Weber choke issues help

[TominMO]

Yeah, sounds like it's not keeping up anymore.

[Movin]

You need to check all that with some RPM behind it.
I think if the alternator were tested both on the car
and on a test bench it would pass everything. You
might have set the idle to factory spec and it is too
low with a load on the engine. The factory didn't
put idle speed control on the engine for sheets and giggles

[drddan]

My rpm was set at 1100 rpm's, hits it now and then, but the alt is bringing it down IMO. Volts should not drop to 12v volts under load, should stay at 14v if alt is working properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq24oPUVmdA

[Movin]

1100 should be plenty for 20 amps or so take it to auto zone or who ever
and get it checked, I still think a new alt will have similar results.

If you live out in the sticks like I do I suppose I could throw one of the testers
on, turn everything on and make you a graph..I have a fairly new alt. My
HHO units draw a steady 18 amps and when I was experimenting I had one
go up to 55 amps, the alt died within a few months, magin that !

[drddan]

This is an orig. alt, 250,000 miles old. It had never done this in the 3 yrs i've had it, Now in the last month it has started this, and you dont think its the alt?
What do you think it is then, that would be dragging my rpm's down 400-600 rpm's when it sees an elec. load? The more load it sees, the more it drops.
This besides the fact that it cant keep 14 volts going to the battery, which it should at all times, even at idle.

[zoe60]

Yeah, I agree, I hope a Festy alt doesn't cost much. Your voltage does drop a lot. My RPMs do drop from about 900 to about 500 with the headlights on so some of your problem is normal. Good luck.

[drddan]

Yes, it used to drop maybe 200 rpm's when I had lights, brake, stereo, and whatever else running at the time, but now.....
There is a reman. alt on ebay for $60, my choice, Festy or an 88-89 Mazda 323 upgrade alt.
Was going to see if a JY had one but they wanted $30 for a used one. Screw that.

[Movin]

you have pretty good circumstantial evidence that it could be the Alt, but you have
not proved if the alt can produce rated amps or not. A bad cell in the battery
can suck 15 to 20 amps off the alt before there is any left to run the car. The battery
has not had its CCA tested yet either. Both of these tests are generally free at some
shops and parts stores. You will have to visit one it sounds like, why gamble when
you can test it? Looking at my luck in the stock market I can't afford to gamble !

[drddan]

Aha! Read again. I cranked engine and multimeter never fell below 10.5 volts, which indicates a GOOD battery. A bad cell would drop under 10V at crank start. That is CCA.

[Movin]

Not quite there yet..a festy can crank on a lawn mower battery, if your battery
is rated at 550 CCA or anything down to 300 CCA a fully charged but one dead
cell battery could produce 10.5 volts cranking..common, its free, test one or the
other!!!

[drddan]

Okay..yay, back to this problem again.
Had alt/batt tested, pulling down to 37 amps under test. Battery checked good. Got a rebuilt alt anyway, installed it, same problem. Rpm's dropping badly with lights and brake applied.
Did some checking with the fuses under the dash. Pulled 1 fuse at a time, pulled all fuses, with motor running and still had the rpm drop, except when brake or headlight fuses were out. The cigar lighter fuse pulled out didnt make a diff, neither did the radio fuse, the blower fuse, or any other fuses.
What the heck is going on here? Its about to drive me nuts!
Could it be in the headlight circuit, or the brake circuit? A ground?
If a ground, would it be in the light or brake circuits?

Help!

[georgeb]

You need to pull either the light or the brake fuse, not both, and see which one is causing the drop. No amp added?

[drddan]

Did that.
About 200 rpm drop with brake on and headlight fuse pulled.
About 300 rpm drop with headlights on and brake fuse pulled.
Together that is 500 rpm's and sometimes 600 rpm's.
Of course only one fuse at a time.
It is with both brake and lights that drop it to the point of dying.
Another thing also.
It is running very badly too. Like it is not getting a hot enough spark, at the spark plugs too.
It has a sputter-like sound at low rpm on accelation, which is better at a high rpm, but is still there. (Loss of full power)
Still starts good, and runs, but is just not right.

[georgeb]

You know that the Weber does not have the "idle up" feature that the feedback does. You might have to keep your idle high. I don't think that either the headlight or brakelight circuit is pulling higher than normal amperage because the fuses have not blown. Does the cooling fan or the a/c cause RPMs to drop?

[windy1]

choke

u,ought to switch to a manual choke,or replace the electric one. weber electric chokes,are not what i use. only manual. spray some carb cleaner,down the weber. clean your jets,too. webers love attention.