so i have had my car for 2 years and i have had a problem with it stalling. well the problem only used to happen when i ran the car for and extended period of time. well as time passed it got worse and better. after changing out the computer, distributor module, map sensor, rebuilding the carb a few times, to down right buying a remanufactured carb(rodchester 4 barrel quad jet) the problem has not seemed to have fixed its self but infact only seems to have gotten worse to the point that i cant even drive it 20 mins with out it dying. the symptoms- after being driven for however long, the car may sit for about an hour or so if started again the engine will run right for upwards of 30mins. once it has reached this time it will start to choke as if lacking gas or air, this usually takes place between 25-39mph the engine will continue to bog out untill it dies. sometimes you can get it to start again by using starter fluid. otherwise it just sits there for the rest of the night...then, in the morning it starts back up, and so the cycle continues....

 

When it dies out, does the carb have gas in it? Check and see if gas squirts out of the accelerator pump discharge nozzles (usually you can smell the gas if you open the throttle a few times). If it is, replace the ignition coil and or pick up coil in the distributor (also have the module checked even if its new). If no gas comes out, replace the fuel pump. Make sure you don't have any restriction in the fuel line coming to and going from the fuel pump. If all of this is fine, yank the catalytic converter and make sure it isn't clogged.

 

so the deal is the fuel does come out, in fact the smell of gas is quite nauseating. but when you look in the carb chamber it does not appear to be wet. and i know the fuel lines are not clogged for they have been replaced as well. as a matter of fact, when i replaced the carb i also double filtered it, so it now has a clear in line and one in the carb. and about the cat...there is none...that was one of the suspects, so we raised the car to find that where the cat was susposed to be, instead was a straight pipe. so that was ruled out.

 

Just a stab at this one...next time the car bogs out and dies pull off the air cleaner, look down the primaries of the carb (the choke should be all the way open) and by hand flick the throttle on the carb and see if any gas shoots out. This was what was basically suggested by bluroc but it only takes a second and it'll verify you have gas in the bowl. Two good streams of gas should shoot out. Note: make sure the car is OFF when doing this. Have you tested the fuel pump? I am not the best at trouble shooting, but remember you need 1)air 2)spark 3)gas for it to run. Air should not be a problem. So fuel or ignition is where to keep looking. Your statement about using starting fluid to get it going leads me to think it is fuel related.

HTH

 

sounds like it could be a vapor lock problem with the way it gets hot, and then dies. Have you checked that out??

 

at first we thought that may be a problem, but the car runs at about 180 degrees.in fact for awhile i was having an overheating problem but we threw in a toggle switch that allows me to control when the fan comes on. so i haven't had the problem for awhile...

 

Vapor lock is totally independant of the engine operating temperature. The big thing is underhood temps, and where the fuel line is. Most people make the mistake of running it too close to the headers, itll do it every time.

 

i have actually checked the lines for overheating before and made sure none were run directly over hot areas. some one mentioned wraping the lines in foil...does this technique work..?

 

It's not really a matter of over anything hot. It's just a matter of anything in proximity.

Don't think alum. foil (if that's the foil you are thinking of) would work very well. Aluminum is a very good conductor of heat. There is, however, special wrap that looks strikingly similar to foil. It is designed to isolate the fuel lines from header heat. Summit or Jegs or any other big parts carrier should have it. I forget off hand who manufatures it.

 

wonderful i will look into getting some of the covering for my lines.


another question:
will a dignostics machine be albe to provide a general answer for the problem if it is more then just the carburator?

i am just getting so annoyed with this, i love my car to death and will never sell it but its frustrating every other month putting another hundered or so into it and the problem just seems to be getting worse. two years now i have been fighting with this car. it would be nice to not have to worry about will i make it back from the store or better yet will i make it there....

 

dignostics machines do they work....?

 

Yes, but not for that.

Sound sto me like you have a leak in the suction side of your car's fuel system, that admits air.

Check the rubber line that hooks your fuel line to your gas tank, in the rear of the car; make sure it has no cracks. Same for the rubber line under the hood that hooks the fuel pump to the steel line along the frame.

