1966 Continental Fuel Delivery and Steering Questions

Starting Problem. I have this same issue with both my antique Lincolns – a 1966 Continental and a 1957 Premiere. On the 1966 this issue has lasted for years, through several tuneups and a carburetor rebuild. If driven daily there is no problem, but if it sits more than a few days the carburetor seems to have lost its fuel. Holding choke open and pumping pedal shows no gas being pumped. I have to pump the pedal 10-12 times, wait 15 seconds then pump again and repeat this 3-4 times. Sometimes I pour gas into the carburetor and it starts right up. I have always had to pump the gas at least 6-8 times, but now it’s worse. What could I do?

Also on my 1966, Power Steering Gear loose. When replacing the steering coupler recently, I noticed that the power steering gear was loose. I tried to tighten it, but two of the bolts just spin and I can’t figure out how to hold the end of the bolts that are inside rubber bushing-like mounts. One of the bolts is tight, but the other two are so loose that the gear box moves when turning the wheel. This makes the steering loose. How can I fix this?

Ben

Hello Ben –

For your starting problem you should first check to be sure that a decent amount of fuel is being supplied to the interior of the carburetor when you are cranking the engine. A weak fuel pump or a plugged fuel filter etc. can be a suspect if the fuel delivery is weak. With a proper amount of clean fresh fuel being supplied to the fuel bowl in the carburetor, the accelerator should be able to squirt fuel into the engine immediately when applied and start the engine in a few seconds. If this is not happening, the carburetor may need to be removed and properly inspected internally. You may need to visit a carburetor EXPERT near your location for a carburetor inspection if the above sounds like your cause of hard starting.

Your second question regarding your loose steering gear is a common problem. To repair that properly, the mounts must be replaced with new ones. We have these available in stock for your Lincoln. If the old bolts cannot be removed by prying the gap tightly open to allow the bolts to unscrew, you can try using large channel lock plyers on the gear box mounts to twist them off. If that does not work for you, the bolts may need to be cut out. Feel free to call us and ask for George, can possibly get you with a Tech for further information.

Sincerely,

Bill