Is it possible?

Anything is possible, but bad gas is a lot more likely. Either off-spec or water in it. First, try a bottle of gas dryer in it then remember to stay away from that gas pump. It may take 2-3 tanks to really tell but you should see some inprovement if you fill up at a quality station at about half a tank. All gas ain't created equal - or should I say pumped?

Yes, very possible!

Mine kept plugging up every month or two until I finally figured the dirt was junk from the chunk of gas line that runs from the filter to the carb. This line has a dip in it and will hold junk, rust and varnish very well.

I cleaned the line last time I put a kit in mine and it has lasted over a year this time.

I also can/will get black chunks in my idle tubes now and then. That happens after running out of gas sometimes. The high vacuum or whatever happens when running out of gas can suck charcoal bits out of the canister into the top of the carb. These can make their way to the idle tubes.

Mike

You should add a bottle of dry gas to your tank. Actually they suggest a bottle for every 10 gallons. Did the 87 have a 16 gallon tank. So try 2 bottles.

A couple of other things to check. In my '89 YJ, the preheater hose comes loose often, or even cracks and lets in cold air or moisture. This makes my Jeep run very rich, and idle horrible. Check to see that the hose is in good shape and connected correctly.

Also there are a few air hoses under the air filter that often pop out of the air filter housing. When they pop out, it also causes a rough idle.

Even after I fix the hoses and put in a bottle and a half of dry gas, it takes a half a tank of high RPM driving to burn off the moisture.

Thanks Mike I think I will get a rebuild kit and pull the venturi out on my next days off, I might as well do it as it is bound to be a problem in the future. ( if not the problem now)

I did notice that if I choke off the air to the carb the idle picks up real nice.... I do have a good work>Jeepster wrote:

Funny you should mention that.... I work in the control room of a major Shell refinery here in the Edmonton area. I run the control panel for the second largest vacuum distillation unit in the world, prior to this job I worked in the control room at Syncrude running the

What's "dry gas" - I'll know it under a different name, I bet ?

Dave Milne, Scotland

I have the manual choke and when my tubes plug, a little choke will keep me driving ok.

There is another cause of rough idle, but it goes along with oil spitting into the air filter. No oil spits, not the trouble.

Mike

Jeepster wrote:

Is usually isopropyl alcohol. Methanol tends to be a bit too corrosive, ethanol would work, but isopropyl is easier to deal with and produce with extremely low water content.

There are a few other solvents that grab water almost as well as light alcohols, but tend to have varying effects on engine gaskets seals etc.

Or you could drop a lump of sodium in your tank. It is actually stored in kerosene, but will absorb any water in the area with impressive vigor. And then to get rid of the resulting sodium hydroxide, you add shredded aluminum which reacts with the NaOH to produce hydrogen gas and aluminum hydroxide. Give the hydrogen to your fuel celled buddies and use the aluminum hydroxide as underarm deodorant.

If you need any more chemistry tips, just ask. >:-)

If your into snowmobiling. Gas line antifreeze or dry gas is a very important gas additive. There are two kinds for sale at krappy tire. Isopropyl alcohol is one and the other, methanol I think it is. Iso is about 10 times more expensive than the other. But iso alcohol is the only antifreeze to use on sleds. I think it has to do with being "drier" than methanol Anyone who knows more about this please elaborate more

Not us> Roughly 1/26/04 23:38, Dave Milne's m>

Just a follow up guys.... After about 3 tanks of hitest and a lot of gasline anti-freeze all the problems cleared up. Every day the idle picked up and it now idles properly so I assume I just got a load of bad gas, I had the curb idle screw cranked up and the idle screws opened up and finally got them bad to normal yesterday.

Thanks for all the help.