TE Cortina Surging/Stalling

[wokket]

G'day guys

My TE Corty Sedan (2L Manual) has been driving really nicely since I had it apart and cleaned all the manifolds/valves etc...

Halfway to work today it started playing up....any sort of load on the engine it would surge/bunny hop/stall.....

Idle is fine.

If I really slowly fed it revs, it run fine to about 2k rpm, then start playing up

If I slipped the clutch/was carefull not to put the foot down too much etc it ran well enough to creep the final 2min to work...

It looks like there's a very slight weeping fuel leak where the fuel lines run into the carby, but no signs of it dripping/spurting etc starving the carby of fuel....

My only real thoughts were sparky/coil cables loose, or a big piece of gunge in the carby bowl....I found one cable loose, but it didn't affect the way it ran...

Coming home it played up three or 4 times, it seems to run alright for a couple of mnutes, then suges/stalls etc...leaving it idling for a minute or two gets you another couple of hundred meters down the road.

I'm starting to wonder about the alternator, the battery is reading 13.5V with the car off, and 14.85 idling, but I wouldn't have thought that would cause these symptoms...

Any/All suggestions appreciated

Thanks
Wokket

[wokket]

Okies, here's the latest....

I don't think it's a fuel issue, when it plays up, if I let it go all the way to a stall, then immediatly have a look down the carby and play with the throttle, I get fuel straight away, and it fires up afterwards not a problem...

Leaves me with an electrical problem of some kind...

3/4 sparkies are only a couple of months old, 1 is only a week or so old.

Leads are all only a couple of months old.

Timing is fine.

Points are fine.

The low tension wire from the Coil to the dizzy isn't in the best shape at the dizzy end, but doing a shake test doesn't show any change from it's usual nice smooth idle.

I don't mind spending a bit of money (<$100) on it, any more is really not worth it with this car....

I have a spare alternator here, but I don't know whether it's dead or not, only one way to check I spose....My only other real thought atm is a coil...

I'm really hanging out for some suggestions/options at this point in time :)

Thanks
Wokket

[2JZR31]

I had (and still have) a TE 4cyl for 4 years. I used to love pulling apart the Webber carbie and fiddling with it. The prob you have is most likely carbie related. I had a carb that done that. I ripped it apart and cleaned every part then it was ok.

[RealizE]

I thinks its carby related also.

- Check if there is a blockage in the main fuel jet. It sounds like the idle circuit is able to supply just enough fuel to keep it running and driving up to 2,000rpm but after that it cant cut it (obviously)

When you play with the throttle after it stalls the extra juice it has just squirted in is probably helping it start. So far you know you have fuel IN the bowl, but something inside is the problem.

[RealizE]

Oh, one more thing,

I had a primary blockage a few weeks back and the car wouldnt idle or do anything under say 3,000rpm. I had to keep pumping it to prevent it stalling.

If you dont want to pull the carb off if you dont know for certain if its blocked, try and crack open the secondaries whilst its idling. Ie, leave the primaries shut and move the secondary shaft by itself. If it revs up and doesnt splutter/stall then its the primary jet blocked.

Thats assuming that doing the same thing with the primary causes it to die.

[wokket]

Sorry guys, I forgot to mention the other reasons why I didn't think it was fuel related....

I can rev it out to 3500 after a long idle (As high as I ever push this engine) fine...

It will hold a fast idle (1500+) for as long as you want it to without missing a beat....

That said, I seriously expect there to be plenty of shit in this fuel tank, it sat in a paddock for 12mths...

I had the carb apart and cleaned/recod it all late last year...The bowl had this cool metal dust all through the bottom of it :(

When it's not doing it's stall thing, it's driving as sweet as it has the whole time I've had it....

It does seem worse when I put some load on teh engine (to low a speed in a gear, climbing hills etc) which seems to point back to fuel....

Time to take Mr Weber apart again :(

Thanks heaps guys, I'll keep ya posted

[gtst4]

Are you sure there's no water floating around in the carby to intermittently block off the main jet.

Chuck a bottle of metho in the fuel tank - it will help 'dissolve' any water there. And should help with water caught elsewhere in the fule system.

Have you replaced the fuel filter?

[wokket]

Okies, tightened up all teh manifold nuts, some weren't super tight - no difference....

Convinced myself it's a carby issue while testing that..

Feed it revs slowly, revs to about 3000 alright
Plant it hard, it bogs for a sec, then revs like a bitch (secondarys)
Go in between the two and it stalls....

Took cover off carb, both jets had like a ring of goop in them, with a small hole still left in the middle - cleaned 'em both out.

The bottom of the fuel bowl has this really really fine stuff in it, too fine to feel, course enough to see it move in a little cloud when you slosh a finger in the fuel....

Remembering that the carb is still on that car (I really don't wan't to have to take it off, it's a pain in the arse getting to the back drivers side nut), what would be the best way to clean this stuff out, so this doesn't happen again?

[wokket]

I put everything back together after cleaning the Jets, same symptoms :(

Took the carb off the car last night, primary emusion tube was well clogged with crap, I wish I knew how it was getting through 3 filters :(

I'll put it back on the car tonight and see what happens....