car won't idle

[garylau]

Okay, I can admit it, my diagnostic skills are lacking. The Festiva I bought (and still haven't gotten home) will not idle. It starts a little rough and only stays running if I keep my foot on the gas. What are the most likely culprits? I'm running out of time to get this thing going. Apparently it ran okay before it was parked for 6 months.

[MONSOON]

Clogged injectors. Fuel filter. Whats the cap and rotor look like? Possible vacuum leak.

[garylau]

I did put in fresh gas with Gumout injector cleaner. If my injectors are the problem, I'm not sure if that will be enough to help. I didn't see any obvious vacuum leaks. Plug wires look okay, I'll check the plugs, cap and rotor today, and maybe replace the fuel filter. Is there anything else I should check while I'm at it?

[FestYboy]

take a listen to the injectors with a long piece of metal rod and listen for any that tick VERY loudly, or don't tick at all and that's your culprit. also, check your compression.

[garylau]

I guess I need to learn how to do a compression test. Also, I can't really listen for ticking because the car is very loud right now. Speaking of which, I have a sizeable hole in my exhaust manifold. Could the lack of backpressure from this cause problems?

[jglutz]

A couple of thoughts....

We don't have a lot of post about bad injectors....are they prone to problems?

How long had it been since the car was in good runnig condition?

I would start with the simple stuff....rotor/cap/plugs/wires.

The internals to the tower at the ignition coil is notorius for corrossion.

Is the inlet air ducting in place? The VAF need proper air flow to keep the fuel pump engaged...there is a jumper that can be installed to force the pump on.

Is the battery holding voltage/charging while at idle? Very low voltage can cause the problems.

Most importantly...doe the engine hold it's own if you press the gas pedal? If it does, the proble will not be that extensive....might take alittle time to find...but probalbly something simple.

[garylau]

I have yet to even drive the car, so I have very little info on it's past. I guess it ran before it was parked for several months. I just put a good battery in before I tried starting it, so I don't think it's a voltage issue. I will test the charging system though. I was feeling a little sick today, so I didn't make it out there. As soon as I get time I'll check some of this stuff out and update this with my findings. I'm still a little curious about my backpressure question a couple posts up though. Thanks for your help and patience so far. I'll probably have more questions, but this info is a good start.

[Levitan]

Slipped timing belt.

[garylau]

Slipped timing belt.

Think so? That's not what I wanted to hear.

[CharlieZ]

Just a thought to add. Loosen your distributor hold-down bolt just enough so you can move the distributor. Start the engine and keep it running at whatever RPM it can. While it's running, move the distributor and lower the rpm to see if there is a timing issue. You might find it will idle at either full advance or retard. My 92 will idle and run only with the distributor in full static advance. It has compression and cam timing issues. P.S. Be prepared for a shock if your wires are dry and cracked!!

[skimsucka]

believe it or not check fuse panel inside mine acted the same way all it was was the engine fuse was blown check that out let me know how it works

[FestYboy]

timming issues (i.e. slipped belt are easily fixed)

listening to the injectors with aforementioned metal rod has nothing to do with how loud the engine is while running, you'll still clearly hear the injector solenoid clicl if it's working properly.

Skim, if his ECM fuse was blown, the engine would never run in the first place. the reason your's would is because it's carbed and they dont require ECM control to run.

[garylau]

Here's what I checked so far, in between trying to get the brakes at least safe enough to get the car home. Engine fuse is good. Plugs are solid black with carbon. The electrode is rounded off pretty good. I forgot to check the cap and rotor. I'll do that in a bit when I head back out there to replace the plugs. The car smokes a lot when I run it. I don't know if that's because it sat so long or what.

[juryrigger007]

I'd do a compression check, or find someone who can. Based on your symptoms, that would be my guess...

[skimsucka]

festy boy- ur right wasnt paying attention there lol thank goodness for carb in some ways / good luck with more testing man