Stalling and low/rough idle

[Sarstan]

1982 Toyota Celica GT. I just installed a fresh Starter on the vehicle and started it up and it ran fine, then I went and (quite foolishly) used one of those engine degreasing products to clean the engine since it was coated in oil. Whatever the case, it required the engine to be hosed off and I thought the carborature mounting was closed tight, but after spraying off under the hood, I turned it on and it started to rough idle and die on me. I looked under the hood and found the carburator had small beads of water on the pedal. I wiped it off and checked the distributor and it was clean and dry inside and out. I changed the spark plugs, fuel pump (it needed it anyway), wiped out, cleaned, and dried most everything I could without tearing the car apart and still the same problem. It dies on it's own and I can drive it around as long as I keep giving it gas at a stop or it's moving (to which without gas, it'll stumble). I've been also trying to "burn it out" the first few days, but after about a half hour and up of trying that, it didn't work. Right now I've increased the idle to compensate, but it still jerks and stumbles and dies at times at stops.

So the question. Any ideas? I'm thinking of changing the fuel filter at this point since I blew it out the first day and it helped a little (but not for too long).

[stepho]

Sounds more like a leak in the inlet manifold.
When you cleaned it, did you accidentily disconnect any vacuum hoses?

A little bit of water in the carby throat shouldn't hurt.
Water in the carby fuel bowl will hurt though.
Water in the fuel filter, fuel pump or fuel tank will also hurt.
(Water doesn't mix with petrol and the bad mixture won't go through the carby jets).

Water in the air filter doesn't help things but that should have dried out after a couple of days.

Small amounts of water in the distributor won't cause a problem.

- Stepho

[toyomoho]

Many times when this happens, it is water in the ignition system. Spray a little WD-40 in the distributor. Run down the wiring system for the ignition to see if water got into a electrical plugs or module. If you think you really hosed down the carb, check for water in the float bowl. Yes, a vacuum leak, did you pull of a hose during your washing efforts? Are then any vents in your emission or other systems that you could have filled with water.

See if you can isolate the problem to the ignition, fuel, etc.

You can stick on a timing light to see if the plugs are firing regularly. Use a small bottle of propane to check for vacuum leaks. The engine will pick up speed if a leak draws the gas in. If you think the car is starved for fuel, squirt a little gasoline directly down the carb from a metal squirt can to see if it runs OK monmentarily. Of course use caution with flammables. Keep away from the carb intake throat in case it backfires. Have a fire extinquisher handy and wear safety glasses. Better to be safe then sorry.