<VV> Re: bad running spyder

[Tony Underwood]

At 05:32 hours 04/15/2005, djtcz at comcast.net wrote:

> >
> > Now: First thing, I grabbed up a can of carb cleaner and blew it through
> > the idle mixture screw hole, smooth idle returned. We messed with it a
> > minute or two, seemed like it was OK. .
> >
>As a precaution I'd check for a fat blue spark and maybe even new plugs. 
>I'd check fuel pressure and volume, and catch a sample of the fuel 
>delivered in a clear glass container with smooth thin walls for good 
>visibility, like a beaker.  I'd add a little isopropyl dry gas to the 
>sample and swirl it around.  If it suddenly goes notieably clearer there 
>is water in the fuel.  There are a few ways to deal with that.
>
>Even if the fuel stays clear I'd add Valvoline Synthetic fuel cleaner at 
>max concentration to 5 or more gallons of fresh new fuel in a clean gas 
>can.  I might use an auxilliary pump to get most of the gas out of the 
>tank, then add the 5 gallons of fresh gas.  I'd probably crank the engine 
>a bit with the fuel line disconnected to clear the line of old gas.



Already ahead of you.    This car has a pressure regulator and new plugs, 
wires, the works, as well as heated up ignition.    This car is a show 
winner, damned near perfect.   It never wants for anything.    I wiped down 
the engine after messing with it so I wouldn't leave any finger print 
smudges on anything.  ;)

I'm not kidding.

Fuel was the first thing we checked, cracked the line at the carb, drained 
some into a cup to check it...  pure high test.    Had to wipe up a few 
drips that got on his shroud.

It's also worth noting that the car ran fine the first time the passage got 
blown out with carb cleaner...   for a while, anyway, until whatever was 
stopping up the low speed metering circuit got into it again and the engine 
just shut off *right now*.    Pumping the pedal to prime it gets it started 
up again, no problem,  but it will *not* idle, simply coasts to a stop 
unless you either keep tapping the gas pedal to maintain a steady stream of 
accelerator pump shots, or the throttle is opened enough to get the engine 
onto the secondary metering.    Driving the car at speed, it runs fine; 
take your foot off the gas and it dies right now.

No secondary/lowspeed metering at all.

I think a little speck of powder coat residue has found its way into the 
low speed metering orifice.   I'll know tomorrow when I go over there and 
we fix it.   I'm not real crazy about taking something on this car apart, 
too easy to scratch something.   I'm surprised he takes it out on the roads 
now and then.    It *is* a really nice car and it has its share of 
trophies.

It's fun to see Atwood and Dale Dickerson get together and compliment one 
another on each other's Spyders...


tony..