QUIT STALLING!
QMy Volvo 164 frequently stalls when put into drive. After putting the gear shift into neutral, it takes about a minute to regain the fast idle needed to pull away. What’s wrong? Mervyn Dickinson, via email
AWe were tempted to suggest a failure of the stator clutch in the torque converter, which would tend to overload an engine running at low speed in gear. But the fact that the engine takes so long to work up to its fast idle in neutral (when the stator would have no effect) leads us to suspect an air leak, incorrect main jet setting or some other minor engine fault instead.
Are both the Stromberg carburettors pulling their weight? It could be that one is doing almost nothing at idle, leaving the other to gradually wind the engine up to speed. Perhaps a diaphragm has ruptured? Inspect, tune and balance the carburettors. Check all vacuum hoses including the servo hose, and don’t overlook something silly like a points gap that’s almost closed up, tight valve clearances or wrong ignition timing.