weird rev problems -car keeps dying
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Wainwright Alberta
weird rev problems -car keeps dying
okay for the past little while I've been having some weird problems with my car. It first starting happening while i was driving home.....the car started to bog kinda....when i put my foot on the accelerator it tries to go but then it bogs down and the revs drop really low (almost to the point of the car dying)...while in drive, as soon as I slow down like i'm about to stop the car will die. when the car is in park, the revs bounce around from 550-800 and eventually it'll drop too low and the car dies.(stalls/whatever). The problem seems to be off and on, but i have no idea what's causing it. the second time it happened, i immediately made my way to the garage/mechanic...i got there, turned the car off, he turned it on, we went for a drive and it was perfectly fine. (just my luck)...and the car's been fine ever since (2-3weeks) until today when i was driving home. i have no idea what triggers it. at first we thought that it was the vacuum advance, because when you unplug that hose, the car does the same thing pretty much...but now i'm not so sure because the hose is on there snug and it's still doing it.
-any ideas?
-any ideas?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Wainwright Alberta
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (SicChild)
I was talking to my parents, and they think it's been happening when it's damp out. It's damp out today also (poured last night)...could that have anything to do with it? a vacuum leak maybe?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 2
From: Beaverton, OR
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (SicChild)
Hah, looks like our posts crossed. Hmm, just when it's damp out? I'd say you should check your distributor cap/rotor and plug wires. If they get moist this kind of thing can easily happen. You can check the wires best when it is dark and look for a visible arcing. That's my best guess...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 0
From: Ajax Ontario
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (dath)
I agree with dath....check everything electrical, could be bad wires, cap, rotor, anything like that. I had a car (old Datsun) that used to do this. Replaced everything from the plugs back to inside the distributor, finally curing the problem.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Wainwright Alberta
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (68shark)
ok thanks guys. I'm no mechanic exactly so I have problems ;). I just removed the distributer cap, looked at the contact on the top of the rotor, and it looked like there was moisture on top...so i took a glove, wiped it off, put the cap back on, and the car fired up fine. so this means i need a new distributer cap? :-\..i'll go get one and have it replaced within an hour.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 0
From: Ajax Ontario
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (SicChild)
I used to have a '78 Chevy van (when brand new!) that about every 6 months, would simply refuse to start. It was carbon in the dist. cap and I found out this was not uncommon. No doubt your Vette has the same distributor. I used to keep a rag/screwdriver in the console. If it wouldn't start, I'd have to undo the cap (a pain, given a full size van and GM engine, so you know where the cap is!), wipe it clean and then it would fire up fine, every time....for another few months. I'd get a new cap, but keep a rag handy...and maybe even the spare cap in the back...just in case!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Wainwright Alberta
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (68shark)
the weird thing is though, i'd be driving it for a while before this would happen...doesn't that just provide the spark to start it, not keep it running? it would start, not easily, but ti would, but i couldn't keep it running..
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 0
From: Ajax Ontario
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (SicChild)
You could have something like a crack (almost invisible to the naked eye) at work here. While your replacing the cap, get a new rotor also, preferably both being Delco parts, not cheaper aftermarket and see if your problem disappears. Sounds like you found the culprit though! :cheers:
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 2
From: Beaverton, OR
Re: weird rev problems -car keeps dying (SicChild)
The hard start symptom also suggests what you found with the moisture. If you get moisture in the cap, it is possible to keep the car running, but it usually doesn't idle well or at all due to the missing at low RPM being a much larger issue, and probably the output from the coil may not be as hot either, but I'm not sure about that. Strange it would be getting moisture in it, you driving through giant mud puddles? I had a Ford Tempo that would die if ever driven through a large puddle because of a leaky dist... New cap didn't solve it either, but that's probably more typical of a Ford. :troll
