ok so before today i could get me car to start... it would start but would choke down at first but then ran fine after a while.. but today it wouldnt start at all... i changed the battery so thats not the problem.. its a completely rebuilt engine and i think it has a new starter but not sure... any ideas??

 

check your grounds. I had the same issue. I took each ground wire off and then attatched it to the negative side of the battery so I could test which ground was bad. Easiest way I found. Best of luck.

 

Is your starter cranking? If not, start with electrical trouble shooting as GreyStallion suggested.

If its turning over, check your basics:
[1] Carb getting fuel?
[2] Plugs getting a spark?

Give us a little more description of the problem, and what (if anything) you have modified since the problem began.

By the way, is this problem with a classic or 2003 Mustang???

 

Based on your original observations, Take the airfilter lid off and while the engine is cold, set the throttle (pump it once or twice). The choke plate should snap closed. Crank the car and the choke plate should open about 1/4 " so the carbcan get air to the engine, the engine should start and go to fast idle. If none of these are the case you need to look at your choke adjustement, fast idle speed,and pulloff operation

 

I can"t find how to start a thread for this problem so please excuse me for this high jack.

Well installed the 351c stock intake with a new rebuilt motorcraf cab.
Everything is running Car started right up. The engine is idling too high and I have did everything I know to get it to idle down. Can't find any vac leak, timing is right. When I turn in the fuel air mixture screws there is no difference in idle I turned both screws out to 2 turns still high idle.
It idles in park at 1500 rpms and in drive at 1000 rpms. My understanding is it should idle in park at 1000 rpms and in drive 500 600 rpms.
It seems when I take off the distributor vac it idles down to 1000 rpms. Is there a problem with the distributor or is there something else going on? Did I get a bad rebuilt carb????
I will take emails jdcron@wmis.net please I need help here.

 

Your fuel/air screws have nothing to do with idle. The idle screws should be on the throttle linkage system of the carb.

 

Ok I understand that, So I have went through the idle screw and the choke screw adjustment and still have the fast idle. Can't find any vac leak after spaying carb fluid around the intake and carb. I m baffled, when I take off the distributor vac line it idles down to 1000 rpms. any other advice??

 

jdcron: disconnect the vacuum hose from the carburetors manifold vacuum pipe and shove it to the ported vacuum pipe. then block the manifold vacuum pipe. that should get idle to 1000. then use the curb idle screw to take the idle down. not mixture screws

original poster:
does the engine turn when you start it? you told us about some old problem. whats the 'is' situation? what exactly happens when you turn the key

 

Thanks Kalli
So did that with the same results.
Took the carb off and put another one on and did not have the problem.
Took the carb back to exchange for another one I think the one I got was defective.
The carb I have on there now is an old one that I had laying around. The problem with that is that I can't it the mixture screws to do what they are suppose to do such as. When I turn each one in to get the fuel mixture the engine idle the same. Supposedly it is should start to cut out and then I am to back off i 1/2 to 2 turns. Well it doesn't do that. If I could get this carb to work right I would just go with this one. Seems no one around this small town rebuilds carbs.

 

it could have had metal or some type of fragments in the low speed circuit from the machining or improper machining.

EVEN Better Idea!!

The gasket used on the base of the carb between the carb and the intake...did it happen to have the holes for the ventures? Maybe just maybe they were hanining up the throttle plates just a bit and preventing the throttle from fully closing... should you try again you'll have to verify that the throttle is hitting the adjustable stop and that the stop is adjusted properly. Turning that mechanical throttle adj screw wont do jack if the throttle never closes far enough to touch it..