| Subject: | Backfires |
| Question: |
Dear Anthony, My wife owns a mitsubishi mirage 1.3 carborater engine.I was a little
concern when i switch the engine off after a drive at the highway the
engine goes on for a second or two then die's off. Kind Regards Justin |
| Answer: | Justin, It sounds like you have a couple problems. First, your dieseling problems needs to be fixed. Dieseling is the term used for when your engine continues to run even though you turned your engine off. The most common cause of that is the failure of the anti dieseling mechanism, sometimes an "anti dieseling solenoid", found on most late model carbureted cars. What is happening is that the throttle is remaining partially open when the engine is shut down, which gives the hot engine sufficient fuel to run without a spark from the spark plugs. Most hot engines have sufficient carbon build-up that remains glowing red hot and acts as an igniter for the fuel. The solution is to make sure that the throttle closes completely when you turn off the ignition switch. Check the throttle stop and make sure that the fast idle on the choke or the "bottom stop" isn't what is stopping the throttle from closing. It must be the anti-dieseling mechanism and that mechanism must be functional. Your next problem is your ignition problem. Your distributor cap, rotor
and points may need to be replaced. If the distributor is already set
to the most advanced point, but still runs rough, your timing may be off
all together. Have your timing belt checked and replaced if it's worn. |