my DOHC is acting up..

[HKSdrift3r]

ok so im about to run my car off a cliff right about now. The car is a 95 base model with 41K on the clock... the following things are wrong and its really pissing me off1. The motor is running really rought, especially at idle. If i let the car idle for 5 mins, their is black stuff spewed all over the ground and on my bumper which is making it yellow. Ive searched all over and couldnt find an exact answer. I ve changed the maf, o2, plugs, set the timing. no vacuum leaks. Also when drving at low rpm's (2K - 3K) it bucks and shakes really bad.

2. The motor is making a loud ticking noise, almost exactly like my old lifters did in my DSM. It also rattles. I pulled the valve cover off but the chain guide has been removed and the lower is still intact. This leads me to believe that the tensior is stuck so i will do that this weekend, but the ticking noise is coming from the whole engine, not just the front. Adding oil does not aid this problem. Can the cams skipped maybe and make it run this rough at idle??

3. Lastly, the motor is loosing oil. Its not leaking and i cant see it burning that bluish smoke like again, my DSM did, but im losing 1 1/2 quarts of oil every 1K. And its synthetic oil as well. I tried diff brands and weights but again that didnt help

Guys/girls... I really need your help on this one! Thanks for your time!!

- George

[steve s14]

do you have a check engine light on? if so, pull the code and diagnosis it from there.sounds like the car is running really rich. does the engine oil smell like fuel?if the oil is saturated with fuel, it will thin out and burn off much quicker.you may have a leaking injector or injector o-ring.

[jamesblonde82]

it's possible your gaskets are leaking from one cylinder to the other.

[HKSdrift3r]

i pulled the fuel rail and did a leakdown test. nothing. The car isnt throwing any codes regarding it being rich. The consult showed that the tps and coolant temp sensor are working correctly. The MAF on the other hand was reading 1.5 - 1.6V at around 1k RPM's. Seems a little high. The weird thing was that when I raised the fuel injector pulse duration, the car ran smoother so it doesnt make any sense to me. Any more input??

- George

[1990flatblack240]

Check the throttle body for black gunk I guess you could it..

If there is some clean it out and your car should run like new again.

[HKSdrift3r]

ok i will but would the IAV take care of that?? also, when cleaning the maf, am i just carefully cleaning that little wire or the whole thing inside?? thanks!

- George

[HKSdrift3r]

ok so i cleaned the TB with TB cleaner and the maf with CRC MAF cleaner. I followed all directions. Now the motor idles at around 1.6K RPMs. When driving it still bucks/jerks when im getting off the throttle or hold it at arond 2K RPMs. Samething happens when cruisin and getting into the throttle just a bit. I know my motor mounts arent in the best shape, but it shouldnt be bucking that bad, rite?? Also when im coming to a stop and press the clutch in, it'll rev to 2K RPMs for a few secs, then dip down to 1.3 RPMs, and settle at 1.6k RPMs. Is this an indication of a vacuum leak?"

Thanks, George

[steve s14]

yeah, i would say it sounds like a vacuum leak. check the pcv valve. if it sticks open, it will cause an internal vacuum leak. pour water around the intake manifold at the area of the injectors. if you hear sucking sounds or if the engine starts to run better and then goes back to runnning badly, then you have a intake manifold gasket leak. another way to check for vacuum leaks is to spray brake clean around areas that you suspect a leak, but you have to becareful using this method because brake clean is highly flamable.