Here is a list of things i've already checked/troubleshooted:

Cleaned gas tank
Replaced fuel lines
Replaced fuel filter with 10 micron filter
Rebuilt carb
Cleaned strainers
Cleaned out float bowls
Set floats - Reads correct in sight glass
Took off dashpot
Emmissions delete
Re-routed emmisions/vacuumm lines CORRECTLY
Took off AAB #2
Took off air compressor/AC
Tested fuel pump for flow and pressure

Results from test:

3.89 PSI

 

Now we got a list!

Refresh us; what exactly is going on with it again?

 

so what happened with the carb? Was there a problem before you did all the changes or upgrades?

 

Yea "carb"...

That's the most descriptive technical problem ever reported.

Like a south park episode where people in town just say "carb" and "carbs" over and over.

Most of the time it's shutter valve, AAV valves, ignition etc not even the carb.

 

WELL the symptoms of it is that it will lose acceleration and power at RANDOM times.

And yes...i figured that title was SO DESCRIPTIVE. But hey...it got you to look though. =]

 

Does this car still have cats and how old are they?

 

Yes it still has cats on it but i have removed emmisions and ran seafoam and B-12 Chemtool through it...so the cat is most likely demolished. Could this possibly be causing this?

 

Yep. Take it off and look inside. The cat burned up on my FC when the air pump pipe disconnected itself. It would randomly lose power when I'd try to get on it. Trying to pick pieces of catalyst out of the Y pipe was not fun

 

AHA well i will drop out the cat later today then. Just the main cat correct or could it be the monolith convertor?

 

It could possibly be any converter with catalyst material inside it

 

Yeah... I'm running a Three Way cat that a shop installed to better my smog stuff... I had no clue they did it, but I haven't failed smog yet in two years so I guess something went right.

 

Ok i have more to add to the list:

New ignition wires
Cleaned rotor and distributor cap
Gapped spark plugs (good)
Cleared out catalytic convertor

Still has the same symptoms. =/



I noticed the fuel pump makes a wierd noise...i wasn't sure if it's alays done it but it made the usually clicking sound and then intermittently it would have a lower gurgling sound and then go back to clicking. Is this normal? Or is it going out?

 

Do we even know what year, engine and carb we are talking about?

 

Sorry...

1981 S with a 4 barrel Nikki...


I don't think it's the carb...i am studying the flow dynamics of the stock nikki and everything seems to be in order. My passageways should all be clean due to compressed air being blown through them. Check ***** and counterwieghts are all in the correct order. All the air bleeds are in their correct places, as well as the main jets aren't switched around.

The diaphragm in the accelerator pump is brand new and the spring hasn't been compressed. The accelerator pump lever is set to FSM standards.

One thing i haven't YET confirmed but i am suspecting is that the secondary float bowl is not within float levels..it's too high. I read in Sterling's post that if it's too high that it will be detrimental to acceleration due to being flooded out? Will someone confirm this for me.

SO...if all these things are fine and in working order i suppose it's the fuel pump? Hmmm...i could hook up a voltmeter to it and moniter it while i drive to see if it's going out i suppose. But as i stated in the other post it makes a different noise now...is that what they do before they totally go out?

Thanks alot for any input...hope Sterling wanders in here again.

 

Did you take off the Shutter Valve? And apologies again I was not trying to be a beep about the background info. But with the variations we need to know your base rig. What about AAV#1? The AAV's can cause decleration power loss.

 

No i haven't taken the shutter valve off. I plan on doing it sometime just not at the moment.

Where is the AAV#1 located? I took off the #2 AAB Valve.

And also i really need to know if the fuel pump makes the same sound all the time or does it vary? Does it always make the "clicking" sound or does it make it a gurgling noise every so often as well?

 

Hum the shutter valve can cut off mix to the 2nd rotor. It would idle a bit rough.

See if it's sucking air in the big hole of the shutter valve. AAV I think it just needs to be capped or something. I had my old 83 with rats and AAV went bad and the engines power was like nothing. Do you still have rats nest and air pump?

edit add: http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/shutter.htm

 

Hmmm sounds like it COULD be what mine is experiencing...when it occurs it sounds like only one rotor is running....and i lose power and it decelerates slowly. BUT i don't have anything hooked to the shutter valve...no nest. And they are capped off. SO i don't think that is it, but i will go ahead a pin it open tonight.

I'll remove it after i get this problem fixed.


It sounds like in your post that the shutter and AAV are the same thing..? The shutter valve is a 'emission purpose only' device correct? It just closes the intake runner on DECEL so as to not waste gas and prevent backfires into the catalytic convertor.

 

Well i screwed around with the slow air bleeds LOL and switched them and ran the car....ran like ****. So i switched em back around and put it back on the car to make sure everything was in good working order.

ALSO i took out the check ***** and wieghts and made sure it was:

CHECK BALL -> Counterwieght -> Banjo


I turned it on and it was idling at 1300. I go to the engine and notice the vacuum advance wasn't hooked up. DUH. So i hooked it up and it went to about 1150 RPM. I adjuted the idle adjust screw to the farthest out (lowest idle capability)....which SHOULD be NON FUNCTIONAL. I played with the mixture adjust screw as well....i tightened it all the way and it was still running the same. o_O

My thought: It's idling high because of fuel dribbling out of my (primary venturi outlets?) - which is due to the float bowl over filling in turn pushing more fuel out the primary jets then needed. I haven't touched my floats since setting them to FSM/OEM specs. I mean...it idled perfect before. Now it's flooding like mad. YES my vent solenoid is hooked up. And the air bleeds and everything are where they should be.

I look at the secondary (one closest to the front of the car) float bowl and it's at perfect level as always. I can't see the primary float bowl level due to choke linkage. I turn it off and take it off, set it onto the table and check the float levels out.

Secondary bowl is DEAD NUTS.

Primary is so full i have to tilt it to even see the bubble.

WTF. I didn't alter anything from how it was setup before hand, can you overtighten the air bleeds? That's the only thing i can think of that I MAY have done differently. I tightened them pretty dang tight so there was no leaks.


...WELL i did take off the secondary vacuum diaphragm because i have MECH secondaries now. I didn't plug the hole that was left, i wasn't sure if a substantial amount of vacuum was pulled there or not. I put my finger over it when it was running and the idle was still high.



STERLING where are you? I need your guidance man.

 

Bump

 

Does the carb vent have to be T'eed into the line to the charcoal canister? Does it matter if i leave it open to atmosphere....does it need a vacuum source on it??

That might be my problem if i need a vacuum to pressureize the air in my float bowls.


PLEASE someone has to know.

 

Well i hooked up a T into my oil vent line for a full crankcase ventilation.

 

What are they? Mine is making a wierd gurgling sound intermittently between the regular clicking noises. Are these pumps prone to failure?

I have ran my car out of gas a handful of times...=[ I know I know irresponsible but not anymore. I know that running it out of gas is hard on the pump but let's get back on subject.

What are the symptoms of a failing pump?

 

When it stops pumping.

 

or when it stops pumping enough. do a flow volume test