Recently acquired a Hudson Super 6, 2door Brougham with a 3 speed with overdrive that's supposed to work. It hasn't been driven a lot for the last several years. Has new gas tank, brakes, etc. I got the carb repaired and it now starts immediately. After getting the shift cable freed up, so it shifts as it should, I went for a test drive and before I got out of 2nd gear it died completely (dash/gauge lights were still on). I coasted into a driveway, mashed the starter button and it fired right up. Headed home and it did it again, but, with clutch out it restarted. It was like off and on a few times before I got home and pulled it into the shop. sounds to me like a loose connection somewhere, or, maybe I did something to a wire when replacing the shift cable. I'm a Model T guy, not used to working on these new cars! Any ideas where to begin?
Check for loose wiring. Since you worked on the shift cable and if you had to move wiring going to the engine there may be a broken wire at a terminal lug that is hard to see….wiggle them. I’d go to the ignition switch after that. It also a possibility it doesn’t like you
This is a long shot...but it happened to me. Check the rubber "connector" hoses coming off gas tank or fuel filter to the steel fuel line...they can become too soft. Years ago I stuffed a 425 dual quad Buick engine into a 48 Ford Pickup. I could drive it about 3 miles and the carbs would lean out, and eventually stall.. Let it sit 5 minutes, pump the hell out of it and it would drive 3 more miles, lean out and die...would do that all day long. Figured the mechanical fuel pump couldn't keep up with the carbs, so I added an inline electric pump. That made it worse...could only drive 1 mile at a time before it would lean out and die. It ended up being the 6 inch long rubber "connector" hose from the gas tank to the steel fuel line. With the mechanical fuel pump, it would suck closed after about 3 miles driving. Adding the electric pump just made it suck closed faster.
Thanks guys. I'll put it on the lift and check the fuel hose then look for any possible wiring problems while underneath. The floor pan over the trans that I had to remove is unlike any other car I've ever seen. It's about 3 ft wide and the front seat cushion has to be removed to get to the back bolts, and the front of it goes halfway up the firewall. The accelerator linkage has to be disconnected and the brake pedal removed. Also the book says remove the heater, but, luckily someone had removed the pan before and left out the 2 bolts behind the heater! To top it off, most of the wiring is original cloth covered, which means there's a lot of bare wire showing where the cloth used to be. I think I'll start checking (and maybe replacing) the wires to and from the battery, coil, distributor, and switch unless I get some other ideas.
I’d start replacing that old crusty wire before I tried driving it again. If it’s crumbling that bad and already has bare sections, all it will take is one wire to short out and it could burn to the ground. If you’re trying to keep it original looking, there are places you can buy new wire with the old style cloth covering.
Did you replace the fuel pump? Old pump diaphragms can become hard and brittle, causing it to stick up or down and releasing after it quits and the pressure is off. Old pumps do not like gas with Ethanol, either. It can destroy the diaphragms they used to use. As stated, a bare wire can move around and ground things out. All wires need to be well insulated. You risk a fire, too, with bare wires. If nothing else,, coat the bare spots with liquid electrical tape until you can do better. I wouldn't drive the car until it's fixed.
Gas cap vent issue ? Had one that was almost plugged once and it would die then restart Rig a test light to the wire feeding the coil and see if it looses power when it dies . Get the wires fixed before you have a fire .
My dad always told me if you have a problem after you fixed something go back to the area you were in and 99% of the time you will find it!
I'd drive it with a voltmeter connected to the hot side of the coil. If the voltmeter goes to zero when it dies, you have a wiring problem. If it stays steady, it is probably fuel related. I'd have done that before I started taking things apart.
I'd remove the gas cap to make sure its not a tank vent problem. Then hook up a tube to a can of starter fluid and run it into the air breather so you can spray it while driving. Then drive along till it quits and while its still in gear and coasting to turn the engine, spray the ether. If the engine immediately starts running, you know you have a fuel problem. If it doesn't then you can delve into the mysteries of electrical problems. Electrical problems are always my last choice when troubleshooting. Always better to be sure if its a simple fuel problem first.
So why was the shifter cable binding up? A bad engine ground will cause that shifter cable to bind up because it tries to use the shifter cable as a ground. I’ve seen it happen firsthand!
All relevant and different responses here. O. P. has a few things to look into. Good luck, I really want a Hudson. . . . One day
Me too. I even had brake pedal linkage that was stiff because someone had hooked a welder ground to it .
Tank vent is a very real possibility but normally the car must be driven far enough for the fuel level in the tank to drop enough to create enough vacuum in the tank to overcome the amount of pump suction. That suction is usually not very strong to begin with, so the amount of vacuum in an unvented tank as the level drops would not be that much to cause a problem. I've owned 3 Hudsons in my life. They were very good and innovative cars. Too bad they couldn't compete.
If the original wiring has bare wire showing in places there shouldn't be bare wire, fix all the wiring first. Don't even start the motor until the wiring has been fixed. After the wiring is fixed, and before you start the motor, replace any not modern rubber in the fuel system. Modern fuel will destroy the old rubber causing fuel leaks. What ever old rubber you don't replace now will come back and bite you later. After the wiring has been fixed, and all the rubber in the fuel system has been replaced, then you can start the motor and see if you still have a problem. Any suggestions other then these are a good way to burn the car to the ground.
Check the wires to the coil. My 41 Studebaker had a short, but was not visible. I don't remember the details, but it was only apparent by removing the lead. Otherwise, check fuel inlet for a clogged or flapping sock screen
Thanks for all the input. I replaced the coil and some of the wires and before I got to the end of my driveway the engine died. I remembered reading a post on the Hudson website about someone whose car wouldn't run right unless the overdrive was engauged. I pulled the overdrive cable and started it again. I drove over 5 miles with no problems. I'll have to chase that post I read and see what crossed wires causes that kind of problem.
The Jalopy Journal
