Driving Uphill From A Dead Stop.....quite Sluggish

Folks -- one of my concerns is that my 1966 F4 engine is really hard to get moving when pulling away from a stop sign or red light and having to go up a city street grade. If the engine is rather cold (running only about five minutes in this season), it's a real struggle to break 20 mph in second gear and that seems to me that I'm stressing the little engine. When engine is adequately warmed up, I might be able to up shift to third at 25 mph up a city grade, but that's close to lugging the engine and I will often down shift to reach top of the grade.

Seems to me that years ago when my CJ5 and I were both a lot younger, uphill sluggishness around a city was not a concern. But I let Mr. CJ sit idle for 20+ years before doing the work a few years ago that was needed to get it road worthy again. It's tuned and timed fine (about 1500 miles ago), the idle is great, and acceleration on a flat is great. And if I come down a hill at 40-45 mph, I can easily make it up the other side (city streets), even getting a little acceleration on the up hill (and, oh, that feels good......holding my own against the following traffic

My question is: what areas of the engine should I investigate for achieving better uphill acceleration, cold and warm engine? For example: re-check the 5BTC timing, buy new ignition cables, recheck 0.20" point gap, clean plugs every few 100 miles?? I have not checked the compression. As a reference, I get about 15 mph (ethanol free gas) in city, and seem to go through a little more engine oil than I would like (no smoking though).

Please offer your opinions about how to improve uphill acceleration driving an F4-135 .... thank you, Ron

 

A compression check is easy, and a vacuum check even easier. Both gauges are extremely affordable.

Any rational diagnosis should start only after points and timing are verified and set to specification.

15 mpg is about right.

Is your air filter clean? Brakes not dragging? No squirrels in the muffler?

 

That's actually a good thought....if it sat a long time, critters could have nested in the muffler or tailpipe and partially plugged it.

 

One other suggestion besides exhaust restriction and dragging brakes(froze-up wheel cylinders) is the centrifugal advance in distributor.Verify that it is functioning beyond just checking initial timming.
Good luck with it. mike

 

did you check the valve clearances? a leakdown test is much more usefull than a compression check

 

Check for limited fuel flow there is a process to check the mechanical pump performance.

Now that just ain't right.

 

Thanks for your inputs, Everyone. Ha, ha.. no animals in exhaust. Put in entire system during restoration (purchased from Walcks). Wheel cylinders all new (brake lines too). But I can easily recheck the brake adjustments. Vacuum check two years ago was at low end, I believe. About 17 at some port beneath carb.

Looks like I need to check compression (I have gauge), do a leak down ( have never done), and check centrifigal advance in distributor ( have never done). Need to do some reading on these latter two. Homework! ( I like the road sign, PeteL )

 

Please post what you find out about the centrifugal advance? I am curious.

 

Is it possible the parking brake on the transfer case is dragging or pulled on?

 

Shorter tires would improve up hill power.
You can advance timing to 10 btdc, with a good tune and good gas.
I live in the hills of east TN, lots of 2nd gear,25-30 mph back road driving.

 

With the exception of the Dauntless V6..
.. Just saying.

 

I have the Hurricane engine. When old he was hard to get power. Then we cleaned the carburetor, change the spark plug, fix well the ignition point, fix well the carb .... AND now cold or hot weather I have full power. The work on the carb is to make at theend when all is clean and correct. It must be adjusted carefully then...it Works!

Of course there are many other reasons to a lack of power, valves, bad compression, keeping the foot on the brakes when driving but first things first, check the carb.