Running on 3 Cylinders - distributor?

[thomasjamal]

So I finally got around to replacing the knock sensor and code 34 has cleared. Now I'm getting 54 which is apparently the code you get when you have an auto ECU in a manual car. So that's not big deal.

But, about 2 weeks ago my car started running extremely rough and almost dieing between about 1000 and 2200 rpm. When I tap the gas at idle the car starts to die and if I give try to go wot at idle it's even worse. However, once I hit about 2200 rpm it revs fine and pulls hard.

So while I was changing the knock sensor (Btw, figured out how to do it in about 15-20 min) I cleaned the trottle plate, which seemed to be sticky, with trottle body cleaner, and I also cleaned my TPS and MAF connections with electronic component cleaner. But the problem is persisting. My next plan is to replace the PCV valve but it's a bigger PITA than the knock sensor.

Oh, and my idle is still high.

Any suggestions?

[thomasjamal]

Just took it around the block. CEL is gone, so that's good.

Still wants to die at low RPM when given fuel but it seems better. Idle is still high but smoother. Seems like I'm getting closer but still not right.

[94_240sx]

My car, #1, 2, 3 injectors went bad almost at the same time(within 3 months or so) 2 years ago, so I replaced them all. Recently, my car was running 3 cylinders again and I thought it would be #4. Wrong, it was #3 and I had to replace it again. I asked part guy at the dealership and he said they're selling new injectors way more than before. Not sure if this is true or not, but one of the mechanics said it seemed like Ethanol in gas is causing this... Anyone heard about this? I might have to swap my ECU if more injectors go bad on mine.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I've heard of that before, but not sure if it is true or just a myth. You might want to ask the guys at Deatschwerks if they know anything about that. They pretty much know everything when it comes to injectors.

[94_240sx]

I've heard of that before, but not sure if it is true or just a myth. You might want to ask the guys at Deatschwerks if they know anything about that. They pretty much know everything when it comes to injectors.

Actually, I thought about sending bad #3 injector that I pulled out to Deatschwerks to see why it went bad in such a short period of time, but I thought they would charge for that. Maybe I'll just email them and ask anyway...

[PapaSmurf2k3]

yeah man, I've heard nothing but good stuff from them. Send in all your injectors and get a fresh batch, I do beleive they warranty their products. Also, they pay for your old injectors. Quite the stellar operation going on.

[1unar3clipse]

I also posted this in the 240 technical section. Mod, if this is to technical for this forum feel free to delete it. I just need some help!

So since I replaced my fuel injectors my car has been running on 3 cyl. The problem is that different cylinders keep going out.

Initially after I replaced all four injectors #3 was out so I checked the spark plug and it seemed to be firing so I switched the #2 and #3 injectors and then number #2 was out. So I determined it was the injector and replaced that fuel injector and it ran fine for five minutes. Then #4 went out. I realized that if I pulled the plug wire out a little it would run and thought it was just a bad connection. So I replaced all the spark plugs and used the slightly longer connectors.

Then the car ran great for almost exactly 1 day.

Then #1 went out. I've also done an initial compression check and found all four to be on the low end but still in the acceptable range. I also considered that the ECU could have gotten wet and checked it for moisture (also no moisture in the plug wells) and the wiring all looks fine.

Could a bad distributor be causing random cylinders to go out?

Any suggestions?

Im going through the same thing, I have replaced the entire spark system now on my 93 hatch and now after some research and helpful niconauts im certain from testing my #3 cyl injector is the cause of my car missing a cylinder .Timing? thats originally what I thought my cars problem was..

[thomasjamal]

Anybody think a vacuum leak could cause my current problems?

I noticed that with the engine running and manually giving throttle in the engine bay I could hear a hissing sound when I first pulled the throttle at idle but it would go away after about 1 second.

[slyedog240sx]

if you think you have a vacuum leak spray a litle brake cleaner around your intake and v.c. if it revs up ya got a vacuum leak.

[1unar3clipse]

did re timing help any bit when you did it?im getting my new injector tomorrow and im thinking I should also set the timing properly. man its been a week now that im on the same problem I hope it doesnt end up being my ecu...

[thomasjamal]

did re timing help any bit when you did it?im getting my new injector tomorrow and im thinking I should also set the timing properly. man its been a week now that im on the same problem I hope it doesnt end up being my ecu...

As a matter of fact, IMPORTANT STEP!

Although I had already recently adjusted my timing (which did help some) I have learned that it is apparently important to recheck your timing after replacing the knock sensor.

SO, I readjusted my timing with a functioning knock sensor. It was only off a little but it seems to have made a big difference.

