1988 2.3 Idle

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Hi all,
I'm looking for some advice and or direction.
I've had a common problem since I first got my engine running.
The engine starts great and throttles up great but idling has been nothing but frustration!
When trying to get it to idle near the required rpm it won't go lower that 900 maybe slightly less but I can tell it's running a bit to rich, stuttering and a slight miss. I've had this happen with the carburetor that I purchased (snoockered) and the original one I rebuilt.
I had an 1980 Pontiac Sunbird years ago that idle very rough but don't remember the other symptoms, other than idling it accelerated perfectly.
I know the counterweights were worn on that engine which the dealer said was the issue so could that be my issue here? I also read that a bad coil could potentially cause this issue but I installed a new internally resistive coil with the power wire running to the key switch (resistor wire was missing).
The points, plugs,wires,cap,rotor have been replaced since I acquired the boat.
I appreciate any feedback someone might have.

 

[Scott Danforth]

make sure the dwell is set correctly, then verify the timing. that will affect idle quality

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

I went back to the beginning and my compression is 170 on 1-3 and 145 on 4. I will check the dwell tomorrow if the weather cooperates. As far as dwell I think my mistake was checking it by just cranking so I'll correct that. I've never went through setting dwell on vehicles, are marine applications more sensitive?
Either way I'm happy about the compression.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Setting dwell while cranking is normal.

Dizzy doesn't know if it's in a boat, or a tractor, or genset

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Cool, thanks Scott.
I am wrong too much assuming .
It was 38-39 degrees which I believe is a couple degrees above the tolerance.
I do still need to check the timing and depending on that outcome the distributor is getting pulled.
I just have suspicions.....

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

I haven't had alot of time to work on her but I have decided on going back to the original ignition setup. I've done alot of reading in the interim and it could be the issues I have been experiencing. I have found a bit of horizontal play in the distributor so whether it runs better or not I'm going to locate a good spare.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

When I first acquired the boat I had no idea as to where to get parts so I went with an internal resistance coil but have since found NOS parts that I wasn't aware of so I'm hoping to eliminate potential issues.