Poor Idle and Fault Diagnosis

[pineapplehead]

Helloooo!
I own a 1988 Transit Camper 'project'... It idles erratically, sometimes cuts out just after starting, idling too long and at slow speeds. Various internet searches bring up different problems, like vacuum leaks, incorrect ignition timing etc...
I'm a bit of a newbie to engine stuff, but am trying (lol, need more money and time ) to learn.

So how do you diagnose something like that, without just blindly replacing parts until the problem is fixed? 0r how do understand what's wrong if you don't have the experience to know what's right?

Cheers.

[gotgcoalman]

From your description I'm guessing it's a petrol engine?
1.6 or 2.0 pinto?

[pineapplehead]

Sorry, yeah, 2.0 pinto.

[gotgcoalman]

Is it 1 cylinder causing the problem ?
start by pulling plug leads to isolate electrial problems.

check vacumn leaks by spraying brake cleaner
around the hoses and listen for a change in engine tone (reving/cutting out)

[thanuttiscotsman]

Is it fuel injected or carb? If it's a carb it probably not set up or tuned right. Especially at that age and if it's been left sitting. Has it even been serviced recently?

Rossco

[Altransit]

I used to get problems with dodgy plugs and leads on the Pinto engine in my Sierra.

Sometimes, in the dark, you could see the sparks shorting across from the plug leads to the cylinder head, or the heat shield

[pineapplehead]

Is it fuel injected or carb? If it's a carb it probably not set up or tuned right. Especially at that age and if it's been left sitting. Has it even been serviced recently?

Rossco

Carb. Hasn't been serviced probably since the previous owner, if they even did it...wanted to try and do as much myself.
Was Mot'd by the previous owners then sat around for about 7/8 months occasionally being moved. Then I bought it, and had only been moving it short distances. My car broke, so had to use it daily for about 6 weeks - when I really noticed the problem. Car's back now though so not so bad...

[V184]

Tight tappets ?

[pineapplehead]

Is it 1 cylinder causing the problem ?
start by pulling plug leads to isolate electrial problems.

check vacumn leaks by spraying brake cleaner
around the hoses and listen for a change in engine tone (reving/cutting out)

Cheers!
Definite vacuum leak - looks like someone really bodge jobbed one of the hoses and it's split and basically falling off...