Loss of Acceleration and Car died

[BowieTercel]

Ever feel like you're finally getting somewhere with having your Tercel be near perfect - and then something happens?
Yeah, that's how today is going for me.

It's a pretty hot day here in CO - around 100 degrees. My wife and I jumped into the Tercel to head home from my work and as I am driving, all of a sudden the acceleration just drops (even though I am pressing on the pedal) and no matter how I press on the gas pedal, it will not accelerate. So I pull over and the battery light comes on and the car dies. I try starting it again and it revved a couple times and then died again.

To pass emissions, I recently had a mechanic install a bunch of vacuum lines, TVSV, and he rebuilt the carburetor. Do you think it has anything to do with this? Or do you think it may be a fuel pump or filter issue?

I was planning on taking the Tercel in to get it painted this Friday. Hoping I can figure it out so I can still get it up and running to be painted!

[Jonymoto]

Did you try disconnecting the fuel hose from the pump to the carbie and get your wife to turn the engine over to see if any fuel comes out? Also replace the fuel filter or bypass it temporarily to check that it isn't clogged.

[marlinh]

If it cranks and starts for a bit, you have spark. It is probably a fuel issue.

[Petros]

first look to see if any large vac lines came off, the one on the underside of the air filter that goes down to the base of the car sometimes falls off and allows it to die.

check for spark, and verify fuel supply, as pointed out above.

it could be something the mechanic did, but if it was running good since you got it back from him likely it is just bad luck and something else gave up or became disconnected unrelated to what he did. If it never quite ran right since he worked on it, he should have a look at it. to confirm everything he did is working properly and all the vac lines are installed correctly.

[BowieTercel]

Towed the car home this morning (still wouldn't start) and then went to Napa to get a fuel filter and starter spray and ended up talking to an older gentleman who guessed that I had vapor lock. Sure enough, went home and tried it again and it started. Looks like I need to throw some insulation tape around my fuel lines. Thanks for the suggestion, guys. Any other recommendations to help prevent vapor lock in the future?

[Petros]

it is the crappy ethanol blend, it does not run well with older low pressure fuel systems in hot climates. If you can find ethanol free gasoline, use it. It is hard to find. You might find a supplier near you from this list here: http://pure-gas.org/

Usually when you are moving there is enough air circulating under the hood it is not a problem. there is also fresh cool fuel coming from the gas tank. when you stop, the carb, fuel lines and fuel pump sit there and cook right over the exhaust manifold, boiling off the ethanol causing vapor lock. so short stops are the problem, long stops usually allow it cool off enough to allow easy restart.

when I am traveling in hot climates (deserts, SW USA, etc) and I make a short gas stop or restroom stop, I try to open the hood to allow the heat out. It might help to open the hood during a fuel stop to allow the hot air to escape from under the hood. Also, dumping or spraying the intake manifold, fuel pump and fuel lines with water usually works too. or take longer stops to allow it cool more, that is a nuisance when traveling however. when I was in high school a friend tried to reroute the windshield sprayer to squirt water on the fuel system so he can do it from the driver's seat.

I have tried adding more heat shields, insulation, foil tape, etc. on the Tercel. It does not seem to help since when you stop there is no where for the heat to go so it just cooks the static fuel in the system over the exhaust manifold.

convert to fuel injection should do the trick.

[ARCHINSTL]

My '88 Dodge/Mitsu Ram 50 2.6 started suffering from this problem just 4 years ago during the Summer - oddly, it did not do it from when I bought it new in '88 - and we still had ethanol as well as a "special blend" for the St. Louis Metro area.
We have a "Summer blend" and a "Winter blend" here, and I try not to use Winter during the summer, going as far as getting 5 gallons at a time in the Spring.
I travel with a gallon of water in the front and use my old Ford flattie V8 remedy of aluminum foil and wooden clothespins on the fuel lines in the engine bay. Of course, it does not help that the ^&%@! fuel pump is in the middle of the head and completely covered by the air cleaner.
I try to only drive it at night during the Summer - and while it was 101º in St. Louis today, most of the time we ain't Phoenix.
I've even thought about changing out to an electric fuel pump - but just do not want to spend the bucks.
It is sure an inconvenience, now knowing if you are gonna block traffic during the daytime...
The really odd thing is that I never had vapor lock for the first 24 years of ownership.
Tom M.