1987 Mazda 323 Dies and Runs Bad – Is This The Carburetor?

Reader Question Dear Austin

I hope you can help me out. Im a female I know a little about cars but not much. I know enough to know when someones pulling my leg abit.

I have a mazda 323 1987 model auto. A few weeks ago my car was having problems the motor was shaking and spluttering badly. I took it to several mechanics who wanted 560 or there abouts to clean up what they said was the carby.

I though hmm that seems a bit high. So I rang a carby specialist who did my carby a long time ago (I didnt think he was still in business) he checked out the car and said love there is nothing wrong with your carby its clean and i would only be charging you for something that doesnt even need fixing. He then said let me do a couple of things for you after he finished he said love take it to a mechanic I think your car is only running on two cylinders.

I took it to a guy he fixed up the car it was the cylinders pistons the car is now running fine. The problem is that when i put the car into drive or reverse the car stalls. I basically have to put my foot on the brake and the accelerator to say reverse or get going once the car is running after that if i get to an intersection its fine and does not stall. Sorry yes it does if i have the aircon on.

This last mechanic who fixed the cylinders he showed me all the spark plugs where black and the gasket wasnt good and there was a leak. When i took the car back to him and said to him the problem with it when i put it in drive or reverse he said that there was some wire disconnected from the
transmission but he cant fix it hes not an auto electrician.

Can you help me shed some light on what you might think it could be so that I know what im talking about when i take it to someone else.

Regards
Angi

Angi, Thanks for the email, always willing to help out a female and her carby (carburetor) problems!

I would look and listen for a vacuum leak under the hood somewhere. You might have a vacuum hose that has come loose, or there might be a hole in the fresh air hose leading to the carby….you might have to take it off and inspect the underside.

I have seen cars with broken motor mounts allow too much engine movement when the car is placed in reverse the engine moves and the vacuum leak becomes present with the engine moves so much that the hose with the hole in it is now creating a large vacuum leak. So inspect all vacuum hoses and connections carefully.

Second thing I would look at would be the base idle speed itself. If the carby idle is set too low, it will die when you select a gear or turn on the a/c or something that will place a “load” on the engine. If you have a tachometer (shows how fast the engine is turning) you probably want the idle speed to register about 650 minimum on the rpm gauge.

Let me know what you find out.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader follow up
Austin

If you were here in West Australia I would kiss ya LOL

Sure enough I found the leak it was so sneaky. I got down really close and I could hear a hissing noise like you said. You are the best thanks ever so much. I got a coulple new hoses and its perfect now it purrrrrrrrrrrs like a kitten.

Thanks again!!!
Angi

You are welcome….I am blusing
Austin