Club 80-90 Forums

Hi, please bear with me as I am new on here!
My van has driven faultlessly for 2500 miles since it got it, but coming back from Wales last week lost power on the motorway, then picked up again. It did this several time and when I came off the motorway it cut out. It started again straight away, but would not tick over and cut out. With 1/4 throttle it revs up and down without moving the throttle. I have changed the fuel filter, all the vacuum pipes, cleaned the idle jet, checked the accelerator pump diaphragm and cleaned what I can without dismantling the carb. It's a 1991 water cooled with a Pierburg 2E carb. I have Googled it to death and had lots of conflicting information that has left me baffled! Any advice/info would be appreciated.
Cheers
Chris
Ps my burps now taste of petrol!!

Have you checked the tiny filter in the inlet pipe to the carb?
sounds like poor fuel supply but typically it would idle and cut out when on the motor way which is not exactly what you are seeing.

So I wonder about over fueling, that can happen when the main gasket fails and it pulls in extra fuel from the float bowl, or even float needle valve failure, overfueling can be seen by smoke when you rev it?

You say 1/4 revs it hunts (google hunting engine) thats caused by the mixture changing so either a changing air intake due to an air leak or more likely a changing fuel intake, what happens above 1/4 throttle?

Have you driven it on the road since this happened? If so whats it like?

I'd be splitting splitting the carb and changing the main gasket next, only about a fiver of the bay.

Thanks for the advice itchyfeet, I feel a bit of a numpty after discovering a second small in line fuel filter that was behind a chassis rail and completely blocked, I replaced a larger one in the engine bay and didn't expect another one. Replaced this and bled fuel to get rid of air locks and it now runs spot on again. I'm sure the new vacuum pipes will help in future, because some of them were in poor condition and only a couple of quid to replace.

My advice, before googling things in future, just have a proper look yourself first. There is so much stuff on the net that I automatically jumped to the conclusion that it was the carb. After worrying about £400 for new carbs, it turned out to be £10 for two new fuel filters and some vac pipe!!!

Thanks again!

Great, now go and remove the filter in the engine bay, the chassis rail location is correct.
Hot engines and plastic filters are not best friends.

great advise ( as always ) from itchyfeet , especially about removing the filter in the engine bay !