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  1. #1

    Default Popping, cutting out, and backfiring on acceleration from a stop- 2.3L

    So my Capri is being weird this year so far. Once the engine is warmed up, I get horrible popping, backfiring, and cutting out on hard acceleration from a stop. Sometimes I can almost go to full throttle, sometimes it's dang near off idle. Once I'm up and going, I can mash the pedal and it's fine. But from a stop or near stop, I have all sorts of issues. I pulled the (Brand new!) cap and rotor off and saw a little corrosion had formed over the winter on the brass contacts so I cleaned them off. That seemed to fix the issue, but today it was really bad. Could this be a fuel issue? I used a fuel stabilizer in the gas over the winter, but could it still be a problem? I took the carburetor down and it appears clean and functional. I sprayed the plug wires with water and didn't see or hear any arcing. Idle didn't change either. Should I just fill the gas tank and run it around see what happens? It runs great other than giving it gas from a stop or near stop. I made zero carburetor adjustments since last fall, and it ran absolutely perfectly then. Now I have this problem.
    86 Mercury Capri GS 2.3L
    11 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L
    10 Ford Focus SE 2.0L




    19 Years of Foureyedpride.com

  2. #2
    FEP Super Member mustangxtreme's Avatar
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    Check for vacuum leaks.
    Dave

    If common sense was common wouldn't it just be sense?

    1983 Capri L T top 5.0 efi aod
    1983 Capri RS Turbo
    1981 Black Magic 400 c6
    93 F-250 351 5sp 4x4

  3. #3
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ethangsmith View Post
    I did the 1 barrel Carter to Motorcraft/Holley/Weber 5200 swap. It's a lot easier than you'd think. A few trips to the right junkyards and you've got almost everything you need. I went with an MSD 6A box for ignition control. Easy install and makes everything run nicely.
    Check the idle jets, they always clogg up in Holley Weber 5200''s like you have fitted.

    Then check your TFi to MSD 6A swap. Are you using the right kind of coil?

    Sudden changes of engine operation on stripped out of emission engine is indeed crud in the air bleed ,idle or fuel delivery section, and ignition is a common fault with the downgraded spec of replacement ignition caps and rotors.

  4. #4

    Default

    I worked on the car for a few hours last night after the temperature dropped outside. I didn't find any vacuum leaks and the carburetor is clean. I think I do have some spark leakage through the ignition wires though. During my searching for vacuum leaks, I was holding a vacuum line that runs along side one of the spark plug wires and I got a small shock. After rerouting a few vacuum lines and plug wires, it did seem to run better. Since it was about 20 degrees cooler outside, I took it for a drive. No popping or cutting out. I noticed too that the fuel was not boiling in the fuel filter. I think it may be time for new plug wires (They're probably about 6-8 years old), plugs, and a better quality cap and rotor. I always try to buy the "premium" ones so they have brass contacts. Maybe I'll shell out the extra bucks and buy the NAPA premium stuff this time instead of the Advance Auto premium stuff. It costs a lot more, but I wonder if it will be closer to OEM quality. And as for the MSD, I am seriously considering ditching it in favor of the GM HEI modification that can be used on the Duraspark systems. Since my car was originally TFI, I have no ballast resistor and I have a TFI coil, and that's what the GM HEI module needs to work right. I could then eliminate a ton of wiring, the large MSD box, tach adapter, and instead of shelling out $200 for a new module, they're $35. I've wondered since the start if the MSD box is actually a little too hot for my modified-but-still-stock engine.
    86 Mercury Capri GS 2.3L
    11 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L
    10 Ford Focus SE 2.0L




    19 Years of Foureyedpride.com

  5. #5
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Ignition wires OE quality= Motorcraft
    2.3L wire set WR4011C
    20-30 bucks
    Of course, add dielectric grease inside all wire boots including coil wire.

    Wire arcing is best seen at night, but hard to do when driving!
    Seen some once in my Ranger due to a cracked 2.3L DIS coil pack. Was intermittent at idle.

    If car has been idle for a while, start with fresh fuel and a good drive.
    Since it ran fine before, not much should have changed while parked.
    Battery charge, seasonal fuel blend, cold weather dampness collected on/in electrical connections.

    A tiny piece of floating debris in the carb bowl can cause weirdness covering then uncovering jet(s).
    Would not hurt to remove and blow them out next time inside there.

  6. #6

    Default

    I did clean out the carb bowl. It was surprisingly clean. I always keep a good fuel filter on and use fuel stabilizer/ethanol treatment over the winter.
    Last night I took the car out for a drive and didn't experience any performance issues. I filled the fuel tank and added ethanol treatment on the way home. We'll see what happens. I'll probably pick up a set of the Motorcraft wires. I have a set of Autolite Professional wires on it now that are supposedly the same as the Motorcraft. I plan on putting new (Autolite) plugs in it too.
    86 Mercury Capri GS 2.3L
    11 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L
    10 Ford Focus SE 2.0L




    19 Years of Foureyedpride.com

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    I always use Motorcraft copper plugs in the Mustang 2.3T.
    Platinum in the Ranger 2.3 dual plug

    Same with cap/rotor/coil. Motorcraft.

    Auto parts like to sell other brands. May or may not be the same quality.
    Autolite was made in china or something last time i checked at the store.
    Was not sure the interchange was the same heat range (one step colder for turbos).

  8. #8

    Default

    Made plenty of progress this weekend, though it took considerably longer than expected. To get away from the MSD ignition and all the wiring the comes with it, I did the GM HEI conversion on my ignition system. In testing the car after the conversion, I discovered a damaged spark plug wire. After putting a new wire set on it I had laying around, it ran much better. Now I just need to tune the carb and ignition timing to the HEI module. It's running a bit rich now.
    86 Mercury Capri GS 2.3L
    11 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L
    10 Ford Focus SE 2.0L




    19 Years of Foureyedpride.com

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