1976 Fiat Vacuum Leak?

[heynamesmike]

Hi everyone, so I am trying to figure out what is wrong with my car, first I know the starter is no good because most of the time, you have to start the car by pushing the car (Battery has already been replaced). My neighbor drove my car and said it had a vacuum leak which is why it sometimes wants to stall going to a complete stop but I still drove the car because I miss driving it. So I drove the car out my neighborhood and around 1.5 miles from my house, the car was bogging and if you were in gear and went from 3k rpm to 4k+, it felt like the engine most of its lost power so I had to pull up in someone's gravel driveway. After that, the car shut off but I was dedicated to get home so I did the push start method and manage to get home. To get home was a pain because if you went above 2.5k RPM , the engine wanted to die so I had to keep balancing the clutch and gas to get home while going 10mph. When I got to my neighborhood, the car officially shut off for the last time and now does not want to push start. Previous notes about the car: previous owner adjusted the idle to 1.8k or so because he said it is an old car and needs to have an high idle so it does not shut down. Probably vacuum leak?
Please let me know if anything major has occurred and how can I get this car back on the road

[azruss]

sounds like you have a fuel issue. clean the carb. replace fuel filter. check fuel pump...may need replacing.

[heynamesmike]

sounds like you have a fuel issue. clean the carb. replace fuel filter. check fuel pump...may need replacing.

So did I do any major damage to the car? What about the vacuum leak?

[azruss]

an air leak can create the same issue as fuel starvation. Too much air, too little gas. Search this forum for air leak stuff. It has been well discussed with many useful suggestions on how to chase one down. That should probably be the first order of business. If the air/vacuum system comes up clean, then start of the fuel side.
It doesn't sound like you have hurt anything.

[heynamesmike]

Lol, I wish I can find a local mechanic that can fix my car

[Squidders]

If you think its a vacuum leak start checking hoses, it any are lose or disconnected, for cracks or splits, Replace as required. It shouldn't be idling at 1800 RPM.

Check out the below link for troubleshooting the issue.

http://www.artigue.com/fiat

[TStark]

Age smage, It should run butter smooth.

Best find someone who's had a carb apart to do this with you

Jets could be swapped primary/secondary. Same with emulsifier tubes. Idle jet could be clogged or inoperable.
Very everything, not just put back the way you found it.

I'm wary of pop starting because i crunched a rear end soon after pop starting the car in a pinch. Best get that starting circuit fixed.

Verify the carb model, get the appropiate gasket/rebuild kit, do some internet research, find a clean spot,

[johnsje6]

I had rust in my fuel tank that caused similar problems - idle kept changing, then it would not run at higher RPM as the jets plugged up, then eventually just stop. Quick fix was to take the top off the carb, clean the bowl, use spray carb cleaner to clear the jets. Then remove and clean the tank, and coat it with epoxy. I would definitely take the top off the carb and have a look - there should be gas in the bowl and it should be clean - no particles. If it is clean, your problem is probably elsewhere.

[sshukes]

Try to run the car and then take a sample of fuel. My 76 was doing something similar and I had to clean out the tank. It runs good now.

[redcars]

If you think a vacuum leak also check that the carb is bolted down thight and the gasket is good.