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running problems

1462 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Ramjet
I HAVE AN 87 RAMCHARGER WITH A 318 MOTOR.THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS THAT ON A COLD START IT STARTS AND STALLS.IT DOES THIS 2 OR 3 TIMES AND THEN IT WILL STAY RUNNING.ONCE IT IS WARMED UP IT WILL IDLE GREAT BUT FOR NO REASON THE IDLE WILL DROP DOWN TO ALMOST NOTHING AND IT WILL SKIP LIKE CRAZY.I HAVE REPLACED THE PLUGS,WIRES,DIST. CAP,ROTOR, AND FUEL FILTER.I HAVE COVERED THE CARB WITH MY HAND AND THE IDLE WILL PICK UP TO WHERE IT BELONGS.REMOVE MY HAND AND IT DROPS AND STARTS SKIPPING.I HAVE SPRAYED THE EGR VALVE AND THE IDLE GOES UP AND DROPS DOWN.CHOKE IS WORKING OK.IT'S NOT LOADING UP ON GAS.NO FUMES.I'M AT A LOSS.
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First, please turn off your caps lock...makes your post hard to read, and is the internet equivalent of yelling at someone ;)

Second---"Covered carb with hand and the idle picks up"---this is your problem. The engine should die when you cover the carb with your hand; you have a major vacuum leak somewhere. Some places to look include carb to intake gasket, manifold to block, and power brake booster.

-SM
sorry about that (caps lock)sprayed around carb and both intake and exhaust manifolds.the only place i spray and the idle changes is where the shaft of the egr valve goes down.i took it off and it appears to be ok.but looks can be decieving.could this be my problem?
EGR could be the problem, however I am unfamiliar with the V8 EGR setup, so I will let someone more V8 savvy chime in here.

Good Luck :)

-SM
Could be the EGR diaphragm thats leaking. Your spraying around the shaft, but it's being sucked in the diaphragm (the vacuum dia. top of the valve) check the hose also, check the manifold around the egr valve.

Edit: also just pull the vac. line from the top of the valve - plug it (the line) and see if this helps your problem.
wow 2 threads same problem that I have with my 85 RC never put my hand over the carb tho. Just starts and stalls when cold after I keep my foot on the gas just enough to keep it running. any ideas what could be wrong with my 85 RC?
I find that using a small bottle of propane is a better way to find the air leaks do to the fact that the propane sinks and if you use a metal tip at the end of the propane bottle you can control exactly were the propane is hitting. but sounds like the egr is blown.
You can also ruin the diaphragm by spraying it with solvents. If you think that one is sticking, take it off and work a little MolyD grease onto the shaft.
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