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Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Drive]

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mrstinson

mrstinson

Senior Member
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I just picked up my 1971 Midget this Saturday /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif and I LOVE IT.

I am having some problems at low speed though. When I slow down I have to rev the engine or pull the choke to keep it engine running. The car was sitting for the last 10-15 years, the gas was already changed out and some cleaning using a gas additive.

I am thinking it may be the timing or the carbs need to be rebuilt to really clean them. Any thoughts on what may cause the problem.

btw: I am a novice (at best) with auto repair. I am just starting and may need answers to be dumbed down to my level (5th grade should be OK /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). So please, take it easy on me.
 
the best advice i can offer (i too am a novice at this) is before you go playing with your carbs, make sure your ignition is in proper order - check the timing, points, plugs, coil and rotor/cap.

you came to the right place for answers though, the guys here are great!

john
 
[ QUOTE ]
the best advice i can offer (i too am a novice at this) is before you go playing with your carbs, make sure your ignition is in proper order - check the timing, points, plugs, coil and rotor/cap.

you came to the right place for answers though, the guys here are great!

john

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to check the air filter and plugs tonight. I did not think of the coilor points, but will also take a look at that, I think the coil may be an origial.

I don't know how to adjust the timing to make any changes.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

My sprite did the same things until I tuned the carbs. It's not hard at all, you need one wrench, one screwdriver, and short hose to tune and balance your carbs.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

As the car has been sitting a while. The first thing I would check is any and all vacuum lines. If they have become brittle and are leaking, the car could run OK, but not idle worth a darn. If it has a Gulp Valve or PCV Valve check for cracked diaphrams.

No leaks, move on to the ignition points. Again, sitting that long the points may have a non-conductive growth on them that causes missing and is more noticable at low speeds.

Points OK? Move on to the plug wires. One wire could be cracked, open or shorting to the engine. Once again with some revs the other three cylinders might be able to move the car down the road, but not keep it idling.

Dual carbs? I would recommend that you as a newbie not fiddle with duals. Seek another LBC owner with some tools and experience. If he is like 90% of us, he'll be happy to show you the ropes so to speak. Make sure he has the tools; at least a colour tune if not a gas analyzer. This will help you get an objective tune number from the session, not someones' subjective conclusion that the thing is tuned by listening at the end of a hose. IMHO a Pro (or anyone with good sense) wouldn't trust that technique any more. Once they're set, please resist the temptation to further refine them, unless you do something else that could change the need for retuning them like adjusting the timing or adjusting the valves. It is recommended that those be done first, but I don't think those are your specific problem, because they don't change when the car sits.

Good luck, let us know what you find out.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

[ QUOTE ]

btw: I am a novice (at best) with auto repair. I am just starting and may need answers to be dumbed down to my level (5th grade should be OK /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). So please, take it easy on me.

[/ QUOTE ]
The very first thing is to get a good shop manual & study it. I'm sure that someone will recommend their favorite.

You can find very good parts diagrams, descriptions & car specifications on line by going to mossmotors.com. Their free catalogs are also well illustrated. They also sell a couple of good shop manuals. Their parts aren't always the best if you want absolutely original design & materials, but it's a good starting place.
D
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

Along with what the others mentioned, check the float bowls for crud and/or water.
Remove the 3 screws on top of each bowl and use a paper towel to suck out all the gas. There is a sediment recess that might be more then full causeing some crud to get in the carbs, or water.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

I went through and examined the engine last night and found that I need to replace a few hoses, both vac and radiator. One of the vac hoses I found was closed with a spark plug /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif (I know I am new to engines, but I am pretty sure taht spark plugs don't belong there).

I went looking into my Restoration guild and fond some info on "de-toxing". I guess this is process that removes a part from the engin and a side effect is that a vac hose needs a new home. I think that is why there is a plug at the end of the one hose. I need to determine if that is the hose/process I was reading about and try to run it the same way the book suggests.

As for "shop books", what are the suggestions? I have used Haynes and Chilton before, are either of those recommended or is there a better one available?

btw: The restoration guild I have is from Haynes.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

I have both the Haynes and the factory Workshop Manual. Of the 2, the workshop manual is the way to go. I reference it much more than the Haynes book. Considerably more expensive though, but you can find both out on E-Bay. The restoration guide is pretty much worthless. I bought one and have realized it was just a waste of money.
 
Re: Stall at Idle [Stop Lights, Signs, End of Driv

I have also have the Haynes and factory workshop manual. I use the factory manual mostly. Although sometime the british terminology is hard to understand and I then refer to the Haynes.

I the book "Original Sprite and Midget: The Restorer's Guide" by Terry Horler. I find this book very informative and I use it when I want to make sure to return a part back to it's factory color or look. It also has very useful tables for decoding part numbers.
 
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