1986 GT running like crap

[keithnra]

I picked up a 86 GT and i am trying to get it to run right. The background is this: Its been sitting for several yrs and the guy i got it from said it ran good when parking it and then he was keeping it started every once in a while and then all of a sudden it would start and ran like crap, I have taken the injectors out and cleaned all the old bad gas out of the tank and blew the lines out. There was nasty gas in it then turned over car with the injectors in the rail and the rail hanging out side of car, i found one bad injector and replaced it. Now it wont hardly start, it takes it forever of turning over and finally starts and cuts off, then it will eventually start and idle ok then when u give it gas its like it cuts out and if u feather the throttle u can almost get it to fun ok but it still cuts out and seems like it is popping thru the air box. The car is a stock and i put new plugs in it and it is firing good. i need some help to get it to run right, where can i start. can u pull codes like on a 89 GT, thanks keith
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[bwguardian]

Have you checked the fuel pressure?

[keithnra]

no i dont have a gauge right now but when i had the injectors off the injectors seemed to be squirting plenty of fuel

[racerxmd]

Check your throttle position sensor. Adjust as needed.

[bwguardian]

no i dont have a gauge right now but when i had the injectors off the injectors seemed to be squirting plenty of fuel

Squirting plenty of fuel at idle is one thing...squirting plenty of fuel at higher rpm's is another. Of course there is the opposite scenario...fuel pressure regulator.

[keithnra]

I think i might have found the problem at lunch but i didnt have time to try and fix it. It appears that the fuel lines are twisted where the plastic lines meet the metal lines. It must have happened when i was trying to get the fuel lines out over the fender so i could run fresh gas thru them. I hope to get to it this afternoon. thanks for the help,. it probably would have helped had i had a fuel pressure gauge.

[zac_f83]

did you gap the spark plugs?

also what is the timing set at?

like previously stated check the TPS for corrosion/ voltage if there are dead spots in it that could cause cutting out

[keithnra]

well i fixed the crimped fuel lines and that was not it, what next going to check timing today. How do i check tps on this car

[mustangxtreme]

Make sure all the vacuum lines were re-installed and yes you can pull the codes on the 86.

[xpkpremier]

well i fixed the crimped fuel lines and that was not it, what next going to check timing today. How do i check tps on this car

1

Start the engine and allow it to run until the temperature on the Mustang's temperature gauge is in the normal range. Turn the engine off.
2

Unplug the electrical connector from the idle air control (IAC) valve, which is located on the throttle body. In the 1986 Mustang, the IAC valve is a cylindrical-shaped component located on the front of the throttle body facing the front of the car. Start the engine.
3

Locate the idle-speed screw on the bottom of the throttle body near the throttle linkage. Turn the idle screw using a T-15 torx driver until the idle speed with the IAC valve unplugged is approximately 650 rpm on the car's tachometer to adjust the minimum air rate. Access to this screw is easiest from the rear of the throttle body on the Mustang. Turn the engine off and reconnect the IAC valve's electrical connector.
4

Turn the ignition key to the "Off" position. Set your digital voltmeter to read the "TPS 5" volt signal by turning the dial on the meter to the 12-volts scale. Attach the black (ground) lead of the meter to the negative battery terminal.
5

Locate the TPS on top of the throttle body. The Mustang uses a three-wire TPS. The black wire is ground, the orange wire is a 5-volt reference signal and the green wire is the TPS signal. Insert the red (positive) lead of the meter into the back of the TPS sensor's electrical connector at the "Green" colored wire until it touches the terminal in the connector.
6

Turn the ignition key on and observe the voltage reading on the meter. The Mustang's TPS should be adjusted so that the voltage on this terminal is 1-volt +/- .10-volt. Adjust the TPS by loosening the two small screws that attach the TPS sensor to the top of the throttle body and rotating the TPS until the voltage on the meter reads 1-volt +/- .10-volt.
7

Tighten the TPS screws snugly. Turn the ignition key to the "Off" position and disconnect the voltmeter from the car. Loosen the negative battery cable using a 13 mm wrench and pull the cable off the battery. Wait 10 minutes and reconnect the battery cable. This will reset the computer and clear the trouble code that was triggered during the minimum air rate adjustment.
8

Test drive the car and verify that the adjustment is correct. The engine should idle smoothly and there should be no hesitation or stumble during acceleration.

[keithnra]

wow thanks for the detailed post

[xpkpremier]

Your welcome, It was a copy and paste that I used when I set mine, I have a jump drive with more that a Hynes Manual, lolol. Hope it works for you. If you need any more info just let me know, I have 8 gigs on a stick.

[keithnra]

well come to find out the fuel pump was only pumping 8-10 psi so i changed it and cleaned the nasty tank and put new filter on and all is good now, runs greeat and has 35psi

[mustangxtreme]

Congrats, now it's time to enjoy your car.

[RyKR]

I miss my 86

Glad you got it going. I was going to chime in but I noticed that X seemed to hit everything that I could think of and then some.

[IDMooseMan]

...If you need any more info just let me know, I have 8 gigs on a stick.

I'd like to have whatever you have on that 8GB stick. Is the info downloadable from somewhere?

[johnjohn]

I'm also interested in the mysterious 8GB for the 86.

uploading it to a file server makes it accessible. If you can hang it on the Net somewhere and PM me that'd be awesome.

PM sent.

[javdog]

Good info

[Jerry peachuer]

Just a thought pumping the pedal isn't giving it gas on a Efi car ?? Is it
I think by pumping your gas in this scenario would only be giving it more air please correct me if I'm mistaking
And glad you found your gremlin also make sure those fuel lines are not leaking 35 psi under that pressure with a small crack will squirt gas farther than you could imagine and if it finds its place on a catalytic converter or manifold or header that would be very bad

Good job on your trouble shooting