You might want to change out the fuel pump also, just because it's cheap (like $12) and easy (like 5 minutes or less). And while you're doing that, make sure that the top bolt that holds the smog pump bracket onto the front of the motor, is a VERY SHORT BOLT; if it's too long, it will stick directly into the passage for the fuel pump drive rod, and bind the rod, and prevent the fuel pump from working.

 

as far as the suction thing, ocassionally when the car dies the gas tank will bubble. it was the scariest thing i had ever heard at first...i mean hearing this low grumble from the tank... and i dont have a smog pump anymore, my first mechanic removed that when he was changing the fuel pump..siad i didnt need it and tossed it away,at that time i didnt know any better so i went along with it...

 

the smog pump is it nessisary...? or is it just emission stuff that can be by passed?

 

Not really an issue as long as you don't have to pass a visual smog test. But I'd worry about a mechanic that likes to toss parts out of the car... Hope he didn't feel like using that "solution" to any other parts. Does your fuel pump have the return line hooked up or did he feel like getting rid of that too? (Might help if you are dealing with vapor lock like was previously suggested)

 

I agree that you should check the fuel lines for leaks and proper connection. You can also check the fuel pressure that is going to the carb by purchasing a test system for about $20 but you need to be careful when doing that. I have had problems with my fuel system and eventually replaced everything including the gas tank but it was due to rust. The fuel pump was bad as well and when the car was not running right you could see that air was getting into the fuel line by looking at the clear filter.

 

yea i soon got rid of him and started doing things myself.. which made me relize just how much i like getting greasy...



now the clear filter doesnt fill completly with fuel,should it?

and the fuel pump i am only aware of 2 pipes, one from the tank to pump and pump to carb.i believe it is electronic.

 

Yes grease is fun...well except when you get an eyeful, or a bunch in an open wound.

I don't know about what a typical clear fuel filter should show since I am only using one on my pcv valve to see all my expensive Mobil 1 get sucked in.

I think on an '87 lg4 there was a mechanical fuel pump AND an in tank electric (someone who knows speak up and correct me if the voices in my head are wrong). You should have a fuel pump on the lower front passenger side of the engine. If so it is mechanical and the original pump would have 3 hoses. One going from the tank to the pump, one from the pump to the carb, AND a smaller one from the pump to the tank. That last one is the return line and it helps to keep the fuel cool which helps fight vapor lock. If it is not there then I guess it was removed and an older fuel pump put on that doesn't use the return line. I don't know if vapor lock is the issue you are fighting, but if it is, a proper fuel pump and return line might help.

 

I have an 82 TA and the clear filter fills completely with no air. When there was air the fuel pump had a problem. So I think there should be no air and that is where your problem is.

 

well i just recently put the clear filter in.so that might be part of the prob but not the whole thing.

i guess what i will do is cut the metal line back futher and just clamp some fuel line in so the filter is more likely to fill completly... thanks for that input...

 

This is an interesting problem and you have a lot of patience in trying to get to the bottom of it. I would hook up a fuel pressure gauge that you can monitor while driving. If it is heat related I am not sure what the fuel pressure will tell you if you are experiencing vapor lock. I imagine it will stay normal. As for the fuel line, if there is only a small bubble in the glass fuel line, it may be ok. If there is a leak somewhere between the tank and the fuel pump that would be where air could come in. It could also be an intermittent electrical short somewhere in the wiring that is heat related. Good luck in trying to find this. I will monitor to see if I can help in the future.

 

1) Remove or loosen the gas cap. Sounds like it is not venting properly. If the gas cap is not vented, you build a vacuum in the tank and the fuel pump can't pull any full through, assuming that you run a mechanical pump. See if that helps.

2) Fuel filters. If running a mechanical pump they must be placed AFTER the pump...not before. IE: they must be on the pressure side...not the suction side. Can create air locks if placed on the suction side. Even worse if you have TWO of them on the suction side. No need two run two filters BTW. Can be detrimental as they add extra restiction.

