All,
I got a little lower on the gas gauge than I normally do, suspecting picking up some trash from the bottom of the tank and picked myself up a problem. I partially clogged the gas filter on the car to the point that from cold, the car would run for about a minute and a half, then die.....would start right back up. This would happen if you were just sitting still or driving, get about 2 blocks away and it would die, starving for fuel. Got that fixed, but now have a rough idle.. I am thinking I have some trash in the idle circuit. I know how to adjust the idle mixture, just wondering from you who might know.....can I remove the idle mixture screw completely and use a fine wire in the hole to clean anything? I don't know what the circuit looks like, assuming the screw has a pointed tip because you can run it all the way down and have no idle fuel, then back it off until you have a smooth idle.
Any experience with this? Last thing I want to do is remove or disassemble the carb....lazy.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is on my '79 2.3 driver rust bucket. I love my Pinto.
Dave
No offence Dave: I always wondered where the idea of picking up something from the 'bottom of the tank' came from. The pick up is always at the bottom anyway; it never moves, so whats there is there.
Did you fix it or did you have it done?
What was done to fix it?
It is very easy to leave crud in the line when you R/R the stock filter.
It could be a Vac. leak too. There are so many hoses and little plastic BRITTLE connectors that it is very easy to knock one off. Check by spraying the area with NON-FLAMMABLE brake parts cleaner.
I would not touch the carb unless all else fails. IF you use wire (BIG IF; as you really should not), try to get a brass one.
IF your tank is "iffy", put an inline filter right at the sending unit, but KEEP the stock one too.
Bill
Bill,
I put a filter right off of the sending unit a while back. I have never replaced the one that screws to the carb. I just replaced that one and even placed another inline one right ahead of it.
The car was running great, just completed a complete brake job, shocks, drove it 200 miles in three days, then all of a sudden I leave work, while still on the work premises, it died on me, started right back up and went home just fine. Very next day, parked in the same spot, drove out the exact same way and died in the exact same spot. I started it this morning, drove about 1.5 blocks and boom...died. Always starts right back up (have electric fuel pump), so I got to thinking that when it dies, it has drained the bowls and id slow to refill, something like that. That's what took me to the fuel filter. A few more cold starts without dieing and I think it will prove itself to me.
But....right when all this went down, it began idling real rough...put a little throttle tip-in into it and it is as smooth as silk at like 900 RPM. Did a little reading on the net and read about idle circut and idle mixture. I looked the entire vacuum system over and everything looks intact. I cranked the idle speed screw up just a bit and can get by, but need to understand what this rough idle is all about.
After a few more miles if here is a little dirt in the idle circuit, maybe it will dislodge and pass....and maybe I am dreaming too.
BTW- off idle and everything is well.
Thanks for the input...keep it coming.
Dave
Here is my take.....I suggest that the fuel filter has been slow to allow flow for some time and finally reached no flow. But, in the meantime your float has been getting increasingly saturated with fuel and allowing the level to rise in the bowl. Now that you have full flow the level is higher. Possibly it is a peice of float that is causing the problem. High float level will show itself when turning a corner...the engine will want to die.
I would pull the top of the carb and check the level...even brass floats can get a leak...foam floats should be changed every five years. Floats don't come in rebuild kits.
A peice of wire would do you no good pull the screw out and shoot a puff of compressed air to it. If it will come out that should do it.
Cut to the quik and do the whole carb.
I agree with a possible vac. leak...sometimes when a car is starving for fuel it will pop...this will blow of a vac. cap.....900 rpm is to high....Keep us informed.
High_Horse
Dave,
Forget the fine wire. If you think there is a crud in the idle circuit remove the idle jet on side of the carb just under the air horn and next to choke housing. It looks like a large brass screw about the size of the mixture screw. The jet is sort of a long thing that will pull out of the jet holder ( the brass screw). It does not look like a main jet. Blow compressed air through the idle jet and make sure it is clear. You'll probably have to use a magnifying glass, the hole is tiny. Back the idle mixture screw way out but don't take it out, put on safety goggles and hold a rag over the top of the carb. Gas in the eyes, not a good thing. I know from personal experience. Use an air nozzle with a rubber pointed tip and blow compressed air into the hole where the idle jet came out. Don't go crazy, just 3 or 4 short bursts of air and anything in the circuit should be blown out. Put the idle jet in, turn the mixture screw back in the same number of turns you turned it out and fire it up.
I agree with Bill though, I think it's something else. There are many things that could effect idle quality especially on the late models with all the emission controls. I even had the idle all of a sudden go away on one of my cars and it turned out to be the gasket between the air horn and the carb body shifted and created an internal vacuum leak. Replaced the gasket, fixed. But that is a very rare thing.
Bob
Thanks guys for all the input. Thought I would update you with what's going on. All I did was replace the screw-in filter on the carb with a new one and place a small inline filter just before it. I did a few runs on a highway onramp at WOT (and boy was that a non-event! LOL). My idle has smoothed out and I no longer have a fuel starvation at about 1.5 minutes after starting. My thought is that I got some trash in the carb and it finally sorted itself out, I don't know. I have driven about another 200 miles, about ready to fill it up again, will see what happens. Hopefully nothing.
Dave
Hey Dave,
Maybe it is because it is 45deg today instead of 20deg??
From Pintony
45? Man it is 68 today! 74 tomorrow!
Since it began running better, I have had a 24 degree morning and 34 this morning, so it seems all is well. We'll see what happens when I fill it up again and stir the pot! Maybe I have a bunch of crud around the pickup tube pre-filter.
Going to try to replace strut rod bushings tomorrow. Wish me rusted bolt luck. I think I will pull it in the garage tonight and spray penetrating oil on it tonight.
Dave
QuoteI think I will pull it in the garage tonight and spray penetrating oil on it tonight.
That is a good idea...but I think you are still going to get some good excercise.. ;)
Hey!!!!!! A working on your Pinto workout video....millions......no.....ok... :D
High_Horse
Dave, glad to hear your Pinto is running properly now. You approached the problem the right way. You checked and replaced the simplest, cheapest thing first and it fixed the problem. Lots of mechanics don't diagnose this way and they end up spending a fortune to fix a simple thing. Great job.
Bob