severe idle problem - one month later...solved!!!

[falcon fanatic]

As many of you know, my brake and fuel lines recently wrapped around my driveshaft. I've completed replacement of those items and the brakes work fine. But now I cant get the car to idle. at all. In fact, the best I can do is run it at 1500 at about 1/4 throttle. anything less and it dies instantly. It is worht noting that that is about the transition point in the throttle between the idle circuit and the main circuit

When I got the fuel line repaired and ran the pump, a bunch of schmutz washed into my fuel filter. That's when the problem started. Today I took the carb off, took the top off, removed the idle, main, and air jets and emulsion tubes and the idle mixture screw, the fuel screen, and float. Cleaned everything throroughly and sprayed out all the passages. Set my float level. Put it all back together and adjusted it to baseline and it behaved exactly the same. This is a real bummer because the day of the tragic self-flagellation it was running the best it has in the four years I've had it. What gives? Oh yeah, its a weber DGES 38/38.

 

[addo]

Really sounds like the old "Major Vacuum Leak" to me.

Other fallback is to try a similar carb and see if the problem is mostly gone.

Hang in there!

 

[FALCONAROUND]

Yeah... Big vacuun leak somewhere... You got power brakes?

And, HOW did the brake and fuel lines get wrapped up in the driveline? Did ya hit a train?


FE

 

[Bort62]

Really sounds like the old "Major Vacuum Leak" to me.

Other fallback is to try a similar carb and see if the problem is mostly gone.

Hang in there!

Got my vote.

 

[falcon fanatic]

you guys make me happy. That's something I can fix!

As for the brake a fule line issue, well, the real reason is that I had a mechanic do it. When I resintalled the lines two days ago, it took all of about an hour and it was very evident that they passed too close to the yoke, so I bent them away. Not too hard.

I have pics of the carnage for your enjoyment that I'll post later.

 

[Lazy JW]

....When I got the fuel line repaired and ran the pump, a bunch of schmutz washed into my fuel filter....

Sounds like some "schmutz" washed on through the filter (they are not 100% efficient).

Sometimes it takes a really strong blast of compressed air to get those tiny passageways clean. I think there is some "schmutz" in the idle circuit.
Joe

 

[FALCONAROUND]

ALso remember that blowing a small amount of air "backwards" is more likely to dislodge any schmutz than blowing down into the bowl area and trying to force it all the way through...

 

[cfmustang]

I am inclined to agree with Joe in that some gunk got into the idle circuit.

Last year when I was taking the car out of storage, my car was having similar idle problems. When I put the car away in my brother's garage it was running like a top. My brother had run the car a bit each month and said he didn't notice anything.

On a hunch, I added in-line fuel filter between the pump and the carb and then tried cleaning out the carb to no avail. Finally, I happened to pull the main idle jet and blasted the jet's through-hole with carb cleaner and a tiny spec of rust came out. Once I put it back in, it ran great again.

I could barely see the thing with the naked eye and it was causing all the trouble.

 

[falcon fanatic]

I'm voting for the schmutz. I jusst removed and capped all two of my vacuum lines (brakes and dizzy). That made no difference so I cranked the idle up to 1600rpm and got the car to die by spraying copius amounts of starter fluid around the base of the carb. Thisnking that meant a vacuum leak at the base i removed the carb, made new gaskets, coated them with hylomar HPF, reinstalled and there was no change at all. I think I just sprayed so much starter fluid in there that I created a cloud that was ingested into the carb.

Too frustrated right now to take the carb off again for the third time in as many days. i guess I'll ride my bike this beautiful weekend...

 

[ludwig]

Just get another carb like you have and swap them out - after you clean it up. At some point the frazz overpowers the frugality. I have three and they are just like my kids. The all came from the same factory but they all have their own personality. Plus, even if you don't really like the replacement carb, you still have the car to drive while you are working on the first one.

 

[falcon fanatic]

At $350 a pop?

 

[ludwig]

One too many zeros there, man. Get a salvage and rebuild it. What do you thing a one-barrel carb goes for above the salvage weight for mixed metals? This aint no Q-jet on a Tornado.

Just get a body and rebuild it yourself. Pop it on and clean up the bad boy.

 

[falcon fanatic]

weber DGAS can't really be found lying around salvage yards. Then again, I could get a DGEV from stovebolt at $65...

 

[ludwig]

weber DGAS can't really be found lying around salvage yards

Some people use Hush Puppies and some people wear Keds. I'm just suggesting you get a pair of sneakers until your opera pumps are resoled.

 

[falcon fanatic]

Well, I hear what you are saying, so I did just order one from stovebolt. The problem is, with the modified log the only carbs I can run right now without fabricating a new adapter are webers, so that does limit my options. Fortunately, there are tons of DGEVs in this world.

 

[falcon fanatic]

stovebolt out of stock. Also, he gave me a real hard time about how the two carbs are different and it won't be a direct bolt on, and that it won't drive right unless the bowl is towards the radiator. I tried to convince him that I've had the car setup this way for five years and that the DGES and the DGEV carbs have the same bolt pattern, but he wouldn't buy it and wants me to measure everything and send him exact dimensions. Kind of a PITA consideribng I've been using 32/36 gaskets on my 38/38 (with a little trimming) so KNOW they have the same bolt pattern. Urgh!

 

[falcon fanatic]

just got one on ebay for $26! electric choke, too, just like mine.

 

[ludwig]

You:

At $350 a pop?

Me:

One too many zeros there, man.

You:

just got one on ebay for $26! electric choke, too, just like mine.

See. There you go. Congrats. [Mumbling: Boy, I hope this works out.]

 

[falcon fanatic]

Yeah, and I just got a second one for ten dollars more. This one is a 34/34, synchronous, I think. Not sure the bolt pattern is the same, but if it is I've now got three carb options.

 

[JackFish]

Maybe some of the "shmultz" got into your fuel pump. I'd swap it out for a known good one.