1960 only running five minutes at a time

[1960corvaircoupe]

Hello fellow corvair friends i have a 1960 basic model. I just finished it from rebuilding it and i can drive it beautifully for five minutes. And after around that time frame it starts running like crap and then dies. It wont start back up and i checked the gas and its getting it from the fuel lines that go to the carb. I have heard it could be the rockers adjustments. Any thoughts? Thanks-Brett


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[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

Possibly heat-related, as in a component is getting hot with use and then stops functioning until it cools down. Do you have a stock ignition system? Could the coil be defective and getting hot -- then failing to function until it cools? When it stops running after a 5 minute drive, is there any ignition spark when the engine is cranked in a restart attempt?

[azdave]

Lifters being adjusted too tight would cause low compression after they have pumped up but that problem should arise much faster than 5-minutes and I think is unlikely to be your problem.

Please be more specific on the details.

Will it restart an hour later (partially cooled) or not unless it sits overnight (fully cooled)?

If it idles in the driveway without any engine load does the same problem occur at about the same time?

Is it related to when the choke transitions from closed to fully open?

[Jerry Whitt]

This sounds like a fuel issue. Usually within about five minutes, the chokes open up. (at least are supposed to open up)

Pull the air cleaners off, verify chokes are opening all the way, when warmed up. When cold and first started,
choke plates should open about 1/8 th of an inch, and fast idle cams should be engaged.

[1960corvaircoupe]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

Possibly heat -related, as in a component is getting hot with use and then stops functioning until it cools down. Do you have a stock ignition system? Could the coil be defective and getting hot -- then failing to function until it cools? When it stops running after a 5 minute drive, is there any ignition spark when the engine is cranked in a restart attempt?

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[1960corvaircoupe]

Yes i am getting spark with a brand new coil from clarks


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[1960corvaircoupe]

Lifters being adjusted too tight would cause low compression after they have pumped up but that problem should arise much faster than 5-minutes and I think is unlikely to be your problem.

Please be more specific on the details.

Will it restart an hour later (partially cooled) or not unless it sits overnight (fully cooled)?

If it idles in the driveway without any engine load does the same problem occur at about the same time?

Is it related to when the choke transitions from closed to fully open?

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[1960corvaircoupe]

It does not happen when it sits idling and i have later year carbs with auto chokes and the one seems to be very hard to move upward that moves the transition and it will start within 5-15 minutes when it cools partially


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[1960corvaircoupe]

This sounds like a fuel issue. Usually within about five minutes, the chokes open up. (at least are supposed to open up)

Pull the air cleaners off, verify chokes are opening all the way, when warmed up. When cold and first started,
choke plates should open about 1/8 th of an inch, and fast idle cams should be engaged.

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[1960corvaircoupe]

I believe it could be my chokes also as i previously replied to another account the seem to stay about half open all the time


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[bbodie52]

I just want to confirm… You said this is a 1960 Corvair. Is the engine a 1960 engine? The 1960 carburetors do not have a choke valve in each carburetor air horn. Instead, the 1960 system uses a single automatic choke that is located in the air inlet of the air cleaner. This design was dropped in 1961 and a manual choke in each carburetor was substituted. In 1962 the design changed again to an automatic choke in each carburetor, and that basic design remained with the Corvair through the end of production in 1969. The 1960 distributor was also different than that used from late 1961 through 1969.

1960-early 1961 distributor is shown on the right…


Also, the fuel pump design was changed in 1962 and used a different push rod to drive the pump.

That last change alone in the fuel pump design could be the cause of your trouble, if you replaced the fuel pump in a 1960 engine but did not change the pump push rod to match the replacement pump (1960 fuel pumps are no longer available). 1960 fuel pump rods are only 3-5/8", while 1962-1969 rods (the current design for all replacement fuel pumps) are 3-13/16". A mistake like that could impact the fuel pump output volume and could be starving the carburetors for fuel. If the problem does not occur when the engine is sitting idling, a fuel starvation problem might still be the issue because the limited fuel in the float bowls would last much longer with an idling engine, but would be quickly exhausted under driving conditions if the fuel pump output is inadequate to replenish the fuel drained from the float bowls.

http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... IN&page=65


It would be helpful if you could post some photographs and bring us up-to-date on the actual configuration of the engine in your 1960 Corvair. Otherwise we are playing a guessing game without really knowing what engine design you are working with.