Cabby starts and runs at half gas, doesnt idle,white smoke

[sk8androck4fun34]

my 87 cabby is running bad. i put in an intank fuel pump cause i thought that was my problem before and it wasnt, i put up some posts and many of you guys informed me that it was most likely my relay, so i put a new one in, and now i can get it running, something i couldnt do before. To get it running though i half to hold the gas at least half way in and it will start up, and i have to leave it above 2500 rpms to keep it running or it dies right away. wont start without my foot on the gas and wont idle. plus im blowing mad amounts of white smoke out the exhaust, kinda has an unburnt gas smell so its making me feel like its electrical. i changed the spark plugs and distributor cap before all this but not the wires. also i put them back how they were installed, not by the book. maybe the guy that sold it to me had them in the wrong order. idk, but i need anyones help, i wana drive this car badlY!

[bbrown]

The basics of motors are simple. They need air, fuel, and spark to run. If you know you are getting fuel and air to the motor then the problem must rely in the "spark." I would check to make sure that each cylinder is firing. Get a friend to help you with this part. Take each plug out and test for firing by holding the plug to the block to see if it arcs when your friend hits the starter. Do this for each plug. This should tell you whether or not the plugs are functioning. I guess this step could be bypassed if you notice that one (or more) of the plugs are wet when you pull them. Also make sure your timing is on. I don't remember all the particulars of your case, but timing is important and if it is off then your car will not run right. White smoke is not good. You say it smells like unburnt gas so that is better than it smelling "sweet" which would mean a blown head gasket. So check the plugs. Double check the plug wires. This is a start, but it may not be the definitive answer to your problems. Good luck.

[kamzcab86]

White smoke is usually indicative of coolant/water leaking into the combustion chamber (most of the time this means the head gasket is failing). How does the oil and coolant look? Once you get it running on its own, have the cooling system tested, as well as the compression.

It's a good idea to replace the plug wires; that's part of the regular tune-up, which it sounds like this car needs. The plug wire order: http://www.cabby-info.com/images/Electr ... gwires.jpg .

Having to hold the throttle down indicates that it's not getting enough fuel.
A) Replace all of the little rubber vacuum line connections and check for a vacuum leak at the idle adjust screw. Make sure all of the vacuum lines are present and are connected: http://www.cabby-info.com/engine.htm#Engine_vacuum .
B) Test the fuel system: Pull the injectors and place them in jars; bypass the fuel pump relay (pull the relay and jump the two large pin slots on the panel) and see how much fuel is being sprayed and what the spray pattern is. The fuel distributor could be faulty, the main fuel pump could be faulty, the fuel filter could be clogged (should be changed any time you replace the fuel pumps), the injectors could be faulty, the CPR/WUR could be faulty... and the list goes on.
C) Make sure the timing is correct.
D) Check and adjust the fuel mixture/idle: http://www.cabby-info.com/cis .

[sixsracing]

This could also be a case of contaminated fuel. Water, kerosene and in extreme cases plain old bad gas can give these symptoms.

[Calimus]

First. Check your oil. If it looks like a milkshake, you have a problem where water is getting into the oil. Normally, this is indicitive of a blown head gasket.

If the oil looks good, do a compression check. If you have one or more cyl's that are really low, again, you could have a blown head gasket.

If both of those check out with no issue. Drain that fueltank and put some good fuel in it. Be sure to chainge the fuel filter before tryin to start the car and please do your best to flush the fuel lines before adding the new filter. No sence changing the filter only to try and push the contaminated fuel in the lines right back into it.