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Drivability Problems 200 1979

My dirt cheap '79 244 was driven without a fuel filter by the people who eventually abandoned it. I'm not sure how long they drove the car without the filter. Where the filter was, was just rubber fuel line hose connected to the metal pipes on each end by hose clamps. Also, where the fuel line comes out of the fuel pump, about 6 inches of metal fuel piping is cut out and replaced by rubber fuel hose. I'm wondering if this is contributing to it's current drivability problem:

When driving the car, it strains to go faster. Stepping harder into the accelerator, I start feeling quick acceleration bursts and then lack of power, then an acceleration burst, then lack of power, and it keeps doing that. By the time I'm in 3rd gear, it's just straining to get past 25 or 30 MPH. It seems as if under moderate engine speeds, it doesn't seem to be getting enough fuel. I replaced the fuel filter (I threw on one I found at the Wrecking Yard temporarily), so I have a brand new Bosch filter. I checked the timing, that is correct. It seems to me the problem lies in the fuel injectors, or the fuel distributor or the fuel pump. Please help me find out what is making it run like this. It seems to run pretty well, but with a possible lack of fuel.

Thank you

from Nick








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    Drivability Problems 200 1979

    Does this car have a catalytic converter? If so, check that it isn't plugged.

    Also, if you didn't have a fuel filter on it for an unknown length of time, I'd check/replace the injectors. Might be worth it just to replace them. Who knows how badly the spray pattern is disrupted by gunk in the nozzles.

    I ran into the injector problem on a '76 280z. Going nutz trying to figure out why two cylinders were intermittently missing. Turns out the injectors had turned into dribblers.

    Don








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    Drivability Problems 200 1979

    Hi Nick ...

    Have you thought about the exhaust system on your car ? I had a lot of similar problems on my 122 .... the final fix was a new exhaust system and new air filters ..... Apparently the muffler was nearly completely blocked ... it finally blew the front end out of it and all of a sudden the engine came to life ... the air cleaners looked after the rest of the problems after having gone through just about every other system of the engine. I had the local MIDAS shop fabricate a complete 2" system with a low restriction muffler... cost me about Cdn$250. and worth every cent of it !!! The car RAN OK but just seemed to have no get up and go ... strained to reach 4500 rpm ..... now it revs freely well over 6000 ..... check yours out .....

    Brett
    --
    Brett Sutherland & the 1.5 million mile 122 Canadian








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      Drivability Problems 200 1979

      Thank you very much for our help. I started seeing a trend in the replies I got back. All of them had something to do with the exhaust system and/or fuel injectors, so that's where I'm going to start.

      thanks from nick








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    Drivability Problems 200 1979

    A tricky one. I think there is a gauze fuel filter or strainer at the tank that can become clogged. Check this. It's ok to discard it if you fit a good in line filter. Follow that up with some super stregth fuel system cleaner and, if it is related to a mucky fuel system, then hopefully this'll cure it.

    Good luck,

    big Rich.
    --
    '86 245, B230A. 161k. Old 200s never die, they just live on in other cars.







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