1985 nissan200sx NEED HELP!!!!PLZ

[nissan4lyfe]

I am a proud owner of a 1985 nissan200sx... i am having some serious problems locating a problem.... when the car is started it begins running really rough... i have a complete loss of power... even in neutral it is slow getting the rpms up... i have replace the air filter....fuel filter...one injector....all the plugs...compression tested.... checked the spark...checked for fuel.... everything seems to be alright....i have no clue what else to look at.... anything will be helpfull plz.... thank you

[aris_unlimited]

Now when you say you checked the fuel did you check the fuel pressure or just determine that fuel was actually coming out?

Also did you check the spark on each individual spark plug or simply check the coil?

Is this a daily driver well maintained or is there a possibility of a lack of oil that could go unnoticed and the motor is taking its toll?

How is the exhaust? A clogged catalytic convertor could cause this problem.

If none of these questions/suggestions help you it could also be the ECU or the transmission (depending on if it is an auto or manual). transmission is the least likely though.

[nissan4lyfe]

thank you so much for the response... i determined that there was fuel being distributed...not the actual pressure...and as for the spark plugs i checked them all...the car used to be a daily driver but it was brought into the shop to get fixed up new pant...rims...etc.... but when i decided it was time to bring her in she decided to develop a problem lol.... i will go determine if anyof the things you listed are the problem....thanks again....

[aris_unlimited]

I would say check the catalytic convertor first. Especially if it is the original one. That could cause all these problems. It is easy to check yourself just get underneath the car and tap the cat a couple of times with a rubber mallet, if it has degraded at all you will hear stuff rattling around inside it.

Also check your air intake hoses......a loose one will cause stumbling upon acceleration.

[Jager]

does your 200sx have the ca20e or is it the ca18et? depending on which it is makes a big difference in troubleshooting stumbling.

the 18et will have a turbo. the ca20 will not.

check as you have 8 spark plugs that both coils are working and that all 8 plugs are firing.

[nissan4lyfe]

i am sure the motor is a ca20e because it does not have a turbo...

[nissan4lyfe]

i checked the catalytic converter as well and nothing really made noise inside of it.....could you explain a little better on the air intake hoses plz i was checkin vaccum lines and i found one that was off but i searched high and low and couldnt find a spot for it....the hose was coming off of a y i am not sure if this could be the problem??? thanks so much for the help greatly appreciated.

[aris_unlimited]

well with the intake hoses if you have a hose loose it allows too much/too little air in and will cause your car to stumble upon hard acceleration. I had this happen with my blazer and it was a complete pain in the rear until I figured it out.

Also if you are still unsure of the catalytic convertor being a problem, unhook the exhaust in front of the cat. if at all possible. If it still runs like crap.......not the cat.

[nissan4lyfe]

Is there some way of knowing what the correct placement for all of the hoses is??? Are some vacuum lines not necessary? I am thinking of replacing all of the small lines... they seem to be all over the place and very unorganized... If the lines is not the problem could it possibly a sensor of some sort??? what king of sensors would cause a hesitation like that when not working correctly or not at all??? also when i do get the rpms up it will backfire a little bit... could it be something electrical with the spark??? maybe something with the vaccum for the advancement on the distributor??? thank-you much

[aris_unlimited]

With some haynes/chilton manuals they have a diagram showing the wiring/hose paths. Although I personally do not know what they would be on your car. Also sometimes with a loose vacuum hose (not always but sometimes) just plugging up the hose (if that is the problem) will cause it to run better because then there is more resistance and it is not just free flowing.

As for a sensor that could screw all this up. A TPS (throttle position sensor) could mess with it pretty good.

As for timing. If your timing is off by quite a bit you will notice it messing with your car. But usually only being off by a couple of degrees will just cause it to run a little weaker, but it will still run.

Have you tried checking to see if it is throwing codes(unfamiliar with your car dunno if it even has a way to check).

Also if you still seem to have an issue figuring this out. Most of the dealerships around here will do a general diagnostic for about $100. So they may very well be able to figure out something we can't find.

Also when you do try to rev up the motor, will it rev up slowly but surely or does it kind of surge?

If it is surging it is very possible that one or more of your cylinders is not firing.........

I am going to feel like a complete dumbass if my hunch is right here........

But how long was the car sitting? If you haven't added fresh gas or put in a gas stabilizer before it sat it could cause all of this. lol. I am going to laugh if this is it.....

If this is indeed the case. Buy some fuel stabilizer put it in the car. Let it get good and mixed up then try getting the car running again. It will still be hard to get it going and it may very well still not run all that great, but it should run better. If this is the case add fresh gas in an attempt to dillute the bad gas. Although fully draining the tank and refilling with fresh gas would be the best answer.

[nissan4lyfe]

yes it does serge a bit when idling... but there is good fuel in it... would an exhaust leak cause my problem...just trying to rule out as many possibilities b4 i take it in... if i do take it in...i would rather try and figure it out on my own and learn more about it as i go along.... could it be anything with the air??? like an airflow sensor?? could it not be getting proper air/fuel mixture???

[aris_unlimited]

It could be any of the things that we have mentioned. In all honesty, it is impossible to diagnose something like this without being there.

I would suggest seeing if there is a way to get trouble codes off of it.

If not, do the diagnostic. You will still know which symptoms are causing the problem you have.

[nissan4lyfe]

Is there a certain amount of pressure that the valves need to be tourques down at?? could valves be my problem, they are a bit noisy....jw thank you!!!

[nissan4lyfe]

how do i set my valves???