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Sudden Death at Idle... (kinda long)


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

I drove the '02 (bone-stock early '71 with the single-barrel Solex and original mechanical pump) to work today, just 1.5 miles but enough that the temp gauge got out of the blue and the manual choke could be taken clear off. Ran great.

Parked it here at work for the morning on a slight downgrade, facing uphill. Got in it to head home for lunch, and it began, part-way back, to die at idle. If I kept giving it gas it was fine, and if I pulled out the choke to get fast idle it was fine. Tried extended first-gear running (up to about 30 mph) to try to blow out any carbon, but it had no effect. By the end of the drive, at steady, no-load cruising in third at 30 mph the engine came in and out, with the mechanical connection to the wheels often seeming to be the only thing keeping it running.

Quick tests in the driveway indicated it would readily start, but would stall soon thereafter. Didn't have time to mess with it over lunch, so we brought the boring car back to work.

What could cause this sudden death? Crud in the idle jet is my first guess, but I dunno. I have some nearly-new jets, etc., on a carb I rebuilt last summer as a spare, so I could try swapping stuff out this evening...

Thanks for the help!

-Dave

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Guest Anonymous

Dave,

I would first try to blow out the idle jets with compressed air but it also somewhat sounds like the fuel pump, as what you decribed happened to me a long time ago with a '71 2002 I had back then, late 1980's. Roy told me it was the fuel pump, he had looked at the car for me. Thing is, my only option was to put on the later mechanical fuel pump/rod at that time, it worked though. Well, it will be interesting to know what you find out,

Tim

'74 2002

'69 2000

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Guest Anonymous

holeinblock1.jpg

More than likely the idle "screw" on the passenger side of the carb half way up has a small piece of gunk pulled from the tank. Unscrew it, blow it out and you should be down the road!

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Guest Anonymous

I don't know if the early Solexs had an idle solenoid but if so your symptoms sound like classic Idle solenoid failure or failing that clogged idle jet(s) as someone else suggested.

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Guest Anonymous

Dave, does your one bbl. Solex have an anti-dieseling valve? If so, then remove it and be sure there's not something plugging up the small orfice on the end that fits into the carburator....also make sure the electrical connection is alright.

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Guest Anonymous

...so I'm hoping it's just a clogged idle jet. That would also explain the sudden appearance of the symptoms.

I'll clean it out tonight and post what I find.

-Dave

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Guest Anonymous

If the idle jet has anything in it, that is the symptom. It is an easy fix, just remove the jet and clean it out.

Good Luck,

Mike (#87)

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Guest Anonymous

Took it out, hosed it down with carb cleaner, put it back in. Including removing and replacing the air cleaner, five minutes. I'm back to an idle-ic state. :-)

Thanks!

-Dave

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Guest Anonymous

that took nearly two years to work itself out....I kept a long screwdriver in the glovebox and got so that I could pull the idle jet, blow thru it and reinstall before the light turned green! Incidentally, that's what the hole in the right side air cleaner mount is for--so you can access the idle jet...

Mike

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