1989 Ford Mustang Chugging - Engine

Question: waking car up from 5 year nap. Engine is a rebuild with only 28, 000. have installed new plugs. is getting air. removed gas tank and dumped old gas. fuel pump is working. exhaust not a problem. Even dumped fuel system cleaner in it. New battery. Problem: when you can get it to start it will set there and chug. Eventually you can give it enough gas to get the RPM, s up and it sounds great then you let it back down to an idle and it will run good and then for no apparent reason start to chug and die. Then won't start again until turned over several times. seems to be getting fire. looked at vaccum for leaks(none that are obvious. Hope this is enough info. Got a suggestion??

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Owner: this is a 2.3 liter

Owner: this is a 2.3

Technican: Hello, What is the fuel pressure? Have you replaced the fuel filter? Does your 2.3L engine have a distributor, or DIS system? Will you please try looking at the air inlet tube from the air cleaner to the throttle body for splits, holes that are not factory made, and verify all the clamps are tight? Try disconnecting the MAP sensor and see if the engine runs better. Ensure the EGR Valve closes when the throttle closes. Trying to help,

Owner: I am 43 and have been away from playing with cars since the seventys so you will know where I'm coming from. Ok here we go. Yes we did change the fuel filter(sorry forgot to mention)Do not have a pressure gauge but when we took the fuel line loose up by engine and hit the key it pumped a good amout of gas out in a hurry. No clue what or where MAP or EGR sensors are but if you steer me on where and how to check I can do that. Not sure if it has distributor or DIS but it looks like a distributor cap to me. Coil wire in and 4 plug wires out with wires plugging into the side of it. Yes, the air inlet tube is on tight and in good shape. OK it's your turn . Thanks

Technican: The fuel pressure will be important to know. I hope you can borrow a gauge and check it. Fuel volume delivered can mask whether or not the fuel pressure is regulated properly. The fuel injectors may be dirty and not spray/work well at idle speed resulting in engine stall. A professional flushing of the injectors could be needed to correct. The MAP sensor is on the firewall. It will have a vacuum hose and an electrical connector. I'm curious what happens to engine performance when you disconnect the electrical connector. The EGR valve has a control solenoid that controls vacuum to the EGR valve diaphram. The EGR valve is a round flat metal cylinder about 1.5" thick and approx 3" diameter bolted to the intake manifold. If the underside of the EGR valve case has slots in it you will be able to feel and even push up on the diaphram to see if it moves. The valve gets HOT so be careful dealing with it. The control solenoid turns vacuum on when the throttle is above idle. You have a distributor from what you describe. DIS refers to Distributorless Ignition System and you wouldn't see a cap with 5 wires. Any help?,

Owner: Was unable to get a fuel gauge to test pressure. We unplugged the MAP sensor electrical as you suggested and car immediately started running better, so we replaced the MAP. It does run better than it was but still goes through cycles of idleing good then bad. Problem seems to get worse when Engine warms up. When I first unplugged old sensor and it began running better I took it out on the road. It had better power but still would not climb above 45 mph.

Technican: I'm pleased with the improvement via the MAP. It handcuffs me to not know the fuel pressure. If the engine can breathe, there is no exhaust restriction, the computer controls the timing, the check engine light is not on.... Looking for disconnected, split or collapsed vacuum hoses will address a rough idle. Have you checked the Air Flow Sensor screen for debris? At 45 MPH the power may plateau due to fuel pressure. I may have to bow out on this one. Fuel injection technology doesn't leave me much room to assume critical data is OK. How do you want to proceed?

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