Carbed 89 wont idle in neautral

[pierces2]

Carbed 89 4 speed. Won’t stay running when put in neautral or when the clutch is pressed. Problem started right after accidentally killing it in my driveway yesterday ( thought it was in neautral and let off the clutch-lurched forward and died). Right after that it would die at every stop or any time I depressed the clutch for more than a few seconds. Any thoughts before I start tearing into things? Thanks.

[WmWatt]

I've stalled my Festiva that way but with no ongoing problems. There is a switch on the clutch pedal arm which prevents the car from being started in gear. The clutch has to be depressed to use the starter motor. I'm wondering if that might be the problem. You could look under the dash and depress the switch by hand with the engine running and see if it shuts off the engine? I'd also look at the clutch cable and make sure it isn't touching anything. Sorry I don't have a definitive answer.

[pierces2]

Thanks, I’ll give that a try. It starts and runs fine for about 3-4 minutes even in neutral after I start it up after it’s been sitting for hours, but then it starts to run rough and won’t stay running without steady throttle. I will take a look at the things you mentioned and let you know if I find anything.

[pierces2]

So problem solved. I replaced the pcv and cleaned the egr valve out with some carb cleaner. Put it back on and took it for a drive, still ran like crap after warming up. Got back home and took another look in the engine bay and behind the air cleaner I see a vac line unplugged. Plugged it back in and it now runs like a top. Killing it the other morning must’ve been just enough force to pop it off. Go figure. Hope this can help someone else in the future and save some headache.

[WmWatt]

Good news.