Festiva stalling issue help??

[woahshtd0wn]

I have an 88 Festiva, 4 speed, carbureted.

yesterday it just started stalling when I’m stopped and idling, so anytime I’m not pushing the gas peddle the engine starts jumping and almost dying until finally it completely stalls out.
Right before it stalls I hear like a sparking noise coming from over near the distributor cap it sounds like but I can’t pinpoint it exactly.
The cap, the plugs, and wires are all still new also.

Any ideas?



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[woahshtd0wn]

I have a video of it happening but I can’t figure out how to post videos on here [emoji102][emoji102]


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[WmWatt]

Lots of vacuum hoses under the hood. Check that they are all tight and not split. If poking and prodding doesn't reveal anything you can mist them while the car is idling to see if any suck in moisture and cause the engine to slow down.

It could be electrical, in which case check all the connections are clean and tight, especially the ignition wires.

Good luck.

[Sid_RallyX_82]

Have you done any work on the car recently? Or recently came into possession?

[woahshtd0wn]

Have you done any work on the car recently? Or recently came into possession?

I haven’t done any work under the hood since last year, i checked all the spark plug wires and they all still look perfect, maybe clogged carburetor?


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[WmWatt]

If you think it's the carburettor you could try some spray carburettor cleaner. It's cheap and easy to do. If you're thinking fule supply you might want to check for a clogged fuel filtre as well, orange thing low on the driver's side firewall. The mechanical fuel pum is on the right rear of the engine. The diaphragm can leak. If so it's not expensive or hard to replace.

Oh, for the sparking noise you can try lifting the hood after dark while the engine is running and look for sparks. Can also look for burn marks on the inside of the distributor cap.

[Sid_RallyX_82]

A vacuum leak would be likely. If the problem is at idle and not high rpm, i wouldn't suspect a general fuel restriction like the filter or pump, but maybe a clogged idle mixture passage? Does it stumble when changing gears?

You can try misting some starting fluid into the intake. If it gets better from doing that, the problem is air or fuel. Start checking vacuum lines. If it doesn't get better from that, it's probably spark, or could be compression, but it doesn't sound that extreme.

[hawkdoc60]

This problem is most likely a vacuum leak. Check all your vacuum hoses, especially the ones that make a sharp bend before attaching onto a nipple. Those will dry rot and crack before straighter ones. Have someone keep their foot on the gas enough to keep it from stalling and start spraying around your vacuum hoses with carb cleaner. When you hit an area where there is a leak, the engine will smooth out. You can begin your search for a split/broken vacuum hose in that area.

[hot4dl8ly]

Does anyone on the forum know IF the carbureted ones had any issues with the baseplate screws loosening up.(that is the screws that hold the carb itself together) This would be a vacuum leak and a little difficult to find. If I remember correctly, some of the Ford 2.3's had this issue - but they are not really related to our cars.

[Solmangrundy]

You can also go buy a 99cent cigarrillo and blow smoke into the vacuum lines. The smoke will seep out of any leak thats there.

[WmWatt]

No history of baseplate leaks here to loosen I grabbed the screw heads with heavy pliers to break free so as not to damage. I think large philips head on ratchet would also be good, also for tightening. I found hand held screw driver did not deliver sufficient torque and slippage would damage head.