I had a problem with my '72 B for a week or so in that it simply
wouldn't idle! You know how when you first start your car on a very
cold morning and you let the choke off too soon, when you take your
foot off the gas, the rpms will drop straight to zero, not even
pausing at the "normal" idle speed? Well, mine was behaving exactly
like that, even with the engine fully warmed up. Everything had been
fine up to that point. (or so I thought).
I looked under the hood, and in addition to the fuel filter I've
always seen, I found ANOTHER one upstream of the first, right where
the metal pipe joins the rubber fuel hose. It looked older than
dirt, so I can't vouch for its age. I took it off, and it has some
rust-colored sludge in it. I took the entire length of hose and both
filters off, threw them away, and replaced it with a new hose and
single new filter. Not only is the problem solved, but the engine
will now idle smoothly below 1000 rpm, a feat its never accomplished
before. I had always thought it was a combination of a poorly-tuned
carb and the low compression ratio, but I guess I was just starving
the engine for fuel! This might be something to check if your car
suddenly stops idling well.
Scott
|