Engine cuts out at low revs etc.

[cedarleaf]

Driving through pretty French countryside to get a coffee at a pavement café I arrive at a roundabout and the engine cuts! It starts fine and I continue to café. Arrive at café and as I pull up engine cuts again. As I reverse into parking space various drinkers make furious signs that they are being choked by fumes.

Driving home I struggle to keep the engine running whenever I come anywhere close to stopping and whenever I lift of the throttle there is much popping and banging from the exhaust.

I'm afraid I have driven modern diesels for so long now I seem to have forgotten my basic petrol engine rules. Anyone got any views before I head for the repair shop?

[So Cal Mark]

is the choke open?

[cedarleaf]

Sorry to be so thick but how do you tell if an automatic choke has closed?

[rasouth]

I had a problem with the vaccuum hose on my braking system. Whenever I stepped on the brakes the vaccuum leak robbed the neccessary vaccuum from the carb and I stalled out. It would belch out smoke until all the unburned fuel in the pistons was evacuated. Car would idle and run fine until I stepped on brakes.
Don't know if this helps.

[Danno]

yeah, just take it to the shop. (Then, when they fix it, ask them to open the hood and point at and explain exactly what they did. next time, you'll be a little bit wiser and a little less scared to attack it on your own.) I'm sorry if I erroneously assume that you don't know how to work on your car, it's just the impression I got. no offense intended.

[cedarleaf]

Thanks Danno.
Did I take offense? only a little. Did I find your reply patronising? Deeply. Was it helpful? Not really.
I enjoy owning and using my Spider. I have a local garage who like classic cars and look after it for me.
If it has a mechanical problem I like to understand what it is before they fix it. Hence my post.

[robmorais]

My 82 FI automatic does the same thing. When I come to a stop light the revs go down and it will eventually stall. I can drive all day and its fine. I did check the brake booster and plugged the vacume advance.

Any good ideas???

Rob
Moraisr@usa.net