Stalling on low rpm

[petersam]

Hi

I bought the car to save money and do some repairs myself but am a complete novice.

It stalled on the way home coming up to a turning with low rpm. Starting it it stalled again no matter how much
gas I gave it and the battery light came on. I think this means the alternator or battery because I managed
to get home keeping the revs above 2000 otherwise it would stall 5 times in a row and every junction.

Also the tachometer was swinging thousands of rpm really fast without any cause I could see,

I've ordered a multimeter and am going to check the battery and then battery when it's running to see if it's
charging. The headlights on full cause the rpm to dip right down so is this the right route to take? i really
need the car to work and it is running ok in the driveway now , the battery light isn't coming on but I don't
want to risk going out and paying for a tow.

[Highlander]

I know of at least two issues that cause sudden low RPM stalling- One is a bad carburetor float (they sometimes decide its better to sink than float) flooding the carb, the other is an unplugged fuel cutoff solenoid.
You can check the float level if you remove the air cleaner- the window is at the front of the carb and the level should be between the two little tabs on the window retainer (See FSM pg FU-3). If you can't see the level, it's either above or below the window (use a flashlight to be sure).
The plug for the solenoids is the large green one that hangs bundled with the vacuum hoses from the carb between the carb and the fender well.
When was the last time that you had the distributor cap and rotor replaced?
Just my 2 pence.

[dlb]

hi pete, welcome. i don't think it's your battery because if a battery is dead the car will still run fine, but will not start again after it's turned off. this is because the car uses the battery's juice to start up, but runs mainly off the alternator once running.

i don't know if it the problem would be your alternator, in my experience a dead alternator presents itself as dimming of lights, battery or brake or emergency lights coming, and eventually stalling. sometimes, as i learned recently, the alternator might present the same way as a dead batter but will draw, or suck energy out of the battery even when the car is not running. you could tell if it was doing this by putting a charged battery in the car, leaving it overnight, and then checking if the car starts in the morning. if the charged battery is dead by morning, it could be the alternator.

if your car tended to stall out or lose power on corners, i think that would point to float levels. that has been my experience with them anyway, but i'm not sure how to adjust the float level.

good luck!

[Highlander]

if your car tended to stall out or lose power on corners, i think that would point to float levels

A low float level will do this, a high float level, such as a sinking float will just run VERY rich, so much so that it's very hard to start and takes a while to get it rev'd up once you do start it, as soon as you let off the throttle, it gags and dies (ask me how I know) . At that low of an RPM, the alternator doesn't produce much juice, so if you turn the lights on when it's barely running, it will dim things.
to adjust the float level, you have to take the top off of the carb-same as changing out the float or the needle and seat. I can do this in about 10 minutes (I've had some practice, you see), but it might take a first timer ~30 min or so.
That's why I suggested checking the float level through the sight glass.
Keep us updated Petersam.

[petersam]

Sorry for the long delay, I risked it and it died in a big junction then had to be pushed by people to the edge of the road, then sat there for a while.

Will check the float tomorrow, it's not the alternator or the battery as pointed out , checked both with a multimeter and charging and voltage ok so
will follow the advice.

I did learn what an alternator is and how to check a battery. Alternator provides charge to the battery so don't measure from the battery itself but the supplying wires so you get 14v or so, Check the battery from the terminals themselves not the clamps and you get 12v or so.

[takza]

If your vac tubing is routed wrong...you might get that kind of symptom.

This kind of problem is the best kind for a novice to tackle...it's not the best kind for anyone to tackle. Might be real simple...IF you can find the problem.