checking under the hood.
Duane - you were right about checking the hoses to & from the bnooster. The manifold hose clamp was baggy, so I tightened it up. Unfortunately, it made no difference. I rolled her forward and she started bogging out again. I threw it in neutral and massaged the pedal, and she puttered and bitched and smoothed out. Rolled her backwards and had the same issue. Stall. A restart was tough, but I found that if I held the gas open, she reluctantly restarted. The engine purrs, but if I put it in gear, the idle drops and drops, and it starts stuttering. Restart. This time, I wanted to bypass the booster, so I applied the parking brake and revved. Same thing. Could it be a timing issue? FE seems to run smooth until the transmission is in D or R for a few seconds. Am I back to the torque convertor or some transmission valve? I've always heard about the modulator valve - although it is not mentioned in the manual. As I understand it, the MV only controls shifts between all gears, so I don't think that wouldn't apply here. The engine purrs at all rpms - even if I slow the idle way way down, so I don't think it's carb-related. The air cleaner is off during all this and she is smoking and stinking after the bog.
Gggrr
Have to go to work, but will check in during the day. Our goal is to roll her to the Carlisle swap meet this next weekend with a price tag.
George

The engine is a Thunderbird 390 with the Ford 4 barrel. There have been no modifications done. No headers, no MSD, no fancy valve covers. She is a pretty, bone-stock, 4 door, Texas-born Hardtop Galaxie XL with buckets, console and no B pillars. And no rust. (Ask for pictures if anyone is interested...).
Again - COULD it be the transmission or convertor?
The problem is there in gear. It seems to me that if there was a faulty convertor, the problem would show up once the convertor was called to service. Could it be acting up so much as to d-r-a-g the power out of the engine?

Thoughts?

I have been wrong before, I assure you. But I do not want to chase a goose if I am very wrong about the convertor. That is a LOT of work that I am not really set up to perform.




George

Have you run it long enough to warm up? A carbureted engine needs to have some heat before it'll run right, especially if its been sitting a while.

Absolutely.

Additionally, Todd - the owner - tells me the problem was there before the 3 year indoor storage, and started after he had the trans rebuilt by that local POS mechanic, and after he took it to a certified tranny place for a fix up.

It helps to give all the info up front. Now it does seem like the trans could be the problem, or maybe something that happened when the trans was pulled. I've seen electrical problems arise from dropping the engine too far back, and stretching the wires. Even crushed wires, or resistors.

Yeah, it's starting to seem like that's where the trouble is. I'm gonna start a new thread with the info and insight youse guys have provided me with in a transmissions section. Maybe those tranny wizards can look in their crystal balls for my solution.
I thank you all for your input - it is greatly appreciated. As soon as I get this worked out, I will post another thread here - follow up is a good thing.
Georgiepoo

Try replacing the modulator. Sometimes the diaphram inside breaks and sucks in transmission fluid. That could be the stinky smoke when in gear.