Volvo RWD 1800 Forum

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p 1800 idle issue 1800 1968

i have a 68 p1800 that is great - but needs tuning in spots. it is a 4 speed with OD and has the dual SU carbs on it.

my newest issue is this - when i shift gears, especially 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd, the idle shoots up. I've learned to drive the car with this issue - all i do is very lightly tap the gas pedal while the clutch is in and the idle calms down. It takes a little longer to shift from gear to gear, but lets face it: i'm in no hurry driving an 1800...
when at rest the car idles fine, very seldomly acting up. I've noticed that if i drive it hard and get the rpm's up to about 5.5 - 6 thousand before shifting the idle speed will drop normally.
now, i bought this car with a weber conversion on it, but that was bunk so i had my mechanic fit it with the dual SU's. He has also done other work - adjusted the valves, replaced the overdrive seal that was leaking trans fluid, replaced the points...

any ideas to what this quirky issue could be??? i plan on working on the car myself now ( if the task does not seem too daunting), so any advice would be great!!








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    p 1800 idle issue 1800 1968

    Sounds like your throttle return springs are not both working or that your linkage
    is getting stuck on something.
    Have you looked the throttle linkage over closely?
    You can probably see what the problem is.
    If it is NOT external to the carbs, it may be that one of your throttle butterflies
    has come loose in the shaft. You'll have to take the carbs off to verify/fix that.
    --
    George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!








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      p 1800 idle issue 1800 1968

      Another issue that's a little more serious that n case that is worn throttle shafts. When thy get sloppy enough, the throttle plate can sag down (or whichever way the sping pulls it) and hit the side of the cab throat, leaving it propped open a little. This gradually gets worse as the wear gets wose, and eventually the throttle plate even starts carving a notch in the carb body that makes it harder to un-hang.

      You can check for throttle shaft wear easily, just wiggle them by hand and see how much slop there is.
      --
      '63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 (now w/16V turbo)








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        p 1800 idle issue 1800 1968

        Hello,

        Do you have the 1968 SU carbs which have decel valves built into the throttle plates?

        The springs on the decel valves are sometimes faulty.

        The remedy is to use solder to permanently close the decel valves.


        --
        Eric
        Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
        Torrance, CA 90502







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