just died

[rick13]

some of you are familiar with my (3+ year) project by now. she was running like a champ. now, no start. i am suspecting bad gas. i was bringin her up to temperature whan all of a sudden she started running rough and died. i have been putting off replacing fuel and filter i pumped some fuel into a glass container and it seemed alright. anyway, i still have spark, injectors are firing, tach is bouncing...


additional info:
plugs are wet, starter fluid does nothing

i waited overnight sprayed starter fluid and i do get an occational "pop" ...

any thoughts (besides "i am a moron who should have cleaned out his tank long before running a new engine")

[sparky4017]

First thing i would do is change the plugs could be fouled

[mikepellegrini]

You're gonna laugh but maybe if the car's been sitting for quite a while, maybe you should check the air box/air filter for obstructions.

My son and I just ressurected an 88 NA that's been sitting for seven years.

When we started it, it idled okay for a while, then we turned it off.

The next day, we started it again. I reved it a couple times and then it started running badly and died. We were frantic, thinking we'd screwed something up - we'd just replaced four bent valves and done a belt job.

We checked and rechecked everything. Finally, I sarcastically suggested maybe we should check the air box for rats nests.

Amazingly enough, that's what we found! A rat (or some small animal) had crwled in through the cold air intake and had chewed through the filter and made a nest in the airbox. It was disgusting! When I revved the car, it had sucked part of the nest into the throttle body.

We cleaned it all out and managed to get the car started again. After maybe 5-10 minutes, it ran fine again.

I dunno if you would ever find anything quite that dramtic, but it never hurts to check...

If you have spark, the plugs are wet and starting fluid does nothing, that does suggest an obstruction.

[rick13]

Twuz a loose rotor. Got it!

[Rudeboy42]

Amazingly enough, that's what we found! A rat (or some small animal) had crwled in through the cold air intake and had chewed through the filter and made a nest in the airbox. It was disgusting! When I revved the car, it had sucked part of the nest into the throttle body.

When I first bought my car I checked out the air filter and there was a hole in it and a lot of nut shells. The animal was gone but it was the same kind of deal.

[mikepellegrini]

Originally Posted by rick13

Twuz a loose rotor. Got it!

The cheap easy fixes are the best fixes!