Engine power problem..help...please !!

[cliff]

To all the experts, here is the problem. Any suggestions are welcome.

My 914 has dual carbs and was a 1.8L which was bored out to 2.0 L. The carbs are Dellortos.
I was just out for a drive and suddenly, the power just dropped. I could not get above 30mph in third gear. Shifting higher did not give any change in power and speed. Thinking it was timing, I checked. Timing was still where it was set at. I changed the distributor thinking it was the advance- no change, new cap, wires plugs, coil and points. No change. Then suddenly after not driving it for a few days it was fine again, running lik it did until yesterday when it started doing the same thing over. Also when this problem occurs, it exhausts shows its running rich. Any ideas.

Thanks
Cliff

[This message has been edited by cliff (edited 07-17-2000).]

[neilca]

Cliff,
I would guess trash in the gas. A few days of sitting lets it settle to the bottom of the float chamber. Clean out carbs, install a fuel filter.
Thats my guess good luck,
neil

[Joe Bob]

Yep, sounds like a fuel delivery problem....

[cliff]

I agree with you both at this point. I have a feeling the flosts may be stuck. What do you think. Fuel filter is new and clean. Any other ideas about the carbs ?

[racejoe]

I agree fuel problem, but let me throw in a twist. I had an MG Midget with a similar problem, and the end result was a cracked inner cage in the air cleaner that allowed a free end of the foam air filter to get sucked down into the carb while it was running. Once it was shut off the filter would return to it's original position. Took a LONG time to figure that one out!!!

[JP Noonan]

FWIW, I'm not a big carb guy.


I'd also guess the float bowls are full of crud.

Also, is there an eletric/heat activated choke? Maybe it is stuck?

Check the plugs, is it only one carb or both carbs? While the plugs re out put in new ones, even if the original problem is fixed fouled plugs will screw everything up.

[Germain]

If you think there is rust and junk in the gas tank, heres your simple solution. Go find an blown 6x9 speaker, rip the magnet off, and well stick it to yer gas tank. ta'da! It grabs the metal flakes in there and holds them in place. I've seen this done to 2 cars, and it worked like a charm. They (after a few months) finally replaced their gas tanks, and when we looked in the old one it was purely amazing.

[BenI]

My problem was dirt in the gas tank I got from a Texeco in western CO. I could drive a couple hundred miles before the car for lose power and eventually not hold idle. I think what was happening was that it took time for the dirt to be sucked up against the sock filter in the tank. The filter is about 3" long, so after awhile of pumping on the tank the sock filter would be completely plugged, and the engine got no gas. I ended up draining the tank and pulling it to clean it out. I could see the dirt by looking in through the gas fill hole. Good luck!

[Bleyseng]

I had the same problem when I was running carbs on my 2.0l. The damn bowls would fill up with fine rust even past the fuel filter. I cleaned and cleaned them all the time couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I drained the gas tank twice! Finally when I switched to FI I traced the fuel hoses down and discovered that the PO had hooked the carbs to the return line. No screen on that line at all!! So it sucked everything into the carbs. Geez!! Works fine now as FI

[cliff]

Bleyseng

Good to see that someone else has encountered this as well. My only question was, how the carbs could have been connected to a return line. I just have one inlet fuel line (with filter) that splits and feeds both carbs ?

[BenI]

The gas tank has two lines coming from the bottom. One is the feed line, and has a sock filter that sits on the end and sticks up into the gas tank. The other line is the return line-with both lines out, you can tell the return line because it's inner diameter is effectively reduced by a plate in the gas tank that has a small hole in it. With this plate, there's no way to get a sock filter in.

Many PO's, upon switching to carbs, have blocked the return line with the old bolt in a piece of gas line. If you take the skid plate off (the plate under the front end that protects the master cylinder and steering rack) you will find an access hole on the pass side to the gas tank feed lines. Now if you can get a very patient 6 year old to lend you his hands, you might be able to replace the sock filter with the tank in place. The nuts are big, I think 19mm, but could be wrong. Anyway, I think Crow's Feet might be the best way to get them off, but I just did it with a 6" adjustable wrench. I hope this was informative.