Need HELP!, Car took a dump..... pretty much Options

[ninefourteener]

Greetings..

Is there ANYONE in the St. Louis area that can help me out? I don't mind paying, but I don't trust any local reapir shops.... unless someone can suggest someone.

My carbs are so far out of whack...... I can't figure it out.

Car runs "ok" when you first start it up cold, but once it gets warm, it has literally almost no power at all...... to the point where I have to "pump" the gas a few times, just to get the RPMs up...... then turn it to 4K...... then SLOWLY let out the clutch, just to get enough torque to get it moving.

Then at the next stoplight..... it dies..... unless I keep my foot on the gas.

I looked up how to properly tune Solex carbs..... followed the directions...... and I think I just ended up making it worse.

Now I'm afraid to drive it, as it LITERALLY won't get out of it's own way.

I need a carb tuning expert.... near O'Fallon, Belleville, Shiloh, or Fairview Heights, Illinois.

Anyone?? Suggestions on repair shops?? Anyone nearby wanna come tune this thing correctly for me??? Help.....

--Matt

[bd1308]

Isnt Brad Mayeur out there?

b

[ninefourteener]

I believe he's a couple hours north...... I thought of that though.... It may be an option, just to ensure its done right.

He;s still in business I guess??

[ninefourteener]

Folks....... another quick question....... I just had an interesting thought.

Would old gas prohibit the car from running correctly, and prohibit me from getting a good tune on the carbs?

I mean, I filled it up with new gas, but it had 1/2 tank in it when I did....... the 1/2 tank was probably close to 6 months old... I really haven't driven it since Sept. of last year.

I expected it to run a little "rough" at first....... but I can't even keep it running.

Could that be it?

Another question: If I disconnect the fuel line under the car, right by the passenger long (where the fuel filter is).... will all the gas drain out? Or should I try somewhere else?

[mudfoot76]

I presume you have dual carbs? If so, check the linkage.

Twice, in the recent past, I've had troubles with my car behaving similar to how you are describing. Both times, it was due to the linkage coming out of optimal adjustment. Check for loose screws, bits sliding around that shouldn't, etc. But my car has Webers, and I am totally unfamiliar with Solex...

[ninefourteener]

Actually, I have......... quite thoroughly.... everything appears to be as it should.

I looked up a lot of info on properly tuning Solex carbs, mostly stuff from 356 websites, and I followed the directions to a "T".

I can get it to purr like a kitten for a second..... then if I give it any gas, I lose it.... the damn thing bogs out or just shuts off. It's worse when the car is hot.

I'm going to give it a shot...... I'm going to drain all the gas out tonight or tomorrow, put a couple gallons of fresh high-test in it, and re-try to tune those carbs... maybe that will help.

Otherwise, It's gonna have to sit till mid July when I get back from Vacation.... can't afford to go dropping $$$ into a "toy" car when I'm trying to take my family on vacation, you know?

I mean... the car "behaves" like it's not getting any fuel. When I had that fuel line that split last year, the pump was "sucking" air and not fuel, so the car acted....... well....... like it is now. It wasn't that... cause I changed the fuel line again...... I also put in a new fuel filter (just in case it was clogged).... no change at all.

I'll try again with new, fresh gas...... wish me luck...... I REALLY would like to be able to drive it this year... I've been looking forward to it all winter.

[roundboy914]

sounds like you could have a clogged main jet, or float.
If you can't get it - and carbs drive me nuts, give Brad a call (309-694-1797) - he can fix you up, and his prices are reasonable. He ha a guy who does flat bed tows - the guy knows how to tow our cars, and he is reasonable also.

[roundboy914]

i mean 6 month old gas won't act like that.
If it was running fine when you parked it, and it ran like sh** when you started it up this spring, then something is proally clogged.

[ninefourteener]

"sounds like you could have a clogged main jet, or float"

Wouldn't that prevent it from running at all???

I mean..... I started it up..... let it run for LITERALLY like 25 minutes..... then took it out on a drive on the highway for about 15 minutes...... then when the car got all warm and toasty....... the damn thing just crapped out.

Even now....... I can go drive it for 15 minutes or so.... once it warms up... I better be "pushing" distance from home.

[roundboy914]

Nope, it will run on just the idle jets, but the main jets usually come in around 3000 rpm, so you can let it idle and get warm. But once you get on the throttle, then you have now power - right?
Or the jet got clogged half way through your drive - with all the stuff floating around in the air - those jets will get clogged. Not if, but when they do, pull 'em, and clean them. Unless the engine is under load, a clogged jet will not really show up - the engine can get enough fuel in idle to rev freely.