Fire but no start

[Hilton]

Ok I finally got a new distributor from a junkyard. I paid 75 dollars for it. Which is better than 180 new. The car will start and run rough but die. I started the car a few more times tring to see if the air fuel mix was off. Then the starter quit working. I think im done spending money on this motor. I think its time for a transplant.

[Hilton]

Well i lost intrest in the little car for awhile. I decided to start working on it again. The book gives the wrong firing order. So i spent too much money on stuff that I really didnt need. Go figure right. My first test run was vary sluggish. My friend follewed behind me. He said there was something sparking under the car. So i looked in sure enough the cat was glowing red. I cut the cat off and got 55 dollars from the scrap yard which is what i paid for the carb. I need to weld a straight pipe in but it still seems sluggish. Any ideas

[Pu241]

^^^
Too much fuel dumped into engine being oxidized in the cat converter.
Also, if you had old gas I wouldn't expect too much getup and go.
Drain the old gas out the drain plug on the tank and filled with fresh gas and a shot or two of Sea Foam should help.
Might want to see if you can adjust the carb, might be running rich.
Would explain cat glowing and lack of performance.
Check plugs to see if they are coated black with carbon.

[TominMO]

Maybe you're off a tooth on the cam timing? Easy to do and will cause sluggishness too.

[festyfanatic]

While you guys are on the subject of the ignition control module, I've searched the internet and someone on ebay has one listed at $49.95 and there is another site that sells them for $59.95. Those seem like excellent prices compared to what the automotive sites sell them for. I remember when my ICM went on my first 88 Festiva and it was close to $180.

[MAVRICK513]

The needle & seat assembly in the carb is probably sticking & dumping too much gas into the engine. Assuming the timing (cam & ignition timing) is correct and the cat isn't clogged, I would change all the ignition components too: cap & rotor, coil, plugs, and plug wires. Fresh gas would help too but I have a '91 (Fuel injected) that sat for four years & started up & ran fine (with 4 year old gas) when I hooked up a new battery.

[pwgus]

yea, could be the float in the carbs giving too much gas....my dad does a lot of old motorcycle work and they always have that problem....it make them run poorly, similarly to what your describing, I would say you've fixed your spark issue, now look into trying different carb settings, or even having it cleaned and rebuilt

[Hilton]

think you guys I will try that out and let you know the outcome.