no idle rough running

On my way home today car has been running great lost idle car dies, and started running rough very little power, bursts of power no power made it home at a max speed of 25 MPH.

I have cleaned the idle jet she now idles and seems to run properly I will replace the fuel filter later today anything else I need to check before I try to get out on the road again?

You are sick and so you go to your doc and he says: "Take two asprins and call me in the morning." Bring your poor running Speedster (w/ Weber carbs, I'm betting) to the SOC and you'll be told: "Clean the idle jets." I am convinced 90% of all the engine problems around here are due to this. There is much on the Forum (available using the search feature, I guess) on this topic. The open vent for the float chamber and the top mounted air intake jets for the idle circuit seem to tbe the culprits, admitting slight dirt there that fouls up this delicate cicuit. Webers are good carbs, I suppose, but this way of arranging things seems to me to be a serious design flaw. There is a reason they invented fuel injection. I'm just sayin' . . .

Clogged idle jets usually make the car run rough and it will ""usually"" idle. Power will usaully come back once you're above 3,000 RPM's and the carb's have transitioned from idle jets to main jets.

Sounds like a bad fuel pump, clogged filter, clogged outlet on your gas tank, very very bad fuel, totally clogged air cleaners and that's just the small stuff. You could have a cracked cylinder, cylinder head, bad cam lobe, bad valves, broken valve spring, etc etc

Larry J., Prophet of Doom. Listen to all of this and you just want to stay in bed all day. But we do not, and therein lies the madness.

I have a 1641 with a single 34 pict 3 carb. Going to change the filter tonight some of the fuel around here is 10% ethenol so the plastic filter may be part of the issue. Air cleaner was changer 250 miles ago along with the oil. Any other doomsday predictions will be appriciated.
Larry is there a way to check the fuel pump? filter holds about 1/4 pint and has a small bubble in it was full when I got it home and pulled the Idle jet.

Richard

They say ethanol is great for cleaning out varnish and crud from fuel systems - plus disolving rubber and plastics. Sounds like it works like that prep stuff you drink before a colenoscophy. Didn't someone recommend 2 metal fuel filters? One right out of gas tank (the screen in tank is joke - if it hasn't disappeared by now) before the fuel pump and one after the fuel pump.

I'm not trying to be profit of doom, just posting more information than may be required. In the big picture, it helps to know what it ""could"" be as one or more of those problems could exist.

If the plastic filter is full, the pump is probably working just fine.

Change the filters, use metal filters and while you're doing that, remove the hose from the bottom of the tank and see if any crud is present. As was mentioned, the inside of your tank could be full of junk. It's difficult sometimes to tell because as soon as the suction from the fuel pump ceases, fuel will flow until the line re-captures crud.

Richard....The statement "bursts of power no power" sounds like a problem Lane Anderson and I have had....Water in the fuel/Carbs....

If it is, a couple of cans of gas dry (alcohol, go figure) might clear it up....Drain a little fuel from the pump into a glass container and check it out.

Ditto what Leon said but usually here it happens in the spring or fall or if you park in heated spots after being in the cold. Condensation builds over time in the gas tank resulting in water in the tank.

I once had this problem in a Opel GT I had...turned out to be the diaphram in the mechanical fuel pump was deteriorating and clogging the jets. New electric fuel pump solved the problem in that car but not until after the shop I took it too rebuilt the carbs (twice) then did a valve job too.

Also check the idle solenoid make sure its getting power from the coil and that it has not got lose on he carb..

Already checked the selinoid, pull wire and tap listen for click....
have to get a new fuel filter the plastic one looks like the internals are melting? Only have 2-3 gallons in the tank right now probably a good time to just drain it. Haven't driven it since I cleaned the jet, but it now will start and Idle rev's up fine. Where before I had to keep pumping the pedal to keep it running. Keep the ideas coming I want to have it cleared up before we leave for the Dragon on the 15th

Richard

Taats good! Are you running a mechanical pump or a electric fuel pump? If it is the standard V W you might want to change it ..It could have been stressed.

It's a mechanical VW pump change to what? If I can make sure I'm sorted out for now I may wait till some of the experts at the Dragon can see wht I have. May just snitch Jacks old motor (even though he sold it) and replace mine.

Hey, I just removed my tank so I could install a couple things in the Spyder. I figured I would check out how clean the pickup was since the tank was out. Well, the plastic screen was GONE! I guess it melted/disintegrated. It is not in the tank, it is just gone. I know I installed one back in 2002 when I put the tank in. Also there was a bunch of rust in the bottom above the threaded fitting. The pickup tube is still looking brand new, nice and shiny CAD plating. I wonder how much crap is clogging my filters now? Time to change them I think. I figured this might be pertinent to the problems of this thread.

I think the point here is the plastic does not seem to like ethenol. I run 93 octane and did not think they put ethenol in but I was wrong checked with the local station. Bought and installed new filter last night drained the tank,put in fresh fuel and took the bride out for dinner. Runs and purrs like a kitten saw no trash or water in the fuel I drained I believe I got some small trash in the jets and the filter was failing due to the ethenol not sure.

Many thanks for the comments even the ones from the prophet of doom aka Larry I have his list and will be looking into each item over the winter.

Richard

Listen to Larry---I sure do.

Yelp Just listen to Larry check for any blockages and If your pump checks out ok run it. But if it acts weak, get a new one Same or electric, at your discretion. But if it is stock and worked .go the easy way