"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
08/12/2020 at 13:57 • Filed to: phoebe, Thunderbird
4
12|
"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
08/12/2020 at 13:57 • Filed to: phoebe, Thunderbird | 4
| 12 |
“It’s a good thing you took it to me, I’m probably the only person in the world who’s seen this problem before and knows how to fix it” - Dan from Alltech.
So I took Phoebe to a professional mechanic to see if they could figure out why she was stalling in right turns and generally running poorly. After most of the mechanics at the shop couldn’t figure it out, Dan determined that it was the starter solenoid of all things. He told me he was only able to figure it out because he saw a similar problem with an old Ford truck once. That truck stalled when accelerating, and when he saw the orientation of the starter solenoid he figured out that there was something loose in it that was sliding during acceleration and losing electrical contact. Turns out, my car had the same problem but the solenoid was oriented differently so my car was stalling when turning right rather than when accelerating. We’ve been praying that we would send the car to the right person who would know how to fix it, and it looks like we did!
Unfortunately, the solenoid he replaced the old one with ended up being d effective and caused the starter motor to keep going once the engine started, and then the engine started revving uncontrollably and wouldn’t shut off when I removed the key... Eventually, with a combination of turning the key like mad, revving, and hitting the brakes, I was able to kill the engine. So that was terrifying. But Dan said that’s most likely just a problem with the new solenoid, so it’s fixable (man, Ford, what is it with you and solenoids?). He also explained that it was running poorly because the choke is stuck open and the fluid leak is coming from the thermostat housing and told me where I can get those things fixed.
So Phoebe was almost roadworthy today, but at least I know what needs to be done now. She’s almost ready!
This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 14:04 |
|
My neighbor has an 80 something Gran Marquis that we’ve put like 3 new solenoids in and they keep getting stuck. The contacts inside weld together when you crank it and it takes quickly removing the battery cable or giving the solenoid a whack while the starter is g rinding away.
He gave up trying to fix it. Now he quickly turns the key but doesn't hold it long enough to actually start the car, then he turns it off and back on again and starts it. For some reason this seems to prevent it from sticking, though I have no idea why.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
08/12/2020 at 14:11 |
|
I wonder if that has something to do with another part of the car not working right? I dunno. I think Ford used the type of solenoid in my car for many years, so it might be the same type as his, but I haven’t had that problem with it. At least not with the one that was in it before, but of course that one had the stalling problem... I guess Ford used to just not be good at making solenoids?
fintail
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 14:23 |
|
This makes me think back to the 66 Galaxie (390) I drove when I was 16, which also had driveability issues - especially when cold, it would stall a lot, and I recall it would stall in turns as well. I wonder if the issue on that car was related. I remember my dad rebuilt the carb, to no avail. Once the car warmed up it was much better, but that seemed to take a good 15 minutes of running. That experience and some motorcycle quirks made me strongly dislike carburetors.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> fintail
08/12/2020 at 14:30 |
|
Definitely c ould be the solenoid. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are plenty of Fords in junkyards simply because of the solenoid issue. Dan the mechanic said he hasn’t found any information about the solenoid issue on the internet, so it isn’t a well-known problem, but it does happen. If a carburetor rebuild didn’t fix your problem, then I’m thinking it probably was a problem with the solenoid or something of the sort...
|
This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 14:56 |
|
That was our thought as well so installed a new starter, all new fat-daddy battery and alternator wiring and a new ignition switch... to no avail. It could still be god knows what but we both pretty much gave up. I don’t have time to troubleshoot it and as much as he likens himself to being a car-guy, anything electrical is not his forte whatsoever. (His parking lights stopped working so he inserts led flashlights where the bulbs should be inserted whenever he has to drive at night, which is every weekday as he gets home shortly after midnight.) Sweetheart of a guy though; I'd rewire the thing for him if I didn't have a 3 year old.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
08/12/2020 at 15:04 |
|
Yeah, old car electrical gremlins are a pain in the butt...
shop-teacher
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 15:59 |
|
Interesting. My grandma had a new ‘68 Mustang convertible, that for the entire six years she owned it, would stall on the same one right turn that was on her route to work. It did it every single time, and only there. That car was actually killed when my uncle pulled out in front of (I swear this is true) a turnip truck without enough of a gap , and it stalled ... like it always did there!
The Mustang was replaced by a ‘74 Camaro which my uncle also killed, when he swerved to miss a family of racoons.
Sovande
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 16:05 |
|
Progress! It’s funny it turned out to be electrical, that would have been way down on my guess list. Glad you got it sorted. When I was 12 years old my dad got me a subscription to Hemmings (back when it was a big thick newpaper print thing) and I would peruse it every month for pictures of 1966 Thunderbirds.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> Sovande
08/12/2020 at 16:26 |
|
Thanks! Also, if you want to look for a 66 T-bird of your own, there’s no better time than now. They’ve been flying under the radar of most collectors for a while now and you can still find good ones for less than ten grand, but they’re getting noticed more and more now...
Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 17:04 |
|
We must keep Alltech Dan alive like McLaren’s laptop...
https://jalopnik.com/this-ancient-laptop-is-the-only-key-to-the-most-valuabl-1773662267
Great to hear that there’s light at
the end of tunnel!
|
fintail
> Jim Spanfeller
08/12/2020 at 17:05 |
|
Makes sense, I saw you mentioned something with a thermostat too, and the car was so cold-blooded, something was up. The other old Fords my dad had at the time (a 60 with a 352, 68 with a 289) had no such problems, both ran fine and the 289 was an especially sweet engine. I liked the way the Galaxie looked, but I don’t miss that part of the driving experience.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
08/12/2020 at 17:25 |
|
At least now I, too, know about the solenoid thing. And everyone who reads this... basically PSA, if your old Ford stalls when turning, accelerating, braking, etc, it might be the solenoid.