Starting Problems, Starting with Throttle but Won't Idle Options

[nmkimosabe]

My 1974 1.8 with fuel injection will only start by manually opening the throttle but I can't get it idle and thus run properly. I recently had the AFM rebuilt and replaced the points, plugs, condenser and replaced the CHT sensor but the problem continues as it did before. I've looked for vacuum leaks to no avail with starter fluid. I now seek the expertise of the members of this forum for additional suggestions.

[fiacra]

I'm going to add a few more things I know about this car and the journey that this owner has been. Some of these are from previous threads about this car, and some from personal communication. I suggested he start a new thread to keep things a bit cleaner as circumstances have changed. However I think a recap of things would be helpful so I'll take that on as best I can. Briefly, the car came out of 2 months of winter storage, ran fine for a day, and then while being driven lost power, "chugged," and then died. At that point the car would only start on occasion and then briefly run and then die no matter what. The owner did a bunch of diagnostic work on it, a lot of it suggested by other board members, but no success so it went off to a shop. That shop couldn't solve the problem so it went to a second shop. That shop diagnosed poor compression and leak down numbers (reportedly "less than half of what it should be") but that didn't fit the circumstances and didn't sound right to him so it is now in the hands of a third shop. The current shop found good compression and leak down numbers (!) and basically went right back to the basics with a full tune up (new points, condenser, valve adjustment, etc.) and that has gotten it to the point where it is now - running when given gas but dying at idle. They have diagnosed a bad CHT (even though the current one is new) and have recommended a smoke test for vacuum leaks.

To me, their approach sounds really reasonable. L-Jet won't idle with a vacuum leak (unlike D-Jet) but will keep running with your foot on the gas so a smoke test (vs. using starting fluid) seems appropriate. It is running now with new ignition parts and based on a past similar experience I suspect it had a bad condenser, although I recognize I could easily be wrong.

There has been significant progress in that at least it is running now, but let's help this guy get his car fully sorted out and back on the road. He's had a rough (and expensive) journey to get to this point. I've been as helpful as I can, but you all are a bunch smarter than me and he wants to have meaningful suggestions to give to the shop. So many hands (with dubious skill levels) have been on this car that my money is on a vacuum leak, likely from something getting knocked loose or broken. I think originally the problem lay in the ignition system, and that problem has now been solved with the work done by the current shop. That's my take, but again I know I could easily be wrong.

Here are the previous threads:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=377499&hl=

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=377590&hl=