I have an 81 with the 2.3 and the 2bbl carb. It has rough idle and it spits black soot out of the tail pipe, even after warm up. I've adjusted the fuel mixture screw just a little bit, no avail. But today I changed the plugs/wires, cap and rotor. So thats not causing it. Next is the timing and that will happen at the end of the week. So here's the question, even if the timing is off just a bit will it cause this? Also I've been getting around 19 mpg, is that common for these engines or are they supposed to get better?
Thanks
Mike.
Mixed driving. I've heard the 2.3 will get close to 30mpg if running at the top of its game. is that true?
I changed the timing belt almost a month ago, it was running rough then
to. Didn't notice that it was off but I don't know to much about these particular engines. I was planning on putting a light to it this Friday.
If it is off (which it probably is) is there a special way to adjust the distributor? Also what degree is it supposed to be timed at?
Thanks
Mike.
Black soot means a rich fuel mixture. Check float adjustment and maybe the condition of the needle and seat. The adjustments are typically for idle mixture, if you see no change in the way it behaves at idle when adjusting the mixture screws, there's something wrong with the carburetor. When was the last time it was rebuilt or at least disassembled and cleaned?
I rebuilt the carb not to long ago. I think it was some time in mid June.
Unless I did it wrong which I hope I didn't. But yeah this was the first rebuild for it. It has around 1000 miles on the rebuild. It was running the same before the rebuild and thought that this would fix it and it hasn't.
It has emissions galore on it, would a bad component somewhere cause it to run like this?
I doubt it. There's really nothing emissions related that would make it run pig rich. It still wouldn't surprise me to find the float level out of adjustment or a small piece of trash holding the needle valve open. The tiny amount of effort needed to adjust a float is the same amount of effort needed to knock it out of adjustment.
I chased a rich condition in an old 5200 Holley. Black spark plugs, bad mileage, and puffs of black smoke out of the pipe all after I rebuilt the darned thing. I played with the choke for an afternoon and as a last resort tore the carb down and rechecked everything. Reset the float using that lousy paper gauge they give you in the kit. Once I did that and got the mixture screw set again, it ran like a champ.
Thats what by biggest fear is. But I'm pretty sure the float is adjusted correctly. But if the timing doesn't fix it (I've parked the car till the end of the week) I guess I'm gonna have to go back and redo the carb. Its only costing me money by eating my mileage.
Sorry to confirm your worst fear, but adjusting the timing isn't going to cure a carb problem. It might mask it, or the car may behave a little better, but your bad mileage will most likely continue since the same amount of fuel is still making it's way to the cylinders.
mid 20s on the highway (possibly up to the low 30s depending on your gearing, transmission, general condition of the car) mid teens to low 20s in town.
I was getting 23mpg in town with a 1988 Mustang LX 2.3 that only had two working gears in the transmission and a 3.73 rear end, but EFI works wonders...
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
Well I'm getting 19mpg mixed with a richness problem. So once that gets solved I'm hoping for mid to upper 20s. But my friend had a mid 70's courrier and he got around 27 but it was a stick. Mine has a 3 speed auto and not sure of the rear end. As you can see from my pictures you can get an idea of what kind of car it is.
Well it has the "guts" a of a Mustang. Guts being the operative word since the 2.3L used was a Pinto era engine. But yeah The later Fairmonts had the same look and the Crown Vics had a similar look.
I got 19mpg beat I was getting about 13mpg for about 2 years because I didnt have the money to replace some bad parts till a few weeks ago, but now I'm getting about 20-22mpg because of a stupid exhast manifold leak and I have no money to fix for 3 weeks /sadface
1981 Mustang 2.3L running rough. 
