Q: Car loses rpms when idling and dies when not giving it gas on first run.
In the morning when it's cold I need to keep the gas pedal floored for it to turn on and if I let off the gas the car dies, as if it can't idle on it's own. Tried warming it up in the morning (giving it gas myself the whole time) and it would still die. Only later when it gets a little warmer out it will idle fine but still needs gas to start. What could be the problem? I've changed out all the spark plugs, tested my battery and made sure there's a solid connection on the posts.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello. It may be a problem with the choke on the carburetor. Try some carburetor cleaner in and around the carburetor, especially the choke plate. On a cold start no matter the temperature, the choke plate should be mostly closed. Then after warm-up, it should be completely open, pointing straight up and down. If it is not doing these things, the choke pull off - which I believe is both electrically and vacuum controlled is not functioning properly. Check the electrical connector as well as the vacuum lines to the choke pull off. If you have a hand-held vacuum pump, connect it to the choke pull off and apply maybe 5-10 inches of vacuum. The choke plate should move and the pull off should hold that 5-10 inches of vacuum. If it does neither, then the rubber diaphragm inside the pull off has ruptured and will require a new choke pull off. For help having this issue handled, a qualified professional from YourMechanic can diagnose the rough idle and help follow through with repairs.
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