Engine Problem

[Vrusski]

here is the problerm that i have with my stock 1989 240sx;When in N and is idling, the engine shakes violently causing the whole car to shake. It stops shaking when you give it some gas. when you go to drive the car, it is very weak. It has prolly 20hp. It does not rev over 5000. the car accelerates at the same rate no matter of how hard you are stepping on the gas. SLOW. When going up hills the car begins to lose power, causing me to downshift and barely make it over the hill. Car does not go over 60mph on highways unless im going down a hill i can hit 80. can anyone help me?:(

[[s3]]

1st and foremost, check for codes.

What is up with all these MAF related problems lately?

[C-Kwik]

Who says it's MAF related?

I would check everything. If you haven't done so in a while, perhaps a full tune-up (check and/or replace all wear items that affect performance). Check compression/leak-down. Make sure the plugs are in good condition. I solved a major power issue on my mom's beater civic when she just bought it. I swear from the wear I saw on these plugs, there were the original that came with the car. The car runs like a champ now.

Just so you know, there are serveral possibilities. Best thing to do is to try an eliminate as many of them as possible methodically. Start with those that you can check visually first. Then work up more difficult ones while following some course of logic.

[[s3]]

Just a guess, but yea check everything, if needed check for leaking head gaskets, leaky vacuum hoses etc.

[DGA]

If its shaking violently start with the cheapest fix, (plugs, wires, rotor, cap) but before you buy any of this do a compression test and see if you have a weak motor. If your motor is good and you have performed all of these tune-up related items you should start looking for a weak or a dead injector. Mine went 2 weeks after I bought the car. But I could still hit 80 MPH on three cylinders . Start pulling your spark plug wires, one at a time, while your car is running, to determine where your weakest cylinder is at.

[240slider]

Also you could pull each fuel injector harness to determine where the weak cylinder is .also check and see if your egr valve is not stuck open.

[180fan]

My car has that occasionally now. The thing was that the plugs for my fuel injectors was really corroded and injectors one and two weren't opening properly as a result. I went at the injectors by moving around the plug wires on them until I found one that would make the engine shake and went about cleaning and tightening the plugs on them. Try that.

[Vrusski]

i pulled the spark plug wires one by one like some one has suggested to me.plug 1 - after i pulled it the engine shook even more and was idling raugher it seemed like it was bout to die but never did. plug 2 - pulled it out and it ran the same way.(shaky)plug 3 - after i pulled it the engine shook even more and was idling raugher it seemed like it was bout to die but never did. (same as plug one)plug 4 - pulled it out and it ran the same way.(shaky, same as plug 2)

also changed the s.plugs and 2 of the s.plugs were wet either in oil or in gas. and 2 seemed normal with lots of burning on the bridges though.

-checked the ecu and it gave me the code 55 No malfunction.-checked it again day later it gave me the code 13 Engine temperature sensor circuit.checked it again on the third day and it gave me 55 No malfunction.

also it seems like the valve cover gasket is bad cuz u can see oil on the outside of the engine and its always moist.

any suggestions?

[navysnail]

replace temp. sensor, maby its only hapening sometimes, you probobly have an injector stuck open if the plugs are wet. that is a lot of gas going into one cylinder. do you get crappy milage?

[Vrusski]

i don't drive tha car, i bought it bout a month ago and its been sitting there with that problem. I've been changing minor things before i register it... hoping it will give it a better chance to pass inspection. i bought the car in CT 100 miles away from where i live, drove it back home and it used up exactly half of a gas tank. this was highway mostly. should i try some injectors cleaning stuff? will that help if the injectors are clogged up?

[dak2007]

if you try that use seafoam...you can get it at advance:D :spam

[leper421]

i pulled the spark plug wires one by one like some one has suggested to me.plug 1 - after i pulled it the engine shook even more and was idling raugher it seemed like it was bout to die but never did. plug 2 - pulled it out and it ran the same way.(shaky)plug 3 - after i pulled it the engine shook even more and was idling raugher it seemed like it was bout to die but never did. (same as plug one)plug 4 - pulled it out and it ran the same way.(shaky, same as plug 2)

also changed the s.plugs and 2 of the s.plugs were wet either in oil or in gas. and 2 seemed normal with lots of burning on the bridges though.

If there is no change in the engine after you disable a cylinder, it means that cylinder is not firing correctly. Sound like you're running on two cylinders. Were the wet spark plugs from #2 and 4? If they are wet with gas, you may not be getting any spark. Pull one spark plug wire at a time and hook up a good spark plug to it, touch the outer electrode to a good ground on the car, crank it and look to see if it sparks.

[240slider]

The fuel injector stuff that you can buy at the store works but that stuff takes time .take it to the mechanic and have them use the injector cleaning machine for much better results.also it does sound like your running on 2 cylinders.If possible use a test light on the injector harness to check for power and ground because it may not be that the injector is dirty it may not be getting power I hope that works for you .

[NISTECH]

check your coolant temp connection if it has green crusty substance in it clean it up. if this connector gets like this the car will think it is colder then it really is and richen up your fuel mixture,enough to kill the spark in one or more cyl's. after checking/repairing the coolant temp connector clean all your plugs off crank the car over with no plugs in it with your foot to the floor[this will clear most of the fuel from the cyl.] Reinstall your plugs and see how it runs. when you go to start it with the plugs in it hold your foot about half way down till it starts to run then bring it down to about 1/8 throttle and slowly release to idle. See if this gives you an improvement.

[Vrusski]

i think i got it, the distributor is whats causing the problem. i started the car today and i pulled out spark plug wires 1 and 2 and the engine ran the same way it did with all four wires in place. so then i tried to see if there is spark coming from the wires so i held the plug wires(1,2) about an inch away from the spark plug. with a functioning wire you could see a spark jump from the wire to the plug quiet fast. but wires 1,2 did not send a spark to the plug.

am i wrong with this guess?if not should i replace the whole distributor or just the cap?does anyone have one for sale? for a ka24e?

[bvanev]

I would replace the rotor, cap, wires, and plugs. DO NOT buy the cheapos from Napa, get good quality OEM wires. A buddy of mine has had to replace wires 4 times because the NAPA wires don't seem to hold up to the heat, lots of inductive noise once the car warms up. That should solve your problem.