alternator, battery or fuel filter?

Test the alternator with a multimeter to see if it is charging- you should see 13v or more (up to about 14v typically) accross the battery terminals with the engine running.

dead kennedy gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Why not? Shouldn't make any difference whatsoever.

That's nothing to do with fuel.

OK, so it's not the alternator, since it seems to be charging OK. If the battery didn't hold a charge over a weekend, either you left something switched on and drained it or the battery's knackered.

When you say "almost", if there was ANY hint of anything out of the ordinary on the pedal, then there's got to be something physically caught in the linkage.

Only that an alternator can't put much charge out when the engine's only running very slowly.

Have you got a multimeter? If so, it's easy to check if the alternator's putting out enough to charge. Start the car, and check the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine at a fast idle or being held just above that. You should be seeing 13.5v or more - no more than 14.5-15v, though. If not, get one... Digital, preferably. Doesn't need to be anything fancy - ten-fifteen quid will get you something PERFECTLY adequate. Doesn't need to be a specifically car one. Volts is volts is volts.

If the filter is blocked, filling it up won't make any difference.

G-reg base-spec Escort - I'd assume it's carb'd rather than injected? If so, there may well not be a fuel filter fitted, since carbs are less picky about crap in the fuel. "Less picky" doesn't mean "don't care", though - if there's anything more than little bits of junk floating about, it can and will block the needle valve or a jet. It does sound as if an idle jet is blocked.

Sounds like you may have a combination of at least two of those...

brilliant, thanks for that.

if "block the needle valve or a jet. It does sound as

ok...ive just been told by some one in work that he had a similar prob with a D reg vw and it was an "idling fuse" had burned out?!?

dead kennedy gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

You'd need to take the carb apart and clean it all out.

Of course, if I'm wrong with...

...then all bets are off. If it's injected, there'll certainly be a filter canister somewhere in the fuel lines, which should be replaced periodically as a part of the service schedule.

There may well be a filter on a carb car, too - if so, change that as a matter of course. If there isn't, it's worth adding an inline filter. Shouldn't be more than a couple of quid from a car spares shop, just slice the fuel line and push-fit it. A couple of small jubilee clips are a good idea.

thanks, i have asked to borrow one over the weekend.

dead kennedy gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

He's an idiot. HTH.

I hope you got a 'fir' deal on it at least.

about 5 weeks ago from an 80 year old

Other than find a competent mechanic? Give it a full service, change the fuel filter, check all hoses for air leaks, do a compression test, check the alternator output with a voltmeter and put a new battery on it. If it's been sat for ages there might be rust in the fuel tank which is blocking the fuel filter. You might need to change the filter several times until all this is out of the system. I assume it's a CVH which generally soldier on for ages other than for cam wear but that's a cheap and easy fix for an experienced mechanic. I can swap one out in an hour if push comes to shove.

LOL, nice bloke tho'

please bear with me on this next bit as ive said im not mechanical!

as the problem started yesterday pm i happened to be around the corner from one of our works depots so i popped in to see if they could help. they are all diesel mechanics so said they would have a look but no promises.

the one "odd" thing that was pointed out was (and again please bear with my grasping attempt) the inlet from the fuel just above the carberettor to the air filter seemed very wet and when the hose was uncoupled and the engine rev'd the smoke/mist was quite smokey?

Indeed. It's much more likely to be a fault with the counter-rotating flange hub in the auxiliary air grommet. The idle fuses on G reg Escorts rarely give problems.

my step father used to work on my cars but we had a falling out a couple of years ago.

he learned from working on his own cars and haynes manuals and im hoping to do the same.

Give it a full service, change the

do a compression test??????

check the

will do over the weekend

If it's been

im assuming manual will show me?

I assume it's a CVH which generally soldier on for ages

the mechanic at the depot said "my god, its an old anglia engine, aint seen one of those in years"...CVH?

dead kennedy gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Where was this "smoke/mist" coming from, and what does it look like? If it's sort of bluey oily-smelling smoke, and coming from the air filter or the breather hose from the engine to the air filter, then your engine's quite likely to be badly worn.

ok, i had a spare air filter and decided to change it as we had the bonnet up.

the old air filter was quite clean tho'.

picturing the "box where the air filter goes" as viewed from the front. in the centre was the carb, just in front of this was a trumpet shaped valve and coming into the "box where the airfilter goes" is a shelf (?) with an inlet, the hose to which comes up from a grey bulb to the right of the engine.

any help?

If he thinks they had CVHs in Anglias you really need a new mechanic. Although it's probably an HCS, which still inherits some features from the original Ford Kent

ISTR that it will be a HCS if it's a 1.3 Popular.

FWIW, I had a 1.6 CVH Orion that did much the same as the OPs car, there was some diagphram thing leaking in the carb which led to it cutting out on the overrun or when idling in traffic.

Mike P

"overrun"????

Yes, when you lift off the throttle to slow down , it's known as overrun.. So say I was driving along at 45, lift off the gas and start to brake, the engine would cut out.

Mike P

bang on...it first happened as i went into 2nd from 4th pulling into a roundabout, oil and battery light came on which was the first i new the engine had cut out as there was no spluttering,coughing or reving...it was really disconcerting, particularly as i have to jump off the brake peddle to rev it before stopping and try to slow on the hand brake...im not looking forward to the A406 tonight.

was it an easy/cheap fix?

Yup, short term fix is a few quid to ford for a new diaphragm, long term fix is throw the vv away & buy a weber.