Smoke Signals

I have a new problem with my XKE that I was hoping I could get some advice from you all.

Since I fixed my overheating problem several weeks ago (fan direction, duh), I have driven my car many times with no problems. I took the wife out for a nice 2-3 hour drive very early Saturday morning due to the exessive heat forecasted. The car functioned flawlessly for most of the trip, but as I got back on the highway for the last few miles on the way home it started to act up.

I first noticed that the car began sputtering and losing power as the speed climbed above 60 mph. I looked in the rear view and noticed tons of black smoke pouring out of the exhaust. The car also seemed to either pop or backfire when I let off the gas at higher speeds. In addition, the temp gauge started going up and continued to climb to about 80 or 85C before I got home. Since I fixed the cooling fan issue, my temp never strayed from the 65-75C range. I believe something "broke" on the home stretch.

I am assuming this is some type of ignition or fuel mixture issue. The car was tuned about a month or two ago with new plugs. Ignition timing and fuel mixture were spot on, but I have no idea when the carbs were last rebuilt or the coil was replaced. I plan on doing a thorough inspection this weekend to see if the dizzy is loose or may have a cracked cap. Does anyone have some suggestions on what I should look for?

Nick - 64 OTS