Dear List:
For those who are interested in the continuing saga with my '74 Midget, the
following problem has been coming up since the weather has been above 95
degrees:
When cruising along in stop-start traffic, and the engine starts running
warm, the idle has a tendency to slow down to 500-600 rpm, which causes the
car to have a tendency to stall out when at a complete stop. Secondly,
during these conditions, twice now I have attempted to restart the car, and
though the starter turns the engine, it will not restart. I tried
restarting first with the choke in, then out, and then with several pumps of
the gas pedal. The eventual solution was the embarassing push start. (The
first time was upon returning home after the Positive Earth Drivers Club
event in NJ... I stalled out at the toll booth on the Garden State Parkway.
The clerks came over to tell me how cool these cars are, but that they were
a maintenance nuisance. I thanked them for their insight. Fortunately,
they were good natured about giving us a push!)
I noted in the Motorhead catalog that they briefly mention this as a symptom
so something (though they do not say what), and suggest disconnecting the
hose that connects the carbs to the air cleaner. (I think).
What could be the casue of this difficulty, and how could it be addressed?
Is it simply a matter of setting my idle higher (to adress stalling out)?
Should I understand that LBCs just don't do well in near-100 degree weather?
What would cause the difficulty in restarting under these conditions?
For those that remember my previous carb-related questions, I expect to be
replacing my throttle springs shortly. Since I sprayed some WD-40 on them,
and resisted touching the gas pedal when starting, the earlier RPM problem
(engine roars to life) is much less severe.
Regards,
Charles
'74 Midget
cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
Bloomfield, NJ
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