Apparently when you let you car sit for 3 years, you'd better be prepared for some problems when you start driving again. So when ever I really get on it, like entering the highway, after my drive my car runs like crap. On my 20 min drive home I can feel the car kind of miss or surge very slightly while driving. Then when I come to the first stop light after the drive, the car just idles down and dies. Doesn't want to idle at all. I noticed at home the gas was dripping into the secondaries at idle, is this normal? Also when I shut the car off, fuel seeps out at the pivot point for the secondaries. Now idea if this is part of the problem. It's late, just looking for some ideas. Didn't exactly get to tinker today.
After sitting that long you should rebuild it before attempting to drive it, imho. It's seals are dried out and it's not gonna get better by its self.
well it wasn't just sitting the whole time. It did get started fairly frequently through a lot, but not all that time. Just wasn't driven more than up and down a driveway or into and out of the body shop. For the most part it idles and drives really nice. Just this problem has occurred 2 or 3 times since about the end of August. Does anyone know if fuel is supposed to drip into the secondaries at idle? I thought that was only for wot or when the secondaries were opening?
If it's only the secondaries, the butterflies are not closing fully when you get off the throttle, or the rear float level is too high. Remember, the secondaries only open at high load, so that's why you only have the problem when you get on it hard. If they are sticking, the slight vacuum will pull fuel out of the main boosters. The leak at the shaft is the puddled fuel coming out the throttle shaft seal. Rebuild time...
How old is the gas? Gas turns if it's been awihile, that's why they came out with fuel stabilizer. I had a motorcycle that sat for awhile, even if started occasionally the fuel would go bad and gum up the carbs. I had to rebuild them.
Fuels fresh from the pump, been daily driving the car since August. I will try to check the fuel float levels later today. May be time for that rebuild too. So, back to the question. Does fuel drip from the secondary area at idle or no?
No it should'nt. Your butterflys on the secondarys are not closing all the way so vacuum is sucking fuel in. Should be linkage on the carb that closes those butterflys. Adj. it to push them shut at idle.
If it's dripping the float level is to high or the needle and seat are dirty or worn and are not able to seal and letting too much fuel in the float bowl.
Two problems, the dripping secondaries (and they'll continue to drip briefly after shutting the engine off, hence the fuel on the shaft) is caused by the rear float being too high; the idle down until the engine quits is from a vacuum leak, air enters the engine from somewhere other than the venturii and has no corresponding fuel to supply the engine so it just idles down and shuts itself off - look for a dry rotted/missing vacuum plug.
X2 - Im going to guess you have some crud in the needle and seat. Clean it & Install a brand new fuel filter and run some Sea foam in your gas tank.