Cuts off when I stop

[Moldboy01]

90 auto Festiva is only running on 3 cylinders and has been this way since I had the car, I’m going to do a motor swap but in the mean time trying to get it to run the best I can. When I put it in gear it will try to die and when I am in traffic it will try to die when I hit the brakes. The gas mileage is bad too but I think its do to only running on 3 cylinders. I was told to check the IAC but im not shore where it is and how to clean it.

[ejp2fast]

many people actually think these cars have 3 cylinders, so if they would read this post they wouldn't think anything is wrong...

back on topic: when i got my car i had this exact same issue... i found out later that my #3 cylinder had a burnt exhaust valve and had less than 1/3 the normal compression.. (of course had to pull the head and do valve job to find this out) i don't know if cleaning the IAC will really help anything..

and you hare sure that 1 of the cylinders is bad? to check, when the car is running, remove one plug wire at a time.... when you remove the one that will be the problem, there will be no change in engine speed/how it runs.... the others you should see a huge difference..

now, does the car actually DIE, or does it just run really really bad?
also, a compression test would be one of the next steps.

[TominMO]

Probably a bad spark plug or a bad plug wire. Try replacing them first. Have you done a tuneup on it recently? Cap, rotor, plugs and wires. Cheap, easy and quick.

[ejp2fast]

good point Tom, check the basics first....

[Moldboy01]

Ya, I put new plugs and wires button and a supper hot plug in the cylinder thats bad, I can pull the wire and the thing runs the same, also the plug thats in the bad cylinder will be black and not fire in less than 1 day. I can glass clean it like new and it is burnt up the next day. I had a guy on here tell me he had a motor at a great deal, but if its only the head it would be a lot less problems to fix.

[Moldboy01]

ya the thing will cut OFF,if I dont hold my foot on the gas. Sometimes it still cuts off if im in 5:00 rush hour. The thing is hard to start if it stop this way,People dont understan im trying to get it started but thay just give me the one finger wave as thay go around me.LOL

[WmWatt]

If the exhaust valve is leaking there will be a deposit of soot on the underside of the valve cover over that valve. You could try a chemical engine cleaner which will dissolve some of the accumulated carbon around the valves. On my car adeposit was keeping the valve from closing, lowering compression. The chemical cleaner removed the carbon and raised the compression to normal.

[TONYCASH]

did you figure this out yet ?

[Moldboy01]

No, parked it. Going to get a new (used) power plant for my beast. I dont wont to put to much time or money in it.