Kris,
You forgot to mention if you are running the original Zenith-Stromberg
carb. If so maybe we can help.
First look over the engine compartment and make sure all your vacuum lines
are snug and secure.
If they are, one thing I would suspect the Bypass-Deceleration valve. This
is a spring-loaded device mounted on the front side of the carb. It is made
of metal and has what looks like an adjusting screw pointing forward.
The carb books caution against trying to adjust this thing, although the
Bentley manual has an adjustment procedure. New ones are $40 - $50.
It is possible to unscrew it (3 screws) and install a blank gasket against
the carb that would render it harmless. A side effect to this action might
be backfiring when you let off the throttle, though. At least that would
allow you to set your idle and mixture more accurately.
If you are unsure of it's location, email me off-list and I'll attach a
diagram.
The other suspects would be float level, a worn/dirty needle and seat, or
even a bad distributor diapragm.
Regards,
Atwell Haines
'79 Spitfire
At 08:14 PM 4/11/99 EDT, SpitfireKP@aol.com wrote:
>
>I have had a problem where my car stalls at stop signs for a while. Whenever
>I am moving and I shift into neutral and brake to a stop, the RPMs drop and
>the engine eventually stops. I can then restart the car and sometimes it
>stays on, sometimes it doesnt. When I fisrt start the car, it idles
without a
>problem. It is only after I have been moving and come to a stop. If the car
>does not stall after that, the RPMs move from 600 to 1500, with no input on
>the throttle. At first, I turned the idle adjust screw, thinking that it
>would adjust the idle speed. Only later, my dad told me that I was adjusting
>the mixture. Later, I adjusted the actual idle control, but in order to keep
>it from stalling, the car idles at nearly 1400-1500 RPM. Can anyone help me?
>I am afraid of messing with the mixture anymore, b/c I dont want to burn the
>valves. I cannot afford to take it to a mechanic, b/c I will be spending all
>availible money repairing my mom's Volvo, which I drove into the back of a
>Ford truck last week. It is somewhat embarassing to have the car stall at
>every stopsign, but after running into a truck with my girlfriend in the
>passenger seat, I dont think it matters anymore. This brings me to another
>problem which I have encountered, of course, with my girlfiend in the car.
>One night last week, I made a sharp turn in a parking lot while turning
>around. The car stalled, for no apparent reason, and when I turned it back
>on, it would not rev above 3000 RPM. I had to drive home at an incredibly
>slow speed as a result. The next morning everything ws fine. This has
>happened twice before, but always I have been able to restart the car, and
>the problem goes away. Can anyone help with either problem?
>
>Kris Powell
>
|