sputtering 1.7 FI, what do i need to do Options

[Freedom]

well first of all i replaced all of the vacuum lines, ran some injector clearer through it and checked the timing and replaced the plugs, points and wires, cap rotor...blah blah blah... i cannot figure out whant next. i took the TB off and cleaned it removed the decel valve it ran worse. and got rid of the emissions canister.. what next before i go out of my mind!!.

[Dave_Darling]

The Crane for the 009 distributor may or may not work in the stock distributor. The vacuum advance and retard mechanism in the stocker might interfere with the mounting for the Crane--I'm not certain.


It's time to get methodical about this. You need to lay out a plan and go through it in order. You'll probably wind up doing a lot of "extra" work, but most of it is stuff that will need doing sooner or later anyway.

First--check all of the electrical connections on the engine. Make sure they are plugged in to the right places. Make sure they are plugged in all the way. Make sure the connections are clean. (Radio Shack TV Tuner cleaner or some other contact cleaner is your friend.) Make sure that all the wires are pliable, none are cracked or broken.

Next, check all of the hoses on the engine--both fuel and vacuum. Make sure they are plugged into the correct places. Make sure they are not brittle or cracked or leaking at all.

Next, check the valve clearances. They should be 0.005" - 0.007" with the engine cold. If they are all 0, or tighter than 0, don't mess with them until you get back to us. If a few are out of spec, set them to spec.

Next, inspect your ignition system. Check all of the parts. Make sure the dwell and timing (or at least the points gap and the static timing) are correct. Inspect the plugs, make sure you are getting a decent spark. Make sure that the little "ground strap" inside the distributor is there, and is making good contact. If you can, verify that the timing advances with RPM, and also that it advances and retards when a vacuum is pulled on the appropriate fitting on the distributor dashpot. (If you can't do those, then don't stress. Come back to it later once you get the car running half-decent.)

Next, check the compression. If you can get the engine warmed up to do this, good. If not, it's not a huge deal--just remember that cold readings are not as accurate as warm readings so take them with a grain of salt.

Then check your fuel pressure. While the fuel pump is running, you should have 29 PSI in the high-pressure loop. (That's anything between the pump and the pressure regulator--which includes both fuel rails and the cold-start valve.)

Then start testing FI components. Tests for all of them can be found at: http://members.rennlist.com/pbanders .


The TPS is not necessary for the car to run. However, with it unplugged the idle may be a little "funny", and acceleration will suck rocks.

--DD