Charles,
The most confusing thing to me is the condition that, whereas the starter
turns the engine, you need a push to start. A push only does what a working
starter does, which is turn the engine. Possibly the car has time to cool
off by the time you push it? In any event, the fact that it push-starts
seems to me to rule out a lot of things like a bad coil or regulator, etc,
because, again, you're only turning the engine whether you use the starter
or you push.
A change in idle rpm with increased engine heat sounds like some type of
air leak around the carbs or manifold. You can test for this by spraying
carb cleaner around the carbs and manifold while running. If you use a
non-cumbustible spray, the engine rpm will drop if it gets sucked in.
Typical wear points for leaks are the throttle shaft bushes on either carb
body. You may also wa to check that the carbs are firmly bolted to the
manifold and both to the head.
Pumping the gas pedal doesn't do anything with SU carbs.
I run my car in all types of weather, including the hottest days in
stop-and-go traffic in Atlanta. These cars can take it. In fact, I'm runing
a 1275 with the older radiator from a 1098. Your cooling system must not
have leaks and must be clear of debris.
If you think you have symptoms like some listed in the Motorhead catalog,
call them and talk to them about this. While you're at it, order their
spridget tune-up video. Doing your own tune-up by following the video may
fix this problem and it certainly will give you a better appreciation for
how your car works, or is supposed to work. If you do this today, you may
get an answer over the phone and you should get the video by the weekend.
Good luck and let us know how it goes,
Jeff
At 8:36 AM -0400 7/28/99, Charles D. Sorkin wrote:
> 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
Jeff Boatright '65 Sprite MkIII __o_\__
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~jboatri/
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