Hey guys. Well, i though all was well..but...

The other day i ran kinda low on oil (got the oil pan leak) Drivin to school yesterday, everything seemed ok. I pulled out the choke, started, was drivin. Hit my first stop light after the choke had cut off. Put it in neutral, coasted...engine died....I was like WHAT? It happened again at the next stoplight. Then again at the next. I watched the RPM carefully when i was drivin..it kinda was jumpin around a bit. ANyways, i got to school and checked the engine. Everythin LOOKED ok. I checked the oil next. It wasnt dangerously low or anything, but i went added some oil. Well, its still doin it. Today after lucnch, it lasted like 15 seconds at idle before dying on me. And i noticed otday when goin to school, even WITH the choke out, the engine is varying in idle by about 300 RPM. like, 3 marks on the tach. Now, that decelerator thingy on the carb. The valve that causes the car to die when ya come to a stop.. Ireplaced it with a new one from maztrik like in november. I doubt thats the problem. I had an oil change like 200 miles ago and they adjusted the carb and everything when i had the replace the ACV. Had 0 hydrocarbons. SO...WHATS WRONG? Before i moved here last summer, the car set for like 4 months with only bieng driven like once a week. COuld one of my plugs be bad? Its the same plugs since before ... well....at least 2 years old. But i only got maybee... 3,000 on um?

Im afraid to tell my mom or my dad as they are so fed up with the car they might make me sell it. I AM going to change the oil pan once school is over in a month, but im more worreid about THIS right now. Any thoughts?

 

sounds like fuel stravation, how does the filter look, and if you have any rust in it, replace it and check the fuel screens in the lines going into the carb top,,,good luck, shouldnt be a big problem.........

 

Ok, you mean the fuel filter? I dont know how long its been sense we replaced it. And ive seen people show pics of the carb screens, but how do I get to them? Ive got the workshop manual and if its not a big pain me and my dad can do it.

Also, update. Ive still got power. Was doin 75 on the freeway. Id say i got 90% of the power i had last week, maybee 95%. Also, it hesitates at like 500 rpm before it dies. Like, the tac goes to 500..then 5 seconds later i feel the whole care kinda rotate as the rotors loose inerta, and then the lights come on. So, it is struggling to stay alive! Im kinda low on fuel, but, ive noticed that when i get low on gas, my gastank WHINES at me. And when i take off the gas cap, WOSH! Hugh gush of fuel vapors coems flying to me! Could this be something related?

 

Check for vacuum leaks, especially the big hose that oes from a valve at the back (passenger side) of the carb area to under the intake manifold. That one loves to crack and leak.

 

O.K. I checked on that side and felt with my hand on the hoses, didnt look like anything was broken. Now, it seems that the more i drive the car the better it gets. It will no longer die on me when i come to a stop. Instead, it idles at 500RPm, or whatever the lowest mark is. IT sounds like **** too whenever i pass 1000 rpm, kinda like a metalicy clunk clunk clunk noise. As soon as i pass like 1100 rpm, it goes away. Same with under 900. Now, it will idle at like 500, but as soon as i turn ac on, BOOM! also, i noticed that when i come to stop (when in N) im at like 1000 rpm. Then, when im crawling to a stop and start to go real slow, the RPM's drop down from the 1000 to the 500. Like, when i hit say 3 or 4 MPH. IF im cruisin, see the lights turnin red, then put it in neutral, its at 1000 till i hit the 3 or 4 MPH.

Does this help any more? I had less than 1/4 tank, so i went and filled up with some gas at a different gas startion. Could it have been bad gas?

 

It's real hard to feel the hole in that hose because it actually splits and wraps inward from the heat, you have to pull it off to really tell. But it does not sound like this is your problem anyway.

 

Damn Damn Damn. I just spent an hour messing with it all. The little screw thing on the carb that controlls the ac idle...its not doing anything. And i cant get my idle up either. This is really wierd. This weekend i guess im gonna pull the blue air thing off and check as many of the hoses as I can. Im guessing there HAS to be a vacume leak SOMEWHERE. Ugh, times like this i wish i had EFI.

 

I would definitely replace the fuel filter, $3. It is under the car near the driver's side rear wheel. I would also tune the car up. That means:
New plug wires
New plugs
New dist. cap
New rotor
New fuel filter

Then go from there. Also, check all the little hoses around the solenoids, aka "rat's nest".
The A/C adjustment is at the back of the carb by the linkage near the clutch slave cylinder. It is a dashpot adjustment, not a screw.
hanman