1969 Lincoln Shuts Off After Seven To Twelve Miles & Update

Hello Bill,
I have been reading your advice for some time, I don’t know anyone else that comes close to your wisdom!
I’m hoping you can help me. I have a 1969 Lincoln Continental with 19,000.00 miles. I bought it from friends who are the original owners. The car sat in a warehouse most of its life. The last 7 years not much activity at all. I bought it and started driving it 3 months ago. It’s had minor issues I’ve had to deal with, but nothing major. Now, in the last two weeks, it will start and run fine for about 7 to 12 miles then shut down. This can happen while I’m driving at speed, slowing down or at a stop, no consistency except the 7 to 12 miles. The carburetor does have some issues and has been recently rebuilt. So, that was my first thought. I checked and made sure its getting fuel. I also sprayed starting fluid into the carburetor, no response at all. I started checking and trying to eliminate electrical possibilities. I’ve replaced the battery, coil ( Pertronix flame-thrower III ), points and condenser ( Pertronix Ignitor III ), spark plug wires ( Ford Racing 9mm ), spark plugs ( NGK V-Power ), distributor cap and rotor. I’ve checked the timing It was around 20 degrees BTDC. I set it to 10 degrees BTDC. The engine runs awesome with all the new parts, It just won’t stay running! Is it possible it could be the regulator or alternator? Please help!
Thank you sir!
Frankie
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Frankie –
We’re glad that you enjoy the blog. You don’t tell us how you get the engine started again after a shut down but if the carb. is absolutely receiving enough fuel at this stall event and all of your mentioned tune up items are correct and up to par then I would temporarily install a test light on the Pertronix feed wire under the hood. If you are losing power here when it shuts down you will then know that the power from the ignition switch to the Pertronix system is faulty. If the power to the ignition stays on with this test when the engine stops then you need to immediately test for spark at the plugs. If there is no spark at this time while cranking the engine, the Pertronix components will be suspect. Pertronix may have a tech. line for you to call, their contact info is below…
Sincerely,
Bill
PerTronix, Inc.
440 East Arrow Highway
San Dimas, CA 91773
Phone: (909) 547-9058
Fax: (909) 599-6424
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Bill,
Thank you for answering my question! The engine will start after it has sat and cooled for 1 to 2 hrs. The stalling started before I added any of the new items ( Pertronix, etc..) and continues with the new items. The car runs a lot better with the new items, but it still stalls after a short drive.
On a side note, what would you recommend setting the timing too with the new aftermarket items? What carburetor would you recommend? I’m not looking to hot rod. I would like a good dependable solid carburetor with improved mpg and efficiency. Am I wish full think? Lol
Thanks,
Frankie
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Frankie –
I always set the timing at the factory recommended specifications for a 60’s 460 cid vehicle (6-10 degrees). If the damper pulley where the timing marks are located has loosened and has spun on the rubber damper material the timing indicator mark cannot be used with great accuracy. In any case I always road test after a tune up with the engine at operating temperature and re adjust the timing while paying attention to pinging and engine power etc. The road test is a very important part of an engine tune up. Many times because of todays poor quality fuel and low octane availability we need to tweak the timing during the final road test. The vacuum advance unit on the distributor should also be tested for operation at any time a tune up is performed. They are a very popular fail item.
Because new Motorcraft carbs. and parts are no longer available for these Lincolns, we have satisfied our customers who decide to go with a another unit by replacing their original worn carburetors with NEW ones. Please call one of our parts sales personnel for further details. If you conclude with diagnosing that your present carburetor is faulty and performing poorly a new one will be a vast improvement and well worth the expense but if you are only looking for better fuel efficiency and power than was built into these vehicles you will probably be disappointed with a new carburetor.
I would still do the electrical and fuel tests that we have suggested previously in order to diagnose and eliminate some possible causes of your stalling problem.
Sincerely,
Bill