Well, thought I had it fixed.....

[tooldude]

There is still a lot going on there but I don''t have a lot of time right now. For starters, you need to find a replacement vacuum hose for the distributor. The vacuum diaphragm works in conjunction with the distributor flyweights to control timing. Any wrong advance from that diaphragm, leaks from vacuum hose or other air leaks can cause some amount of higher idling or engine racing. There is a stepped plate in the linkage on the driver's side of the carburetor that the choke system controls. Make sure that is releasing when the engine is warm (on the lowest step). If the engine was not idled down when you set the timing, then it will be advanced which will make the idle higher. Make sure the throttle cable is not adjusted wrong and holding throttle open slightly.

[jimdigs]

Have you cleaned the carburettor lately with a spray can of carb cleaner? I can't recall it that's been mentioned. A search of the internet on adjusting carburettor idle shoudl provinde more information. Also perhaps your tachometer is for an 8cyl engine? I recall reading something about mulitplying or dividing y 2 for a 4cyl engine. My tachometer has scales for both. Sorry I have so little expertise. Not a mechanic. When I unplug the top hose on the distributor to plug my vacuum guage into that hose the engine dies if I'm not quick. Once the hose is plugged it's okay. Don't know if that helps.

Thanks for the reply. I have cleaned and sprayed with carb cleaner. I have a mulitmeter with an rpm kit and it has a 4 cycle reading. Works fine on my 93 festiva. When I unplug the top hose it still runs like it did before. Maybe that has something to do with it?

[jimdigs]

There is still a lot going on there but I don''t have a lot of time right now. For starters, you need to find a replacement vacuum hose for the distributor. The vacuum diaphragm works in conjunction with the distributor flyweights to control timing. Any wrong advance from that diaphragm, leaks from vacuum hose or other air leaks can cause some amount of higher idling or engine racing. There is a stepped plate in the linkage on the driver's side of the carburetor that the choke system controls. Make sure that is releasing when the engine is warm (on the lowest step). If the engine was not idled down when you set the timing, then it will be advanced which will make the idle higher. Make sure the throttle cable is not adjusted wrong and holding throttle open slightly.

Thanks for the reply as well. I had the two vacuum lines that go to the distibutor plugged when setting the timing with a light. I bought small clamps to tighten down the lines to the diaphragm. I do need to check that step plate. I was reading about that in the manual. How would I know if the throttle is open a bit? Thanks again.

[tooldude]

Check the throttle cable at the carburetor to see if there is a slight bit of slack in it. If so, the cable can not be holding the butterfly open. There may be enough play in the cable that you can manually force the throttle to close more. If so, you can make slack adjustments at the cable bracket which is holding it. Inboard of the throttle lever, where the cable is attached, is the fast idle adjusting screw. It is angled upwards. I don't remember if it can be screwed in enough to increase idle on the warm engine (at the lowest step on the fast idle cam). It"s in too much, if you back it off and the idle drops. You can set cold idle at a speed you want by adjusting that screw on the cold engine. The factory idle is quite high, which is set for an emissions standard. The cold idle only really needs to be high enough to overcome drag in the cold engine. Three things can hold the throttle open too much. The plastic idle screw on the passenger side, throttle cable adjustment, and the fast idle cam rotation.

[jimdigs]

Check the throttle cable at the carburetor to see if there is a slight bit of slack in it. If so, the cable can not be holding the butterfly open. There may be enough play in the cable that you can manually force the throttle to close more. If so, you can make slack adjustments at the cable bracket which is holding it. Inboard of the throttle lever, where the cable is attached, is the fast idle adjusting screw. It is angled upwards. I don't remember if it can be screwed in enough to increase idle on the warm engine (at the lowest step on the fast idle cam). It"s in too much, if you back it off and the idle drops. You can set cold idle at a speed you want by adjusting that screw on the cold engine. The factory idle is quite high, which is set for an emissions standard. The cold idle only really needs to be high enough to overcome drag in the cold engine. Three things can hold the throttle open too much. The plastic idle screw on the passenger side, throttle cable adjustment, and the fast idle cam rotation.

Thanks for the reply and taking the time with the information it is appreciated, I'll check things out.