The car is no longer hesitating off idle and is no longer dieing when slowing to idle. I can even throw the car in neutral from 5k rpm (not that I normally do) and it doesn't die. That's a HUGE improvement.

But the car still idles around 1200. In fact, as I was checking timing and idle with the TPS disconnected the car would not idle below 1200 no matter how much I turned the idle screw.

Any ideas for that?

[thomasjamal]

did re timing help any bit when you did it?im getting my new injector tomorrow and im thinking I should also set the timing properly. man its been a week now that im on the same problem I hope it doesnt end up being my ecu...

Oh and if you do need an ECU check with Nzmoman. He had one in his part-out last time I talked to him. I'm sure he'll sell it for a reasonable price.

[1unar3clipse]

Really?Im so worried about the ecu being dead that I might just bother him about one.what do they usually run for?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I tried selling mine on ebay a while back for $5 plus shipping. It didn't sell. Now I have 2, for the soul purpose of eliminating that as a problem when troubleshooting electical gremlins.

[thomasjamal]

Really?Im so worried about the ecu being dead that I might just bother him about one.what do they usually run for?

When I was looking for one manual ECUs seemed to be selling between $50 and $75 plus shipping. I paid a little less for an auto ECU.

The part-out I mentioned is right here: zer...age=1

I would imagine he'd take $60 shipped if you offer, maybe even a little less.

[thomasjamal]

More info:

So after running really well yesterday I left to meet a friend this AM and my car ran like SH*T! It was actually running worse than before.

So after I bogged and hesitated my way to where I was going (only about half a mile) I opened the hood with the car idling and checked all the connections and pulled the throttle manually a few times. After pulling on the throttle for a few minutes I got back in the car to leave and it drove fine again.

The common denominator seems to be the throttle. So I'm thinking the throttle is sticking initially but after I play around with it and get it moving it works fine.

Any thoughts on this? Somebody else suggested that it could be connected to the idle and it's having trouble switching over from idle to throttle. This would make sense since the idle is off. What could cause that?

I was ready to take this thing to a mechanic this am but now I'm not ready to give up. Help me out NICO!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

bad TPS sensor coupled with a vac leak maybe? Tough call. Try unplugging your TPS and see if it changes anything while driving it.

[thomasjamal]

bad TPS sensor coupled with a vac leak maybe? Tough call. Try unplugging your TPS and see if it changes anything while driving it.

I can tell you that before, that is, before I replaced the knock sensor and ecu, when I unplugged the TPS the car would idle normally and then shoot back up when I reconnected it. Now, however, disconnecting it makes no difference, at least at idle. I haven't tried driving with it disconnected.

I'm also going to check for a vac leak as somebody suggested. Just need to get some break cleaner, unless throttle body cleaner would work.

BTW, since this morning my car has driven perfectly, other than the high idle. It's kind of nice. My car hasn't ran this well in a couple months.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Throttle cleaner might work. Ideally you want to use starting fluid though. You could also use propane.

[thomasjamal]

A little more info:

The problem seems related to the car heating up. When I first crank the car and it is still cold it has severe problems if I try to give it gas. It will die when I give throttle unless I can get it above 2500 rpm (which is hard to do). However, as soon as the car warms up it runs fine.

What would cause that?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

coolant temp sensor? I hear the harnesses can get corroded. Pull the plug out and make sure all the terminals and wires are still good.

[thomasjamal]

Update:

So I switched my auto ECU with a manual one that Nizmoman had sitting around this past weekend and readjusted the timing and that totally fixed my idle.

So now the only problem left (other than that it still burns oil) is the issue with the engine cutting out when gas is given after a cold start.

I was able to feather the throttle enough the other day to get the car rolling down the street and as it started to warm up you could feel the power kick in at a certain temperature point and after that it's fine until it sits long enough to cool back below that. I'm leaning towards an idle air valve problem.

Any thoughts?

[Thoughtful_One]

Try removing and cleaning the IACV.

If the plunger is sticking, the car may want to die out when the throttle plate is closed.

I have big hands and it's a little bit of a pain to remove completely, but it's def. do-able.

Give it a shot, and check for rotted vacuum lines back there as well.

[amolao]

Yeah, what he says....

Take the IACV out and give it a good cleaning. There is a post somewhere about this guy that cleaned and rebuilted his with plenty of pictures. You can clean it while is in the car but is ghetto.....

[thomasjamal]

Update:

Just in case anybody was still curious what happened. I finally got around to replacing the coolant temp sensor like Papa Smurf suggested and that seems to have finally fixed the problem. It was a cheap and easy fix. Wish I did it before all the stuff that took way more work.

So, long story short I had to replace the ECU, injectors and Coolant Temp sensor.