[T3] Endless Problems...

[Bobsnotch at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/4/2010 5:51:24 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
j_jonik at yahoo.com writes:

It SEEMS  to not like being accelerated.   Again...it idles just fine, very 
 regular. Is THAT a clue to some suspect part(s) or adjustments?

I Will  change solenoid with one in my collection.   Is there any way a 
sticky or  otherwise bad solenoid can cause a car to stall...or do that 
fluttering thing?  I thought solenoid was about starting only.   Yes?  No?  Do you 
even need one if you can pop start the car by rolling all the  time?

IF the recently replaced No. 3 injector isn't as good as it  seemed as per 
spray test (uninstalling, turning engine by hand, checking  spray), could 
THAT, just one bad injector, cause the fluttering symptom and  stalling?   
Wouldn't I just be running on three cylinders?

Did  Volt Regulator test, across battery, last week. (Engine running, 
warmed  up.)  Looking for 14.0 or 14.5 or so volts.   The three VRs I  tried 
uniformly all got just 10.30 v reading or so, once up to 11.00  volts.  
I THINK I set the VOM right....in the "V" range,  the one with symbol of 
three lines with a longer one on top  (NOT the one  with the ~ symbol.  (That 
setting did nothing anyway.)  I set VOM in  the 20 v range, as the other 
higher and lower settings got readings that  looked nothing like 14.00 or even 
10.30 v.)
So, I have about six or  so VRs left to check.   Battery is only about a 
month old.  Is  this  on the right track to MAYBE solving the performance 
problems?   IF ALL My spare voltage regulators get that uniform lower reading 
would be  weird and unlikely, no?

OR...can some other component cause that  low reading?

Again...main symptom is that fluttering, as IF gas  isn't nicely flowing, 
which then suddenly clears up with nice rev of power and  acceleration again. 
 Fuel pump?  Either of the relays? (Filter is  relatively new.)  One or 
both of temp sensors?   Pressure  sensor?  




Have you checked the fuel pressure while driving down the road? I'm only  
asking, because part of your problem sounds like fuel pressure, and the other 
 part sounds like low voltage.
Check all of your voltage regulators, and make a pile out of ALL of  those 
that read below 13.9 volts, and a second pile of those that read above  13.9 
volts. Then use only those above 13.9 volts for your testing. Check the  
voltage at the battery terminals at medium RPMS. Those below 13.9 are only  
good for carbed engines for another couple of years before they die. Jim and I 
 had this very discussion at the 2010 Type 3 Invasion, and I had to learn  
the hard way for myself  when my 7 year old used VR died in the garage  
after a 900+ mile trip that day. It quit with no warning, other than the dash  
light being on after I shut the car off.
 
The next thing you want to do, is run a hose from the fuel pressure tap on  
the 3-4 side of the engine to a fuel pressure gauge (inside the car so you 
can  see it while driving), and watch the pressure from start until it dies. 
A simple  gauge can be made for less than 20 bucks using a water pressure 
gauge from  Lowe's or Home Depot. Get one with a max of 60 PSI, as that puts 
the reading you  want in the center, where it's the most accurate. you might 
need a couple of  fittings to adapt it to the hose, so get them while 
you're there for some  5/16ths hose. Pressure SHOULD stay rock solid at 28 to 32 
PSI. It should  NOT change at all. Anything below 28 PSI is too low (and 
will run rich),  and anything above 32 PSI is too high (will run lean, or 
possibly rich depending  on the tune up of the engine). If the pressure drops at 
any time more than 2 psi  (while running), then you have an issue. Make a 
note of anything that was going  on (that you did, like take off from a stop 
sign or something) at the time the  pressure dropped. This can be a sign that 
the pump is getting weak, or an  injector is bleeding off, or something 
else is going on that's fuel pressure  related.
 
 In my case, it turned out that low voltage was causing my problem.  Jim 
suggested I install a volt meter to read battery voltage, and record the  
reading from start to finish on my 8 mile loop. It turned out that after 4 miles 
 my "old used" voltage regulator couldn't supply the required voltage for 
the  system to run properly (it would drop off to below 13.6 volts and the 
car would  stumble and generally run like crap). A new VR fixed it, as now the 
voltage  doesn't drop below 14.1 volts which IS a system requirement. I 
however ran the  fuel pressure test prior (like I described above) just to rule 
out a  possible fuel supply problem, and found none. But BOTH tests were 
needed.
I hope this helps.  

Bob 65 Notch  S with sunroof and IRS (Krusty)
71 Notch (Krunchy)
64 T-34 Ghia  (Wolfie)
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