2.0l fuel injected engine surge starve cycle? Options

[jdlmodelt]

I finally got the ignition and fuel pump hooked up on my 76 2.0 L and the engine cycles between reving and stalling when I hold the pedal down to get a fast idle. What do I need to be checking now?

[Spoke]

Can you take some pics of this potentiometer you're talking about? There was a trim adjustment on the ECU but not one in the wiring harness. May have been some bandaid by the PO.

BTW, how is the normal idle? Is it smooth?

How does the engine run if you try to go to a high RPM like 2k, 3k?

Does it run good enough to drive it?

[jdlmodelt]

Can you take some pics of this potentiometer you're talking about? There was a trim adjustment on the ECU but not one in the wiring harness. May have been some bandaid by the PO.

BTW, how is the normal idle? Is it smooth?

How does the engine run if you try to go to a high RPM like 2k, 3k?

Does it run good enough to drive it?

the idle is smooth but so low that it stalls out after 3-5 seconds. If I start it with not pedal and get it idling then try to give it some gentle pedal it immediately stalls out. So, I can't even get it out of the garage yet to try it out. I had it running enough last night with short idles to get the engine warm enough that coldness should not have been the issue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[DRPHIL914]

Can you take some pics of this potentiometer you're talking about? There was a trim adjustment on the ECU but not one in the wiring harness. May have been some bandaid by the PO.

BTW, how is the normal idle? Is it smooth?

How does the engine run if you try to go to a high RPM like 2k, 3k?

Does it run good enough to drive it?

the idle is smooth but so low that it stalls out after 3-5 seconds. If I start it with not pedal and get it idling then try to give it some gentle pedal it immediately stalls out. So, I can't even get it out of the garage yet to try it out. I had it running enough last night with short idles to get the engine warm enough that coldness should not have been the issue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

i have a 75 2.0 and had a similar problem. if you are running really lean, you may have a surge cycle like you described. The POT you are talking about is most likely someone put there because the CHT was out of spec and they were increasing the resistance to fool the ECU so that you can adjust the richness. have you tested your MPS yet? a bad MPS will cause lots of these problems. running rich will cause a slower idle but make sure timing i s spot on first. check the ohm reading of your CHT, make sure it is the right one and that is specs out for your car. my car would start and stall when i first go it because it would flood out, it was a bad MPS, but a rebuilt MPS sent to me that was set too lean was causing the idle surge you have, and i had to increase the richness setting and was good to go. - look at your spark plugs- are the sooty , or lite from running hot/ it really sounds like you are flooding out. DO a vac check on the MPS first.

phil