I have a 1985 Escort L with a 1.6 L 2 bbl carb engine... sometimes when i start it it wont idle but other times it will... and when i start it and it wont idle and have to drive it somewhere it will die at every stop unless i put it in nuetral and give it gas.. even after its been warmed up it will do this.... what is wrong with it!
If it were fuel injection, we could tell you with a 90% certainty what they probloem was. However, the last of the carbs are far too complicated to do that.
You didnt mention whether it just started that.. or if you bought the car and it has always done it.
COULD be the idle jets plugged or the throttle kicker or dashpot bad or not working... or a leak in the carburetor allowing too much fuel.
It's been a long time since I worked on that model carb' but I recall that one or both of the two fuel metering jets can become loose in the carb' body and this can cause an erratic idle along with poor drivability. Ford issued a TSB for that problem. The jets are made of brass and they're threaded into the carb'. You can see them when you look down the throat of the carb' with the choke plate wide open. They have a small hole in the middle and a slot for a flat bladed screw driver. You can try tightening the jets but be careful not to chip the soft brass with the screw driver blade. Another possibility is the choke pull off mechanism. It might be sticking and this can effect the idle speed. Also the throttle cable. I can think of some other things but you've got a pretty old carb' there, so it's probably due for a rebuild or replacement in any case. How many miles does the car have? You must be located in an area where cars don't rust much. I haven't seen an 85' Escort in my area for at least ten years.
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