Car won't idle.... again

[roccodart440]

A while back the car all of a sudden started to idle really low and want to die, unless I gave it throttle.

Changed the filter, PCV and pulled the carb and the baseplate of the carb was loose. Tightened it up and re-torqued with Loctite. Problem seemed to go away.

Now it's back. Car just won the day at the strip last weekend and had it out all day yesterday and was running lie a top. All of a sudden idle wants to drop out.


Now i'm leaning towards getting a batch of bad gas as This came shortly after I filled the tank from being on E. Last time I had the issue the last place I got gas was at the same place. Fuel is 93 octane from stewarts with ethanol (all pumps in NYS have this)

Car doesn't miss going down the road at any speed or under load. Float levels are spot on.



go......

 

[dano]

Have you checked your filter? Running really low can pull some bad stuff from the tank. Have you replaced the pick-up sock?

 

[mguner]

What carb are you running? Power valve leaking?

 

[roccodart440]

Have you checked your filter? Running really low can pull some bad stuff from the tank. Have you replaced the pick-up sock?

I just changed the filter. I can check it again. It certainly isn't running out of fuel as going down the road I can go WOT and it doesn't die out.

What carb are you running? Power valve leaking?

950 proform. It has blowout protection. Car wasn't leaking any fuel out of boosters into carb. Not sure how a PV could intermittingly act up.

 

[BIG-B-Barracuda]

check that your wires aren't caught anywhere- the throttle cable* etc...

 

[67Dart273]

Condition of the fuel tank and system? DIRT IE anything known as dirt and debri can play hell with idle

"Bad gas." Maybe, but doubtful. If you run the usual "pump gas" AKA alcoholized, water is usually not a problem

What do you have for a carb? My strategy for this "when I thought" "it might be dirt" (or water) was to take the carb apart as gently as possible and examine the contents of the fuel bowl. This requires NO beer, NO temper, and patience. What you want is to see "what's in there" and it might not be much.

Also, sometimes you can remove the idle screws right on the vehicle and blow a snorkel aerosol carb cleaner into the idle screw sockets, and down through the air bleeds.

Rough the idle screws back in. Start it up, get it running "fast idle." Remove the screws one at a time and put your finger over the hole for a couple of seconds. This causes intake vacuum to "blow" hard through the idle circuit.

Then warm it up and reset the idle screws.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Had that happen to me a couple of times with a bad batch of gas. I bought gas at this local place cuz it was so much cheaper, two times, on widely separated occasions.The second time I was a bit smarter; I only put a few liters in and drove it around the block. Well I knew instantly that their gas was not going to work for my tune. I went back to my usual watering hole, and let her drink the good stuff.Problem solved. Since that day I have purchased gas almost exclusively from the same place, for around 10 or 12 years now, with never more an issue.

In 2004, my son and I went to CarCraft Nationals in Shakopee Minnesota. Well this is an 11 hour ride at the speedlimit,and thus more than a tankful. I had taken about 40 liters of,back-home, good gas along in approved containers, for which the border crossing guys wrinkled their eyebrows at. Well I knew that those total of about 100 liters/26 gallons US, couldnt get me there and back. So I gassed up in one of the Dakotas, somewhere on the way down, and within a mile I could feel the car doing strange things. I pulled over and pushed the clutch in. Engine died . Well I connected the dots pretty quick. Having had the for-thought to not leave home without my Holley tuning kit, and basic tools, I swapped bigger Mjets into the primary side and cranked out the idle screws, and dialed in some extra cruise timing, and down the road We went. A mile later, I was again swapping jets. My 20 year old son was impressed. He thought we were done. But,Badaboom. Back in action. IIRC i went up 4 sizes, to get going.
I went back and asked the attendant what he had put in my tank.I remember it was oxygenated gas,and a higher ratio than back home, but I dont recall the ratio.He mentioned a place a couple of blocks further down the road where I could purchase non-oxygenated gas, premium only for "farm use". I filed that info in the back of my mind.After that I was real careful to ask.Eventually,we burned up that tankful,and the carb was returned to normal. I still had the stash in the trunk, from which to draw if I needed to.But in Minnesota, at that time, I seem to remember their gas was non-oxygenated.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, as to fuel issues, as we left Minnesota with a full tank of their good stuff, and returned to the town in Dakota, where we knew we could get the premium.
Those were fun times. Me and my boy,together, blasting down the road.
Oh, and the show? Yeah that was a good time too. It was huge. I think we spent two full days checking it out and cruising around in the evenings til we couldnt stay awake.
Yeah, fun times.

Your experience may vary.

 

[mguner]

Do you run without an air filter at the track? Might have a speck of something in an air bleed. Rev it up a little and choke it with your hand while the throttle is open a few times and see if that back flushes it out. Also, I don't know how true the metering surfaces are on a pro form compared to a Holley but I've had to file many a Holley true to get the metering block gaskets to live. They will work for a while but if it isn't flat they will fail after a while.

 

[roccodart440]

Condition of the fuel tank and system?

Fuel Tank is a brand new aluminum cell

What do you have for a carb?

950 proform

Do you run without an air filter at the track? Might have a speck of something in an air bleed. Rev it up a little and choke it with your hand while the throttle is open a few times and see if that back flushes it out. Also, I don't know how true the metering surfaces are on a pro form compared to a Holley but I've had to file many a Holley true to get the metering block gaskets to live. They will work for a while but if it isn't flat they will fail after a while.

They are pretty well machined. No, I use a K&N extreme so there is no point to running without a filter.



Update, I started it up last night with the intention of nursing it to the store to by a siphoner ball and hose. Car was a little rough on startup, not missing but a little rough. It idled and I went to the store. It never did it. Never tried to stall. I think I got bad gas, twice fromt he same place. I'm thinking they are getting the 93 octane by adding more alcohol.

Here is my theory, the car wants a little more throttle at idle to run. Last time I told my engine builder the car will burn your eyes standing behind it. alcohol will burn your eyes. I know it wasn't running rich for several reasons. I believe it was the alcohol content.

My tenant and friend comes home and I tell him what went on and he said he has had issues with the same gas in his Turbo Kia which burns premium. Rough idle, really shitty mileage (400 vs. 500+ miles per tank)

Now that car will self adjust but my carb won't. I'm thinking fuel.