[TR] Fuel starvation in my TR4

dmericas at austin.rr.com dmericas at austin.rr.com
Thu Sep 16 20:27:16 MDT 2010


I've got what appears to be the symptoms of intermittent fuel starvation in my TR4, but I can't figure out the cause.  I'm hoping the list can come up with some suggestions.

Symptoms:
- Car runs well and with full power for a while after start-up.
- Loss of power and what feels like a miss under load after it's been driven a while.  Going up a long hill seems to trigger the stumbling.  If I let up on the throttle, it smooths out.  Sometimes it drives well again for a while.
- Problem seems to be worse when it's really hot out (I live in Austin)
- Engine idles smoothly even when it's not running well under load.

I replaced the fuel pump and filter.  There is nothing in the fuel pump bowl to suggest debris in the system, and the new filter appears to be remaining clean. I have a Joe Curry heat shield on the carbs.

The car has never exhibited anything like this in the 20 years I've owned it, so I'm trying to imagine what new factor has entered the picture.  I'm suspecting a couple of possibilities:

- Vapor lock because of a summer blend gas.  I don't know what the local alcohol content is, but I'm thinking that it may have a much lower boiling point than what I'm used to running.

- Flakes of rust or other debris caught in the outlet pipe from the fuel tank that's restricting flow.

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

Dean Mericas
Austin, TX
1965 TR4 / 1974 GTV 2000 / 1976 Giulia Nuova Super


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