1982 Ford Thunderbird idle

[SyllyLou]

Every bit of help I've seen has to do with newer computerized cars. I have a 1982 Ford T-Bird that during a rain shower last week started stalling when my foot was off the gas. Every time it died we could start it back up but had to keep our foot on the gas.

Today I tried it since it's been dry weather wise for a couple of days. The car started up, stayed in idle & drove fine. Then when I got 9 or 10 blocks away, stopped for gas & took off again it started stalling again everytime I took my foot off the gas. It took several starts to make it home & 5 or 6 to get it parked straight.

The only problem is once the engine is warm it starts stalling unless you keep your foot on the gas. Any ideas or ways to check it? We're elderly so there isn't much we can do but even just checking it to find out what it is would be great just so we won't get ripped off. Our car has actually run for 27 yrs. It's not souped up, restored or anything else. Just an old car with an old couple that could use a little advise or help. God bless.

[rhandwor]

Auto Zone and Advanced Auto do free code checks for you but some don't do this old of vehicle.
http://www.amazon.com/ Search Equus 3145 this is a reasonable priced scanner.
If you get the codes post them.New plug wires,plugs and rotor and distributor cap do wonders on a vehicle this age.
I would also get the timing checked.

[ronaldk]

you need to give more info . what eng,fuel injected or carb,miles,last tune up ? is car shaking when you throttle up. you could have cracked cap bad wires and or plugs. If little to no maintanance has been preformed you may need many things. If well maintained what was done and when like if spark plugs changed then when and what else was done at that time. All those things are important when trying to determine causes of problems expecially when we cant stand over your car.rhandwor you posted as i was still typing but i agree they need to start somewhere. I see you say when cold veh runs good? you may have vac leak thats not as noticed when veh is cold cause more fuel is delivered when cold warmed up run lean and stalling check all vac lines just a thought

[97Bird]

Welcome to the forum SyllyLou. Did you notice a pop sound during the rain storm and just before you started having problems? As ronaldk stated a bad cap or wires could be part of the problem. The dampness may have caused a couple of cylinders to cross fire (the spark from one wire jumps to another and fires the wrong spark plug. If the intake valve of the cylinder that fired is open then you would hear a pop sound out of the carburetor. The pressure in the cylinder flowing back through the carburetor can disconnect a vacuum line or blow out an intake gasket. Look at all of the vacuum lines and be sure they are all attached to their fittings. Also check them to see if they are hard and brittle. A car as old as yours will probably have vacuum lines that will break apart when you try to flex them. You can buy a can of WD-40 to check for vacuum leaks. Warm up the car until it won't idle anymore and then have someone "feather" the gas pedal to just keep the car running. "Feathering" is when you push and let up on the gas pedal to try not to raise the engine speed up any higher then you need to to keep the engine runing. Try to keep the engine speed steady but you don't want the engine speed very much above idle speed. Put the red extension on the can of WD-40 so you get a narrow spray. A couple words of caution: Don't spray the WD-40 on the fanbelt or pulleys and be sure to keep your hands away from the fan, fan belts and pulleys when the engine is running! With the engine running as close to idle as you can get it, begin to spray the WD-40 slowly on all of the vacuum lines and along the area that the intake manifold mates to the heads. This includes along the front and back of the manifold. When spraying along the front of the manifold is when you have to be extremely careful of the fan and the moving components!!!!!!! The speed of the engine will increase when the spray finds where the leak is. If this seems like something you don't want to attempt then see if there is a vocational school in your area and ask them if they could check your car for you. This will save you money and give some kids experience troubleshooting an older car. Good luck.