1981 fiat 124 spider's idle cannot get past 690 rpm - engine dies

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benfiat124
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Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2021 11:10 pm
Your car is a: 1981 fiat 124spider

1981 fiat 124 spider's idle cannot get past 690 rpm - engine dies

Post by benfiat124 »

I sent my cylinder head to be overhauled due to bad compression on number 4 cylinder(30).After installing the head the numbers were 1-100 2-105 3-100 4-100. It seems low but the engine runs smoother now. The problem now is I cannot set the idle past 690 rpm.

The engine dies right away if I try to raise the idle speed. I have set the cam timing and crank pulley to their proper marks with the aux pulley to 1 o’clock when I set the timing belt. I have checked all possibilities of vacuum leaks but didn’t find any. When I try moving the distributor clockwise or counter clockwise, the engine will die. When I move the throttle linkage to give gas, the engine dies. When I open up the idle screw mixture counterclockwise the engine dies.

I notice though when I put a timing light the illuminated mark is about 1 inch past the 0 degree btdc. I tried to move the illuminated light closer to 0 degree btdc by rotating the distributor but it does not move either way.

I replaced the fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump and filter, all fuel injectors, cold start injector, ecu, maf sensor, coolant sensor, distributor vacuum diaphragm, alternator, double head relay by the ecu, and the throttle position sensor. Checked all fuel lines for blockage.

I’d really appreciate if anyone has any ideas on what is causing the problem.
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