3) Edit: You did not say whether that " Clear" filter was Plastic or Glass. Do not use those POS see thru GLASS filters. They are highly restrictive and Glass can break in an accident. Run a standard 3\8" inline filter ( Steel preferred but plastic OK. Plastic can melt in a fire though....) AFTER the fuel pump. One filter is enough.

 

the filter is a 3/8 clear plastic. i actually am going to pull the filter out of the carb, i like being able to tell when my filter is dirty...

i looked at the fuel pump today and it loks as thought the lines are pretty old so i am going to replace those. i am also going to run with the gas cap loosened to see if that make a difference.

thanks for all the help and i will keep everyone informed.

 

Hi... After the addition of shorty headers and Holley 110GPH (Non Return) pump I found my transparent filter filling with air during idle followed by stalling etc! I changed back to the original return style pump and the problem is fixed. Sometimes original is best... Looking for a Melling 4309 bypass regulator so I can use my new Holley pump. Also a good idea, I think, to insulate the fuel lines from the heat.

 

That is correct, and the in-tank is most likely where the problem is.

 

i talked with some people that do drag racing and have thier own parts store. according to them i have a mechanical pump.
i looked at it yesterday and it has 3 outlets, pump to carb and 2 lines i guess to the tank.
like i said earlier i am going to change out the lines cause thier all looking pretty old(starting to harden and surface crack).

 

What you just said can all be true (except it's one inlet from tank, one outlet to carb, and one return to tank on the mechanical), and you can still have an in-tank electric fuel pump. They did that in 1987.

If that electric pump is bad, or isn't getting power for some reason or another, the mechanical will struggle to suck the gas through the in-tank pump.

 

is there any way to tell if i have double pumps?
would there be a fuel filter by the tank?
how hard would it be to get to the one in the tank?
tomorrow i will be returning the carb that i bought from discount auto. and i will be geting a unit from napa.
so i will have a little bit of fun for the next couple of days.

 

I haven't heard if there is an in-line filter back by the tank (like FI does) for the in-tank carb unit. It did not appear to have been included in the HO 350 conversion kit (which did include the in-tank pump, along with a regulator, and did not use the mechanical if I understand correctly - but I'm not completely sure about the no-mechanical part).

Look for more wires going to the tank than required for the gage only. I'm not sure of the exact configuration.

Getting to the pump is the same as you hear from FI guys - dropping the tank. Which requires partial disassembly of other things back there, is best done with little fuel in the tank (but you may not have a choice there). I've found a tranny jack to be quite helpful - not just lifting/holding, but positioning, too. I have a $75, 1/2" drive ratchet operated unit from Harbor Freight that does just fine (I think I caught one of their sales and picked it up for $50).

 

now that frances is gone i can resume work on my car...
first thing first- the carb, i will be changingthe unit out for another remanufactured unit.
second- the fuel lines, ones from carb to pump and pump to tank. as well as checking for a second pump in the tank. hopefully this will solve my problems for now...
i have to get these probs fixed i am making a permanent trip to texas soon...
that should be fun...

 

Texas gets hurricanes to but not as frequently as Florida........Good Luck

 

so i ripped the carb out today and took it back, now i am just waiting for tomorrow to roll around so i can go pick up the new(remanufactured) unit. installation will begin in the morning and hopefully i will have her up and running tomorrow.(crosses fingers)

question:
how hard is it to change the gas lines from tank to pump?
and does anyone know where i can purchase these without contacting the dealer(evilness)?

 

another question:
does anyone know the tech name for the heat reflective wrapping..?

 

got he carb up and running, not super but still running.

i pulled my spark plugs and did a compression check they all seem to be around 210.is this good?

we also tried timing the car but my idle is way off, is there anything that needs to be disconected or grounded to sucessfully time my car..?

 

The manual (1982 TA 305) says to properly time the car you have to disconnect the computer cable from the distributor. That is the 4 wire connector. I think it is supposed to be 6 degrees BTDC at about 600 RPM.