Member
Post nr. 62
Springfield, Missouri
78 320iS |
Hey guys! Thought I would see what some of you had to say on an issue I'm having on getting the car to idle following a total rebuild.
The car is a '78 w/2.0 and has had all the emissions stuff removed and properly capped off. Not just rigged closed.
At first I wasn't getting fuel and jumpering the fuel relay socket did nothing. Fuel pump only works when the relay is plugged in. Anyway, I did get the car to start albeit a little sluggish. Below 2,000RPM it will die. I have to constantly keep feathering the pedal. To KEEP it running I have keep the RPM's in the 3,000+ range. But the longest I've been able to keep it running is about 2 minutes. It just cuts out and dies and usually won't restart right away.
I DID mess with the mixture QUITE A BIT trying to initially get fuel to flow so I can't even say where it is right now. I mean I've turned it as many as 8 rotations either way so you get the idea. Someone suggested it was timing but it will FIRE right up! I've set the timing and rechecked several times by first lining up the timing marks on the crank pulley and the pointer on the timing cover. When those are perfectly aligned I loosen the dizzy pull the cap and the points should be opened at their widest part so I rotate the dizzy until they are and then set the gap. Tighten everything down and then recheck gap and as far as I'm concerned my timing should be right on! The points, cap and rotor are new. Wires are not and neither is the resistor.
I guess what I'm wondering is if maybe it's the fuel accumulator that is going bad. SOMETHING is causing it to just lose fuel and die after feathering the idle for several minutes right? So is it the accumulator that can't maintain the pressure and therefore causing the engine to lack fuel and die?
I've already triple checked vacuum leaks. All gaskets are new and everything is tight. Keep in mind also that this car has been apart for over a year. Various circumstances kept me in the torn down stages for that long. The car barely had any fuel in it when I began disassembly and I've put 1/2 tank in prior to starting for the first time. I also adjusted the valves just after I put the head on while it was still on the engine stand. It may not be perfect but I'm sure it's gotta be close. I set it at 08 because I didn't want them to be too tight and risk burning the freshly reground valves. Either way I'm sure it can't be how the valves are adjusted that would cause this.
So how far out of the ballpark in my thinking???
Thanks guys! |
