car wont idle

[xan_carman2]

im hopefully picking up a 1989 festiva Saturday and the owner says it needs to be towed cause it idles really low and keeps dieing...any ideas on what im getting into? its carbed. getting it for $400

[bravekozak]

Simple solution. Change to an Escort carb. Use the search lookup at the top right of this page.

[WmWatt]

Hard to say. I'd start by spraying it's inards with carburettor cleaner. I do mine once a year. If that doesn't fix it you can look at the fuel supply - filtre, lines, pump, etc. and check the vacuum hoses.

[xan_carman2]

what exactly do I spray? it has a brand new carb btw...

[WmWatt]

^^ doubt a brand new carb will have buit up carbon deposits so spray not much use. But to answer the question it's called carburettor cleaner, comes in an aerisol(?) can, and many brands. You take off the lid of the air cleaner canister and spray into the top of the carburettor to disolve carbon deposits.

[harpon]

There should be an idle cam with a screw stop you can adjust to get a higher rev too. If it's new, that may have never been set correctly- check all vacuum lines for leaks too.

[xan_carman2]

i dont have time nor the money to do that...i just need it to drive home tomarow

[ryanprins13]

If the guy is selling it with a brand new carb installed and it doesnt run he most likely didnt install it correctly. Hard to guess what would be wrong. I know nothing about carberators so i cant really help. Does it run if you keep it revved up? You could just drive it home without letting the rpm drop if thats the case. I once made a 125km drive in a festiva that would shut off if the rpm dropped below 2500. It was a challenging drive through the cities and the clutch suffered a bit but i made it without a tow
Then when your at home with it you can look over it and see whats wrong or post photos here. Getting vaccum hoses mixed up is a common problem i think.

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[WmWatt]

That problem you posted about in ther othe thread, i.e. idles for a second and dies right away. When mine did that it was a bad ignition control module inside the distributor. Some parts stores will test them for free if they have the equipment, see distester.com . Otherwise there is no way I know of to test them except try a known working one either by replacing it or replacing the distributor with one that is known to work. Sorry to be the bearer of not so good news. Might have to tow it home where you have time to look at it?

[xan_carman2]

okay heres a update...the car idles fine and runs but it stutters and smells way to rich...I havnt gotten tags yet so I only drove it in my neighborhood for 5 mins. it smokes and the catylitic converter it destroyed...need to tune the carb im guessing?

[WmWatt]

Good news you got it home where you can work on it. How is the compression?
Is the automatic choke releasing okay? If not the idle speed would be high as well as running rich?

[xan_carman2]

okay so heres what ive figured out...and im confused. so when i start it up it idles realllllly high (can tell by sound) so i turn the car off and look around for a bit and then start it again...now it wont idle unless i give it gas. but it keeps wanting to die so i turn it off...idk what to do now...the carb was replaced along with a lot of other stuff so heres the list. timing belt, plugs, wires, distributor cap, alternator, fuel pump, and fuel filter...all the vacuum lines where checked too. all this work was done at a shop and the po got pissed it was taking so long so he went and got his car back. on the way home he stoped at autozone and someone told him they saw flames shooting out the catylitic converter so he got it towed amd parked for 8 months and sold me it...runs rich (again according to smell and the plugs i checked). im stumped...

[bravekozak]

You have a feedback carb. It is computer controlled. There are too many variables to test without a shop manual.
You would driving around right about now if you installed a regular Escort carb.

I had a Weber carb on my 89.
I have twins on my 93.

[WmWatt]

When the car starts and roars to life tap the gas pedal to disengage the automatic choke. Mine does that. There is a long white plastic screw at the back left of the carb for adjusting the idle speed. You can turn it by hand to increase the idle speed so it doesn't stall. I think there is also an adjustment screw where the trottle cable ends. You'll have to remove the air filtre canister to see that. It's been a while since I had mine off and can't remember what everything looks like there. I find the Haynes manual helpful. It has paid for itself many times over in saved costs. It has photos.

[xan_carman2]

You have a feedback carb. It is computer controlled. There are too many variables to test without a shop manual.
You would driving around right about now if you installed a regular Escort carb.

I had a Weber carb on my 89.
I have twins on my 93.

i dont have the money for a escort carb and this one is brand-new from the previous owner...

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