QuestionMy spitfire starts right up and idles fine, but whenever I go to drive in any gear, it starts ok and then looses power and stalls. If I give too much accelerator too fast, the car putters down to stop unless I let my foot off. Why can I not get enough power to drive?
AnswerHi Kevin,
Your symptom only narrows the possible problem down to about a thousand possibles so you need to run some tests on the engine.
If your car came to me in a dealership I would have to run these tests.
First run a compression test on the engine. It should be 125 PSI on each cylinder up to 170 PSI with little difference between cylinders. (be sure to hold the throttle open when testing)
(A compression gauge is not expensive and available at any auto parts store)
Then you must check ignition timing and set to specs.
Warm up the engine and lift the small spring loaded pin under the edge of the top pot on the front carb and note the engine change. If it dies you either have the balance between the carbs wrong or the rear carb is too lean. The engine should slow down and start running like an old John Deere tractor. Then lift the pin on the rear carb and the same applies for the front carb. Keep in mind that when you are lifting a pin you are checking the opposite carb.
Also check the oil in the top of each carb. If it is cold there you can use transmission fluid and if it is warm use engine oil. When you unscrew the top cap lift it up about an inch and push it back down, if you feel hydraulic resistance there is enough oil in it. If it drops down then add oil to about 1/4 inch from the top inner lip.
After you have done all that and it still does not run right, put a vacuum gauge (not expensive either) on the intake manifold and run the RPM up and hold it and watch to see if the gauge reading starts to drop and let me know.
Howard
