loud clicking noise in engine compartment!

[Sharky196]

OK.... When I bought the car a couple of months ago, It ran fine. It ran a little rich. When I opened the hood, there was this loud clicking noise coming from the back of the engine compartment. Near the carb. I think. It would do it for a few minutes then quit. Then do it again.
I drove it home (45 miles) and by the time I got there, it had quit making the noise all together. No problems. In a couple of weeks, I noticed that it seemed to be running even richer. Then it went through this period of acting like it was running out of gas when I would be going down the highway. That too has gone away.

The problem I'm having now is that it wont idle smoothly. It drops to around 750 rpms when warmed up. It acts as if theres a power loss (as if somethings holding it back) when driving. It doesnt seem to be running rich anymore although sometimes when I get out of it, I can smell raw gas. If anything, it acts like its running too lean at times.
I have changed both fuel filters, pcv, plugs, wires. Ive checked for vaccumn leaks (couldnt find any). There are no evident fuel leaks inside the engine compartment or underneath the car anywhere. I havent replaced the cat yet. And does anyone know anything about the frequency control solenoid? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Cole

[buzzbomber88lx]

hmmmm. weber! weber! weber! it's chanting like the crowd before jerry springer comes on! lol. i'm sayin your carb needs rebuilt or just buy a new one all together. maybe your throttle return spring is sticking. spray gobs of carb cleaner in the carb and just keep on a spraying. sometimes carb cleaner works miracles!!!

[mindlos]

So did you ever trace the sound to the carb or some other part? The reason I ask is because the clicking may have been coming from your power valve due to malfunction or intermittent electric cutout. If it is still clicking and suffering from power loss I would look in that direction. The power valve itself and the wiring to it. Look for wiring going to the mid-high back (firewall side). That is where the power valve is screwed on.

Does the gas in the float bowl run down or is that at a decent level?

[Sharky196]

No , I never got a chance to track down the noise. By the time I got it home, it had quit making the noise. It still suffers from power loss. Its still idling rough. When I drive down the road, it acts like I'm holding the brakes on a little. Very strange and annoying. How do I check the power valve?