87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

Specs: 87 Ford 2.3, supposedly new electric fuel pump, removed mechanical fuel pump, carb says GM Rochester 2jet, new fuel filter.

My boat is idling good on land, rough in the water, and doesn't like to rev up anywhere. I just got it and know little of it's history. The guy said it sat for a year and he thinks it is bad gas. I can't see the accelerator pump working(I should with the throttle open right?) so I looked inside the fuel bowl and it is kinda cruddy. I'm going to do some cleaning on it, drain the fuel, and put in some new. Am I on the right track or any other tips to help out?

Also, as I search the forum, I see a lot of fuel related problems with this motor. Where should I get quality parts for this carb or is there a better set up for this motor?

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

naticen said:

Specs: 87 Ford 2.3, supposedly new electric fuel pump, removed mechanical fuel pump, carb says GM Rochester 2jet, new fuel filter.

My boat is idling good on land, rough in the water, and doesn't like to rev up anywhere. I just got it and know little of it's history. The guy said it sat for a year and he thinks it is bad gas. I can't see the accelerator pump working(I should with the throttle open right?) so I looked inside the fuel bowl and it is kinda cruddy. I'm going to do some cleaning on it, drain the fuel, and put in some new. Am I on the right track or any other tips to help out?

Also, as I search the forum, I see a lot of fuel related problems with this motor. Where should I get quality parts for this carb or is there a better set up for this motor?

Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Throw in a Full tune up, 'n Service, along with a compression test...

Doin' so, you'll either have Fixed it, or atleast Know where the problems lie...

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and compression test done. I'm going to use the electric pump to pump the fuel out of the tank and then I'll put a few gallons in, do it again and then put in a new filter and fill it up. Plugs were pretty dark/rich looking, but looked good otherwise. Compression was 135, 106, 145, 145, which sounds bad to me but some sticky here said that should run alright. I sprayed a little oil in the 106 and got a 108, so it looks like a valve. I'll add some air to the cylinder and see what I find.

I'm still leaning towards a fuel delivery issue. My guess is the accelerator pump is just constantly leaking instead of spraying when needed? Any help still welcome and needed.

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

How do the fuel streams look when you manually push the lever and look down into the carb? I suggest doing this WITHOUT the motor running BTW...

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

No sign of the accelerator pump doing anything when I push it. It is the only part of the carb that looks clean though which is funny. I just pulled it off and I got a rebuild kit for it so I will clean out the passages real well while I am in there.

I got new points and a capacitor too, so I hope all is well after this. Everything else looks pretty good as far as I can tell. The only other concern is when I emptied the tank using the electric fuel pump, it had good flow but lots of bubbles the whole time. I woulda thought that it would have turned to solid fuel after a minute.

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

Took it out with rebuilt carb and old points and it is perfect on the bottom up to half throttle. It stumbles and bogs down after that and tops out about 20 at the half throttle. I took the cap off and noticed that the spring loaded button that presses on the rotor button is busted off. You can see where it is arcing on top of the rotor button. I hope another new cap will finish it off.

Any idea how to get one on a Sunday?. I am going to go to the auto store and pick random Ford Pinto years and hopefully I will find it. Even for future reference would be handy if someone has some info about how to get auto parts for this motor.

Re: 87 ford 2.3 with idle but nothing else

naticen said:

Took it out with rebuilt carb and old points and it is perfect on the bottom up to half throttle. It stumbles and bogs down after that and tops out about 20 at the half throttle. I took the cap off and noticed that the spring loaded button that presses on the rotor button is busted off. You can see where it is arcing on top of the rotor button. I hope another new cap will finish it off.

Any idea how to get one on a Sunday?. I am going to go to the auto store and pick random Ford Pinto years and hopefully I will find it. Even for future reference would be handy if someone has some info about how to get auto parts for this motor.

Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY what was wrong with mine and it took me forever to figure it out. Hard to find that part locally. I found mine at a marina about 40 minutes away luckily. Napa carries the part, but usually has to order it. It is a part I will be buying an extra of for next season to be sure.