Old School

[Tango Charlie]

Thanks, Andyman. That's alot of good info. Replacing the timing belt is on the list of things to do. Looking at the distributor and timing is too.... now.
The most annoying thing about Goldie is that she revs at nearly 3k when cold. In the winter it would take several miles before she would warm up and 'settle down' to a normal idle. Now that the weather is warmer, it takes less than a mile, but I would love to get it fixed. I don't think it's a vacuum leak (or least not entirely) since it's affected so much by temperature. I dunno. Any thoughts?

[MetroMPG]

Thought: block heater!

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Thought: block heater!

C'mon, Metro, that would be a band-aid!

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Yes - unless you can add a fuel-flow meter, in which case you'll be able to tie it in to the MPGuino project fuel economy computer.
.

please... 'splain

[MetroMPG]

The MPGuino needs an electronic fuel injector signal to figure how much fuel is being used. With a carb'd car, you could do essentially the same thing with a meter on a fuel line that measures flow. Beyond that, I know nothing. It did come up in the MPGuino thread though (link above).

[Andyman]

I have some of the same problem of the engine racing when cold. The solution is different for you and I because you have a carburetor and I don't. You need to adjust the automatic choke. Normally there is a screw that holds the throttle open a little when the choke is closed. That is the fast idle adjustment screw. If you turn it out you can reduce the cold idling speed. It may also be useful to reduce the closing of the choke valve at the top of the carburetor. Usually (on American cars) this involves loosening three screws that hold the temperature sensing bimetallic coil cover on the side of the carburetor and twisting it a little, then tightening the screws that hold it. If you reduce the choking too much, it may be hard to start the engine in cold weather. It may require pumping the accelerator pedal to make the accelerator pump in the carburetor put extra fuel into the engine before or during cranking. I could check my repair manual later to see if it mentions a way to adjust the fast idle.

I discovered an interesting and inexpensive way to check fuel consumption in my car. I connected a dwell meter (normally for adjusting points in an old distributor) to one of the wires on a fuel injector and the positive battery terminal. I think the reading on the dwell meter is proportional to the fuel flow rate. That wouldn't help if you have a carburetor.

Many years ago I bought a digital fuel economy gauge from JC Whitney. It included a fuel flow sensor to be installed near the carburetor and a vehicle speed sensor which was attached to the back of the speedometer. It worked but the readings fluctuated a lot. I think the fuel flow into the carburetor was not very steady. I used it with an old Pontiac J2000. It was not supposed to be connected to a fuel injected car because the fuel pressure would be too high for the fuel flow sensor. I think this thing was made by an English company called Mobelec.

[88CRX]

Sorry this is out of topic, but what do you mean by "oil sprayed"?

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

PS - the guy who bought my Accord (when I went the way of the Suzukiclones) still has it. I ran into him last week and he's got over 410,000 km on it. Kept it oil sprayed too, so the body looks fine. I sold too soon! :P

[Andyman]

I think that "oil sprayed" means that the bottom of the car was coated with oil to prevent corrosion.

[Bullockracing]

Welcome! Lots of reading on here - check out the Aerodynamics threads...

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by 88CRX

Sorry this is out of topic, but what do you mean by "oil sprayed"?

"Oil sprayed" means the interior of the body panels are sprayed/coated with oil to prevent them rusting from the inside out. I need to do it to the wife's Vibe, come to think of it...