lack of power under load 1950 Cadillac

[bradbear]

I have a 1950 series 62 that runs great while on tick over or driving on the flat but when I need more power like on a hill the engine dies does anyone have any ideas on what to look at first ?       

[Smedly]

Maybe a plugged fuel filter?

[Joe V]

Had the same problem with my 49 and it drove me crazy for weeks mostly because I was focused on the carburetor and fuel supply which turned out not to be the problem.  Here are a list of things that could be the culprit from generally easier to harder to test/address -

- Carburetor accelerator pump function- do you get a squirt of gas when you first give it the gas
- Fuel filter as mentioned - simple to just replace
- Loose ignition wire connection or bad wire - check inside and outside of distributor, points connection, and to and from coil
- Timing - verify it is spot on
- Low Vacuum or vacuum advance - easiest way to check is with a timing light
- Bad coil or bad spark plug wires - if you have another coil put it on, if wires are old replace
- Carburetor issues - may be time to clean and rebuild
- Fuel supply volume issue - fuel pump not pumping enough or the dreaded vapor lock

[curly]

I agree with Joe, especially about the ignition connections inside the distributor. When the Vac advance moves the points plate, sometimes the wire has break in it that only shows up when the plate moves. That will kill the ignition like you turned off the key.

T Lewis

[wbdeford]

When you say "engine dies", do you mean stalls completely?  I ask this because the subject says "lack of power"....

[bradbear]

yes it stalls when you need more power , I will try some of the suggestions I have already changed the fuel filter

[James Landi]

Does your engine have the fuel pump mounted above the engine?  If so, the fuel pump arm had to be packed with grease, and if the grease is gone,  a good deal of play occurs as the pivot wears for lack of lubrication, so you'll get some pump action but not enough to keep the carb full of fuel when the engine is under load. Tis a hard issue to diagnose!  Another easy way to check for spark miss-fire as to tune your AM radio to a dead stop where there are no channels... if you hear an intermittent popping sound on the radio when the car is under load, you have a missfire-- plug, wire, arching in the distributor on the secondary side.  Primary ignition issues won't "sound" on your radio.  Also, check that vacuum advance for vacuum leaks! a common problem that is often overlooked.

[Joe V]

When it stalls, if is like turning the key off and the motor just shuts down without a sound or complaint, then my guess is electrical.  Other than what I listed above, one other potential electrical culprit comes to mind.  The carb linkage on the firewall is not far from the coil and distributor so make sure when you step on the gas pedal the linkage, return spring, or pedal linkage are not interfering with any of the ignition or coil wires.

When it starts stalling, if it seems to be gasping for fuel or air, or if it keeps running after it starts to stall if you let up on the gas, then the above are suspects.