Car won't stay running...

[88whitegt]

All the basic specs but here is my problem...

1. Ever since I bought the car it has been messing up, one second it'll idle fine and the next I have to pump the gas to keep it running

2. The other day it just wouldn't start period...it'll sit there and crank all day but almost seemed like it wasn't getting spark because it wouldn't even try to fire up.

3. Somehow it fixed itself and after two days of setting there it fired right up and I drove it around. That night I noticed when I fired it up at the golf course it left a lot of black soot on the ground, so I moved it and it did it again but it ended up cleaning itself out. Fired up the next morning and I drove it to work (2 minutes away), when I left work it fired up but I had to pump the gas to keep it running (just like #1 states) and I went 100 yards and it just shut down. Left it set for about an hour or so and then it fired up again not adjusting/changing anything, I never popped the hood.

A friend of mine is a mechanic who also has a fox and said that he would change the distributor module first and his son who is my age also said that he would change the map sensor as well.

Any other thoughts? Thanks for taking the time to read and offer your opinion

[349Stroker]

car is pig rich..check tps sensor and the O2's one of them is your problem

[RogerStout]

Check IAC (idle air Control)and FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator)

[cwh19]

Definitely running rich. Searching for idle/black soot = rich. Any performance parts? It might need tuned.

[349Stroker]

idle air motor is workling... if it searching(surging) its doing its job but because its rich it cant idle

[88whitegt]

thanks guys, it's just really weird that one second i can start the car up and it'll sit there and idle all day, then drive it down the road 2 mile and it starts acting up

as far as i know there isn't anything done aftermarket to the motor other than maybe a larger throttle body, here is a pic

[88whitegt]

I put in a stock air box too by the way, that other one is a piece of shit thats on it

[torqueboxer]

sounds like your map sensor is going bad or the vaccume line going to it is cracked..it mounted on the firewall behind the intake with a electrical connection and vac line.

[88whitegt]

changed the control module on the distributor, seems to have helped it a lot so far, either that or it's just in a good mood haha, if it still messes up the map sensor is the next thing to be changed, thanks again guys