BIG problem...running on 3 cylinders

[joe3180]

ok...i need to know some possible causes why my car would be runnin on 3 cylinders....any ideas? car runs but not very smooth. has no real pick up and go. i know its the second cylinder thats not working or is not working right. what tests can i do? what could be wrong? ill be thankful for any help. thanks in advance. please ask anything that might help too

[karmakaze]

ok...i need to know some possible causes why my car would be runnin on 3 cylinders....any ideas? car runs but not very smooth. has no real pick up and go. i know its the second cylinder thats not working or is not working right. what tests can i do? what could be wrong? ill be thankful for any help. thanks in advance. please ask anything that might help too

well there are only a few things that it could be. fuel, spark, or compression.

check for each.

[joe3180]

ill check the compression in the morning but im sure it has fuel since after my little accident with det the 2nd cylinder was flooded with fuel. anyone know how to check the coil packs? maybe im not gettin a spark.

[joe3180]

oh...so i do it right...the compression test...u disconnect the fuel relay and try to start the car, then pull the spark plugsand start to test WOT cranking 5 times or such (while the engine is warm) ....do i have the right idea? its been quite awhile since ive done it.

[sr20detmaybe]

The way u can check to see if ur coil is firing is take the spark plug out and

just plug it in the coil pack. Thank lay the spark plug on some part of the

motor so it will have a good ground. Than have some1 crank the motor

over and see if the plug fires. To check compression just take out the spark

plug and screw in the compression tester and have some1 turn the engine

over and see what it rises to. Atleast thats how i think u do it, i could be

wrong.

[myees13]

^yes, that sounds good

[Dori Dori]

im sure it has fuel since after my little accident with det the 2nd cylinder was flooded with fuel

Wait what? Please elaborate on this.

[joe3180]

was racin a turbo rsx one day and i det and was runnin on what seemed to be 1 cylinder on the way home. i barely made it home that day. already i knew what had happened. so i pulled the spark plugs and 3 of the 4 were melted and falling apart...soooooo bad. but the #2 was just fine. at the time i thought oh thats how i got home....but i know now that its just cuz that cylinder wasnt workin. now im quite impressed my 3 cylinders kept up with him until the det. oh but wait...thats that story but i was confused....the fuel thing was something that had happed a few months before. what happened with that was i had gotten a new fuel computer. the thing kept flooding my engine. one day when i got home i pulled the spark plugs and found a pool of fuel ontop the #2 i figured that the computer had done something bad or whatever and took it off. since then the engine never flooded but it seems that wasnt the case after all.

[joe3180]

oh but how do u stop the spark? i forgot bout that. u dont want the coil packs firing or will taking the spark plugs out of it enough?

[Dori Dori]

OK, first off, make sure cyl 2's injector is pulsing. If the cyl keeps flooding, it's not gonna spark. To do this, take your fuel rail off and hold it back. Have a friend turn the key to the on position. If there are any leaks, replace the o-ring or you may have a bad injector. If all is well, have your friend crank the engine for a split second...the injector should pule - not a steady stream of fuel. If you are getting a steady stream, report back. If not, at least you know that's not hte issue.

Also, I hope you change your oil after you flood your engine with fuel. Fuel in the oil will kill your engine in more than one way.

[joe3180]

ok...compression test done....all cylinders are good. now how can i test the coil pack? without laying on the side with a spark plug in. im scared cuz i can smell fuel and besides the coil need some pressure doesnt it? it just springs back out if i lay it down. oh the fuel prob was only when i had the computer in and doesnt do that anymore. i try to put my pics of the det so u can see my #2

[joe3180]

heres the plugs from that fated day. as u can see #2 is fine...the others are destroyed

[joe3180]

fuel injectors are good...no leaks and pulse is good

so only thing left is the spark so im thinking coil pack...any comments? ideas? suggestions?

[Dori Dori]

Just put the spark plug in the coilpack and touch the end on some metal...sparks aren't going to shoot out all over the place. You'll know in a split second whether or not you're getting spark.

