News: Putting FUN and FRIENDLINESS, FIRST into owning and learning about AMC small bodied cars, primarily Eagles, Spirits and Concords as well as vehicles built in AMC's Mexican subsidiary, VAM.

The AMC Eaglepedia can now be accessed using the buttons found below  This is a comprehensive ever growing archive of information, tips, diagrams, manuals, etc. for the AMC Eagle and other small bodied AMC cars. 

Also a button is now available for our Face Book Group page.


Welcome to the AMC Eagles Nest.  A new site under "old" management -- so welcome to your new home for everything related to AMC Eagles, Spirits and Concords along with opportunities to interact with other AMC'ers.  This site will soon be evolving to look different than it has and we will be incorporating new features we hope you will find useful, entertaining and expand your AMC horizons.

You can now promote your topics at your favorite social media site by clicking on the appropriate icon (top upper right of the page) while viewing the topic you wish to promote.


  • March 28, 2024, 11:28:59 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: Engine shutting down while driving  (Read 32630 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline IowaEagle

  • AMC Eagle Archivist
  • Administrator
  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ******
  • Posts: 31968
  • Thumbs Up 476
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #30 on: July 03, 2014, 03:53:10 PM »
Most of the new solenoids are made in China or Mexico, so that is not surprising.
Click for Toledo, IA Forecast" border="0" height="100" width="150   


Not a Jeep.  Not a Car.  Its an AMC Eagle!

1982 Eagle SX/4 Sport;
1980 Concord DL;
1970 Ambassador 2 Dr HT, SST
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe;
2008 Jeep Patriot Sport - Freedom Drive II

Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2014, 09:21:22 AM »
Found something else that wasn't helping. The electric choke, which I didn't really pay attention to, has a fuse near the battery. Was poking around last night when I noticed it. Swapped it out so the choke now works.

It was allowing the butterfly to flop around, randomly closing the carb.

I might take the butterfly out and figure a way to make it a bit heavier on the larger side to ensure it doesn't want to flop closed.

Offline Mernsy

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
  • Thumbs Up 13
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #32 on: July 07, 2014, 09:58:30 AM »
Someone has wired that in themselves.

The power to the electric choke should come from the oil pressure sending unit.

Offline BenM

  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 1512
  • Thumbs Up 74
  • Pittsburgh, PA
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #33 on: July 07, 2014, 02:56:29 PM »
Before you mess with the choke, the choke butterfly should not be loose. The spring in the choke housing should be securely attached to the choke, and the vacuum pull-off should be adjusted to prevent the choke from closing when vacuum is applied. (The choke is prevented from closing when the engine is running.) The choke butterfly is not controlled by weight or gravity but by spring tension.

The choke and the electric manifold heater should be controlled by the oil switch and not fused that way. If the manifold heater is not working the choke and idle jets are often set too rich to compensate resulting in problems with stalling out during warmup when the engine runs too rich. It also thins out your oil and wears out your engine faster.
NSS#47184

1987 AMC Eagle Sedan -- 1976 Pacer Coupe -- 1968 Pontiac Tempest Custom S -- 1940 Mercury (& a 2002 Jetta Turbodiesel, 5 spd., the Wife's Daily Driver)

Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #34 on: July 08, 2014, 06:59:22 AM »
Any pictures of how it should be? Making me think that the choke spring might be on backwards.


Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #36 on: July 08, 2014, 10:43:20 AM »
So the arm from the butterfly connector sits in the "cup" of the choke spring correct?

Offline Mernsy

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
  • Thumbs Up 13
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #37 on: July 08, 2014, 11:26:28 AM »
Yes.

Offline BenM

  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 1512
  • Thumbs Up 74
  • Pittsburgh, PA
NSS#47184

1987 AMC Eagle Sedan -- 1976 Pacer Coupe -- 1968 Pontiac Tempest Custom S -- 1940 Mercury (& a 2002 Jetta Turbodiesel, 5 spd., the Wife's Daily Driver)

Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #39 on: July 10, 2014, 09:57:07 PM »
Any directions as to which wire the carb hooks into?

Offline Mernsy

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
  • Thumbs Up 13
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #40 on: July 11, 2014, 04:44:52 AM »
Should be a dark blue wire and a dark blue wire with a tracer in a female plug.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2014, 07:10:01 AM by Mernsy »

Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #41 on: July 11, 2014, 07:57:54 AM »
So the dark blue wire comes off the electrical connector that the oil pressure switch is connected to. I'll take a look at it. Seems like the old :censored: really did some great wiring jobs in the Eagle.

Offline Nightpath

  • Eagle Limited
  • *****
  • Posts: 685
  • Thumbs Up 17
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #42 on: July 12, 2014, 12:08:23 PM »
Does the electric choke have to be hooked up to the oil pressure switch?

I can't seem to find the wires you're talking about.

Offline Mernsy

  • Eagle DL
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
  • Thumbs Up 13
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #43 on: July 12, 2014, 02:44:12 PM »
Not really. It should be because the power goes to the manifold heater after the choke.
Try following the wires from the oil pressure sender.

Offline BenM

  • AMC Eagles Den Addicted
  • ********
  • Posts: 1512
  • Thumbs Up 74
  • Pittsburgh, PA
Re: Engine shutting down while driving
« Reply #44 on: July 14, 2014, 01:09:22 PM »
It's a drivability issue with the oil pressure switch. It prevents the electric choke from heating up until the engine has started. At the least you want an ignition circuit, one that is on only in the "run" position and never any other time. Otherwise you listen to your radio one day waiting for someone and your car won't start.

The manifold heater draws a lot of current, the oil pressure switch triggers a relay somewhere taped into the wiring harness one the firewall (that might help you find the wires). It's like a set of diesel glow plugs, and AMC didn't want it killing your battery if the alternator wasn't running to power it.

The part of the harness that controls the oil pressure switch, manifold heater, and choke heater is a sub-harness that plugs into the main harness somewhere on the passenger side.

Here's a diagram of the circuit.
NSS#47184

1987 AMC Eagle Sedan -- 1976 Pacer Coupe -- 1968 Pontiac Tempest Custom S -- 1940 Mercury (& a 2002 Jetta Turbodiesel, 5 spd., the Wife's Daily Driver)

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk