Carburated 88 Festiva dies and misses.

[Tom]

It will run good for a day or two and then all of a sudden it starts quitting and dieing and barely running. Sometimes it will idle but it won't rev up. The fuel filter looks empty but when I take the fuel line off and turn it over it shoots about two feet. I looked in the fuel tank and it's not clogged. I changed fuel filters, I changed fuel pumps, I changed coils, I changed distributors. I don't know what else to do. I don't think it's the carburetor. It's got me at a stand still, I don't dare drive it. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks

[25Horseplay]

Is this the car D is working on?

[Tom]

No.

[FestYboy]

try back flushing your fuel line into the tank with air, your pickup may be getting clogged.

[Burnrate]

****I Know very little about these carbs and I am not a Pro Mechanic****
First spray the inside and outside carb with cleaner and work every lever you can. Check all vaccume lines.
When you look down in the back barrel there is a little brass nozzel at the 10 oclock position pointing down. When you rev the engine by hand You should see fuel squirt out of this nozzle. If it does not, reach around behind the left side and there is a vertical bar right behind that nozzel. Push in on it and see if fuel comes out of the nozzel. I think this is the accel pump and it may be clogged or stuck.
Eric

[WmWatt]

There might be an air leak somewhere. I'd look over all the vacuum hoses. Squeeze them and look for cracks. Run the engine and spray water from a plant mister or WD 40 from a can on each hose and listen for a change in idle speed, stumbling, etc. Check that all hoses are on tight.

The Haynes manual and auto texts at the public library and second hand sales have troubleshooting guides for carburetted engines. I've had some luck with them.