[joe3180]

the end meaning the metal part of the spark plug the bends over right? and it doesnt need to fit snug? i was going to try it but i didnt think the contact would be all that great...you know its kinda springy in there and it pushes it out. and i didnt know if it was safe for me to hold it in or not....i know its a couple thousand volts going through there.

u think if it sparks once it always sparks? im thinking it maybe could spark sometimes but not always and thats the prob. is that a possiblity? cuz all the spark plugs seem like they are working if u just look at them cuz its not like that plug is still perfectly new or anything. but u can tell that #2 isnt as (for lack of a better word) "burnt" as the others. like its been exposed to fire but not as much as the others

[karmakaze]

fuel injectors are good...no leaks and pulse is good

so only thing left is the spark so im thinking coil pack...any comments? ideas? suggestions?

with your fuel pump fuse pulled out and no fuel pressurepull a coil pack off, stick a screw driver into it, hold it close to one of your valve cover bolts, have someone crank your engine over, see if it sparks.

[joe3180]

thats safe?

[karmakaze]

thats safe?

how would it not be safe?

[joe3180]

very high volage going through the screwdriver. its a bit scary for me cuz i already had some lower volage go though me before so im careful when it comes to messing with that kind of stuff
Modified by joe3180 at 11:47 AM 5/17/2006

[karmakaze]

very high volage going through the screwdriver. its a bit scary for me cuz i already had some lower volage go though me before so im careful when it comes to messing with that kind of stuff

electricity follows the path with the least resistance. its not going to pass up this nice big chunck of aluminum ground to shock you. and besides, if it did, which it won't, its 12volts. so what?

[VigVoodoo]

Its not like touching a powerline. You'll see a really small spark go from the screwdriver to any other metal. It's not strong enough to kill you.

[joe3180]

i just know the arc is bout 10,000-30,000 volts so i dont know how much is commin from the coil. so if the current is going stright on through how do u get the spark?

[VigVoodoo]

OK. Take the COIL off the sparkplug, leave the sparkplug in the cylinder. Now stick a screwdriver into the coil. Now lay the screwdriver on some metal (valve cover). Have someone crank the car over and from 5-10feet away see if it sparks. That's it.

[karmakaze]

i just know the arc is bout 10,000-30,000 volts so i dont know how much is commin from the coil. so if the current is going stright on through how do u get the spark?

its DC current. its AC that ****s you up. I used to be an electrical technician. It will not hurt you. I have done it myself many times. and btw, its the amps that hurts. not the voltage.

[joe3180]

ok...ill try it later today and ill see what happens.

[joe3180]

well its got spark....least i think. i sure did feel it. the screw driver thing was working so i put an old spark plug in to see if it would spark and i felt it go off. so now i dont know. its got compression spark and fuel. any idea what it could be?

[VigVoodoo]

Ooops. Check the timing it should be at 15 degrees +/- 2 degrees BTDC. Here's a diagram:


Modified by VigVoodoo at 6:35 PM 5/17/2006

[Deadrodent]

try wiggling the plug wires on the ECU (i had a similar problem - #2 wasn't getting spark)

and did you really check for fuel?

next step would be a cylinder leakdown test...maybe one of your valves are destroyed and that's why you're getting good compression but a ****ed up engine...

looks like something punched your spark plugs...
Modified by Deadrodent at 12:39 AM 5/18/2006

[joe3180]

i check the timing if i got time in the morning. hopefully is still right.oh but the problem was before the det happened. i just figured the #2 survived cuz it didnt get blasted with the little explosions. i was really amazed at the motor being able to drive 20 miles like that until i got home...going up the hill to my house was a b1tch tho....soooooo slooooowi reeally did check for fuel like the guy above discribed. i pulled the fuel rail back and watched them pulse all of them were firing off gas and no leaks after.ill do that with the ecu in the morning for sure. hope that will help it.ill look up the leakdown test too. ive done it before but i forget now how to do it.

[180fan]

what's the resistance across the coil pack?