1984 Reliant, stalling, high idle.

[embracechange912]

I have a 1984 Reliant with the 2.2 i recently bought, and it runs great, other than that it stalls at a lot of stops when i let off the gas, and after i drive it for a couple hours it will stall and refuse to start. Also, whenever i shut it off in park, the engine shakes and makes a rumble, but if i shut it off in drive it acts fine. It also runs a peculiarly high idle, and seems to run a little high most of the time. If anyone can help me with this, or explain this motor, that would be awesome because i LOVE the car and everything about it, but this problem sketches me out a little bit. Thank you.

[88 aries]

Your Choke might not be working or the idle speed is set to low, there is a screw for the idle speed, also for the shaking when shuting it off, that is dieseling, there is an anti diesel adjustment, basicly your carbureator needs to be set up. Good luck trying to find a mechanic that can do it.


oh and another thing if it refuses to start, dont be a retard and pump it like others do , stick that gas pedal clear to the floor and crank it, it should clear any gas that was in the carb. Pumping it will flood it even more. I think I will make a video of how to start a carbureated K-car

[Jacks1986Lebaron]

Have you checked the ignition system out?
Sometimes bad ignition components can cause this problem. Change the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotary button. Also, check the carburetor's acceleration pump for operation. With the engine off, remove the air cleaner and look down the carburetor barrel. Quickly move the throttle lever from closed to fully open (or have a helper quickly push the accelerator pedal to the floor a few times). If the acceleration pump is working, you should see a stream of gas spray into the carburetor barrel.
Lets also not forget to check the fuel filter for clogs, and or duirty fuel, rule of thumb is to replace the fuel filter at 30-40,000 mile intervals

[K-CAR_WAGON]

"whenever i shut it off in park, the engine shakes and makes a rumble" - This is dieseling - occuring with engine being shut off with no load. Not good for the engine. When you have it in drive there is a load on the engine which causes it to shut off without the dieseling. It may be caused by the ignition timing being off. But the most likely cause is low octane gasoline and/or carbon build up in the engine combustion chamber (not that unusual if you have 100,000 miles or more on your carburetor type K car). If the timing checks out ok, you can run a higher octane gas in your car which should eliminate the problem (if you can afford the gas). I currently run high test gas in my 83 2.2l carb Reliant to avoid dieseling.

Assuming your ignition items (plugs/spark/wires/cap, etc.) are ok, your other problem sounds like you carburetor is dirty and/or needs a rebuild and/or adjustments. Try to find a local old time carburetor rebuilder shop with a good reputation. My carb had to be rebuilt a couple of times during its life with similar symptoms. It could be just an adjustment but usually it more like dirt in the carb and/or bad accelerator pump. Accelerator pumps are particularly problematic. In addition, the new fuel blends seem to be very harsh on carbs.

[embracechange912]

well, its definitely the carburetor, im not sure if its just dirt clogging the system or bad seals. But when i was trying to drive it today, if i pushed the gas pedal it would just stall. I could lightly press it and move, but if i pushed it would stall. It hasn't done this before. It wouldn't drive and eventually the battery died and it left me on the side of the road. huh.

[88 aries]

welcome to the world of carbuarated K-cars and the problem is that no one knows how to work on them, not unless you got your self a shop manual like I got

[Jacks1986Lebaron]

Have you checked/replaced "any" of the suggested items WE all recommended???????????????????????

I would not have even get the back tire near the road surface with a car running like this unless of course I have a suicide pact!

A car running like this endangers you and possible others driving down the same road as you.

Be safe and check these items out before attempting to get it out on the road again.

I always recommend going the cheapest parts first...but sounds like your accelerator pump is not functioning properly, if at all.

Let us know what you find and replace.

Take care.

[embracechange912]

i did, the ignition all seemed fine to me, the car starts and runs perfect 80 percent of the time, but every once in a while it pulls this kind of stuff on me, which leads me to believe its something electrical, maybe a sensor. I can't really think of what it is, im baffled. My only thoughts are the accelerator pump, buildup or damage in the carb, or something electrical, like a faulty wire. I haven't had the time to look deep into it, which will be my next step though.

[Butch]

Have you checked for vacum leaks, check the carb base to see if it's tight. Than register here for help from professionals that KNOW these cars.....http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/cmps_index.php

[Jacks1986Lebaron]

i did, the ignition all seemed fine to me, the car starts and runs perfect 80 percent of the time, but every once in a while it pulls this kind of stuff on me, which leads me to believe its something electrical, maybe a sensor. I can't really think of what it is, im baffled. My only thoughts are the accelerator pump, buildup or damage in the carb, or something electrical, like a faulty wire. I haven't had the time to look deep into it, which will be my next step though.

From your initial post it sounded like your car acted like this all the time. But now I read it runs perfect 80% of time!

I was just trying to help.

Please let us know when ya find the culprit.