1987 Ford Laser Poor Throttle Response

FORD WINDSTAR
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SCROWLER
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1987 ford laser ghia, 1.6L EFI engine, 230,000 km

hi,

recently my car was not running at all, i found the fault to be the fuel pump, which i replaced, and now it starts and idles.

as soon as i put the throttle in, the rev's go down, and when i let it out it jumps up a thousand or so then back to normal, running pretty badly (spluttering, backfiring etc).

the exhaust has a little white/grey smoke coming out (not alot) and i saw a tiny plume of smoke coming from what looked like the exhaust manifold.

can you help me?

-edit- if you partially clamp the fuel return hose the engine runs alot smoother, could this be something to do with the fuel pressure?
Jan 28, 2007 at 1:15 PM
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INDYUKE
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There is a possibility that your fuel pressure regulator is bad. Are you able to test fuel pressure at the fuel rail? Check the connection to your fuel pressure reg as well to rule out any rotted out vacuum lines as being the culprit. Let us know.
Jan 29, 2007 at 3:28 AM
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i don't have a fuel pressure guage, but i'm gonna get the ecu diagnosed tomorrow and check the error codes.

with the clamp on the hose, driving up the street in gear the throttle would sometimes just cut out randomly, which i thought might be a sensor problem, so we'll check it out and see.
Jan 29, 2007 at 12:09 PM
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INDYUKE
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Good luck!
Jan 30, 2007 at 2:00 PM
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we didn't end up checking the computer, but my mate advised me to replace the fuel filter and we'll give the MAF, sparks, timing etc a tune up next week.

engine squeaks a bit, which is a loose belt, will tighten it up soon.

hopefully with a new fuel filter and cleaned MAF it'll run alright :)

we hooked up a pressure guage into the fuel line after the fuel filter today, and it read normal pressure with no clamp on, then with throttle the pressure went up slightly and the flow went down. with the clamp on the fuel pressure was way above normal, so i'm keen not to run it for too long like that (although i got all the way home and it didnt miss a beat - driving it pretty hard)
Jan 30, 2007 at 8:40 PM

Suggested Repair

Test fuel pressure at the fuel rail and inspect the fuel pressure regulator and its vacuum line for a bad regulator or rotted hose. Do not run the engine for long with the fuel return hose clamped, since that can raise pressure well above normal.

Conversation Summary

A 1987 Ford Laser Ghia with a 1.6L EFI engine starts and idles after a fuel pump replacement, but revs drop under throttle and it sputters and backfires. Light exhaust smoke was noted, and partially clamping the fuel return hose made it run smoother but raised fuel pressure far above normal. An expert suggested a faulty fuel pressure regulator or a bad vacuum line and recommended a fuel-rail pressure test. The owner planned a fuel filter, MAF, spark, and timing check, but no confirmed repair was reported.

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