1989 Justy 1.2 idles only

I have a 1989 Justy with carbureted 1.2L engine manual transmission. It will start and idle (a bit rough) but will not accelerate past idle.

I got the car for free from a friend and he said it ran well before he did a tune-up on it which he replaced the spark plugs, rotor, and cap. He said that's when the trouble started.

My dad checked the timing belt and it's alignment to the crank, the distributor timing with a timing light, and the compression which was 150.

When he looked in the distributor he found one of the two metal tabs bent inward and had been hitting on the metal part on the distributor shaft. He straightened it out, but that didn't help it run past idle. He wants to try a different distributor assembly, but I'm not sure I want to spend $300 - $500 on a free car.

Help!

Reply to
Desiree Lerum
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Two things come to mind, and don't *cough* ask how I know

  1. Check that he didn't drop something into the distributer and wedge the vacuum advance. Likewise, make sure the vacuum advance is properly connected. The "bent tabs" should send up a red flag.

  1. Make sure he's installed the proper plugs.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

Did he do any work on the carb? It sounds almost like the accelerator pump has failed.

With the engine off, look into the throat of the carb with the choke open, and flick the throttle. You should see a distinct squirt of fuel that is aimed at the venturi.

Does this car have mechanical advance? (Weights and springs in the distributor)

Make sure they move freely.

Reply to
Skweezieweezie

Check the firing order. He may have installed the plug wires wrong when changing the cap. I had a chipper once that had these same symptoms.

Reply to
Rob Munach

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