30 September 2017 - fuel leak continued

Today, I replaced any and all rubber hoses that I could remember/find in the fuel system.

The rubber hose size is 5/16".  Only 1 foot of hose was required.

I replaced the smaller rubber hose that connects the gas tank to the hard line and I replaced a small hose that bridges two hard lines that run under/along the driver side door.

Everything has been installed and tightened and now I need to test the fuel system.  Currently the fuel tank has been filled and there are no leaks at this time.

29 September 2017 - Fuel Leak

After I filled up the tank and drove home today, I discovered a fuel leak in the back of the car.  Closer inspection revealed that the rubber hose that connects the fuel tank to the steel fuel line was slowly leaking fuel.  So I spent a few hours draining the fuel tank.  The replacement of the hose, 5/16", took just a few minutes.  Since it is now easier to work on the fuel system, I am going to check the other rubber hose connections and replace them.

27 September 2017 - Drive testing - engine shutdown

Its been 11 days since replacing the neutral safety switch.  The car has started every time in park like it should.  It has not abruptly shut down while driving.  I believe I have resolved the startup issue and the random shutdown issue.

Radiator fan noise

Yesterday, I was doing a few spot checks on hardware under the hood.  I checked the radiator shroud for looseness and tightened the lower fasteners.

Today I started the car and immediately heard what sounded like a knocking/tapping noise.

I couldn't readily determine the source.  I started with the water pump, thinking it was making the noise.  I removed the fan belt and manually spun the the fan assembly.  I could hear a wrapping/tapping type noise.  The water pump shaft did not wiggle/move latterly so pump seemed ok.  But one of the fan blads had interference with the lower radiator shroud.  So I ground down that spot and the noise stopped.

24 September 2017 - Drive testing - engine shutdown

It has been eight days since replacing the neutral safety switch.  I have driven the car daily to work and around town without any start issues or shutdown issues.  I will give it a full 30 days and see how that goes.

21 September 2017 - Drive testing - engine shutdown

So far for the past 4 days of driving.  The car has not shutdown while driving and has started everytime while in park.

Its looking like the neutral safety switch was improperly adjusted and was also failing.  The switch that I removed had Ford logo on the switch and the wrapping for the wires had ford.  So it could have been OEM.

I will continue to drive the car and monitor the replacement part.

16 September 2017 - Drive testing - engine shutdown

Today I drove around town in stop and go traffic and also stopped at a couple of stores.  The did not shut down and it started up like it should.  Need to drive more to verify problem is resolved.

14 September 2017 - Neutral Safety Switch - Engine shutdown issues

I was able to test drive the car this afternoon.  The car started in park as it should and I drove the car around the block and then drove it out on the highway at various speeds and in stop and go traffic.  So far no issues, but this will require more driving time.

13 September 2017 - Neutral Safety Switch - Engine shutdown issues

 This morning I drove The Merc to work and did not have any issues during startup or during run time.  However, at the end of the day when it was time to leave work I started the car but it would not start.  I moved the shifter from park to reverse then back to park, then the car started.  And it ran fine the whole way home.  But I will just go ahead and replace it when the parts arrive.
 
I received the neutral safety switch today and after a couple of hours had it installed.

I adjusted it per the service manual and made sure the wiring is out of the way of the shifter linkage and other areas.

I did not have time to test the repairs today, but I will do that tomorrow.

The neutral safety switch I removed had the ford logo on it and a couple of numbers on it.  So this may be original.

10 Sept 2017 - Engine shutdown issue

Today I adjusted the neutral safety switch.  I did it by the book, and it appeared to adjust without issues. 

I did find that the switch mounting bolts were loose, dunno if that was allowing the switch to move fore/aft to cause intermittent start and run issues.

I have ordered a replacement neutral safety switch and will install it once it arrives.

Other things to check

• shifter linkage rods/connections
• wiring for the neutral safety switch at the firewall, check engine side and instrument side
• take a closer look at the wires/connections at the ignition switch, replace if necessary
• 
  

9 Sept 2017 - Engine shutdown issue

Yesterday I ordered a replacement neutral safety switch.  I cannot remember ever replacing that switch/wiring piece.   So starting with that from the transmission to the firewall is the first area to work.  Also I will check from the ignition switch harness to the firewall.  Possibly the connector/contacts are intermittent.

8 Sept 2017 - Engine shutdown issue

Today while driving home from work the car completely shutdown.  The car was about 45mph no acceleration or braking just steady speed and it quit.  I had to coast to a stop by the side of the road.  The car immediately started up and ran just fine the rest of the trip home.

Currently the battery is disconnected, and I am waiting for the engine and areas to cool off so I can take a look under the hood and where ever else I can.

Once the engine/transmission/exhaust cooled...

I checked for loose wiring or anything like that, at the ignition switch socket. It all looks very good.  Wires are not loose, damaged or freyed.

I then checked the wiring at the firewall on the engine side and the wiring and connector looks good, no damage to the wires.

7 Sept 2017 - extra parts cleanup/corrosion control

I have a few pieces of headlight, lug wrench and power steering pump hardware that need to be cleaned up and painted.  Currently the parts are soaking in a bucket of evapo-rust.  I have been soaking, cleaning for a couple of days.  I will continue this process until the parts are rust free and then I will paint the hardware.

7 Sept 2017 - Carburetor stand

I made a carburetor stand a couple of days ago bit did not document that for some reason.

The tool is made out of a piece of fuel proof plastic and is in the shape of a base plate gasket.  The four corners are two inch  1/4-20 threaded rods.  They are mounted to the plastic plate and held in place with nuts on either side of the plastic base plate.

7 Sept 2017 - Engine shutdown issue

Well today I went for a half hour drive at various speeds and in traffic and the engine did not shutdown.  So I am not 100% sure what the particular fix is....I did secure the wiring from the transmission to the firewall.  I will continue to monitor the madness.

6 Sept 2017 - Engine completely shutsdown randomly

Today, I decided to drive down to the gas station and put some gas in the tank.  The drive to the station was uneventful.  However the trip back, the car completely shut down as if the key switch was turned off, but then the car just a millisecond later turned back on and continued to run.  It did this type of behavior two more times and then everything was okay.

But when I turned on to a side road the car shutdown, but the interior instrument lights were still working, the shifter light was still working, but the engine just shut down.  I put the car in neutral and the car started immediately and then I was able to drive the rest of the way home.

After letting the car cool down, I started checking out the wiring near the accelerator pedal.  The only wires near the pedal are the ones leading from the transmission.  The wires pass behind the pedal assembly in the engine bay.