now that its running...its very rough

I changed the plugs today with the new bosch platinum 4 plugs. It definitely helped but Its still "chugging". Same noise as the stereotypical chug from the anakin skywalkers pod race. i am not kidding.

My new injector O rings are in and I will clean the injectors this weekend and reinstall them.

I brought the car up to temp and turned it off, opened the oil cap and smoke was coming out......... this cant be normal.

also, When in idle, the L/km goes from 0 to max, back to 0 then back to max, so on and so on..

to correct your stars wars, your speaking of sobobas pod racer. anakins sounded like an late 90s f1. get yer facts straight.

platinums i found werent the best to put in. the copper plus or the ngk and densos worked best for me. and the l/km thing, i believe is based off the vacuum system. but everything does sound like a vacuum leak.

Originally Posted by downhiller

to correct your stars wars, your speaking of sobobas pod racer. anakins sounded like an late 90s f1. get yer facts straight.

platinums i found werent the best to put in. the copper plus or the ngk and densos worked best for me. and the l/km thing, i believe is based off the vacuum system. but everything does sound like a vacuum leak.

Star Wars

well, to defend myself. I didnt actually say it was anakins pod racer. just the pod race it self. and also, I didn't know how to spell sobobas. so....

after all i have read about vacuum leaks I am some what confused about them. I have also read about the smoker test. but dont really know where to start.

did i mention that the car dances back and forth like..."dont have a movie reference" , It just friggin bounces back and forth at idle. the thing shakes!!!

what about the smoke from the oil cap?

so the power balance of the cylinders are off. that could be from a fouled plug, stuck injector, plug wire bad/bad connection, or distributor caps getting old/pitted.

smoke out of the cap is just steam from moisture boiling out of the oil.

google has all the answers when it comes to star wars.

I went to the local "import" shop today to discuss a few things. He told me that I would blow my head by using platinum plugs.

can this be confirmed?

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

I went to the local "import" shop today to discuss a few things. He told me that I would blow my head by using platinum plugs.

can this be confirmed?

I heard the same thing...I use silvers.

hes smokin somethin. just throw in some e3s and call it good. they are proven to be better then iridiums, and less cost.

well, he did say. "other people will tell you that they wont hurt the head on the car, but i am telling you right now, that your going to blow that thing"

so, in canada the plugs came to 50 bucks after tax. i dont want to throw them out and get new ones.... damn

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

I went to the local "import" shop today to discuss a few things. He told me that I would blow my head by using platinum plugs.

can this be confirmed?

Originally Posted by DrJeremy28

I heard the same thing...I use silvers.

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

well, he did say. "other people will tell you that they wont hurt the head on the car, but i am telling you right now, that your going to blow that thing"

Total, unadulterated hogwash. They may not work very well, but they certainly won't blow anything (except your cash).

And I'd think long and hard about ever using that mechanic again. If they'll lie to you about something so easily proven false, no telling what else they'll tell you that is nonsense.

does the shaking level out eventually? if you give it a bit of rev, or maybe drive it a bit?

I would guess distributor or bad wires/connections as previously stated.
My M50 had that same problem after i refreshed the head and new plugs didnt help. I checked the coil packs and fuel filter and pump and now shes good.

it has not evened out. if I rev it more, it doesn't shake as much but the engine is still running rough, kinda like it is skipping a step or something.


can i test with a volt meter before i remove the whole thing?
i am feeling lazy this weekend

I just used my amp clamp to see if each wire had current on it, and it does.

does this mean that the the distributor is not the reason the car is running so rough?

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

I just used my amp clamp to see if each wire had current on it, and it does.

does this mean that the the distributor is not the reason the car is running so rough?

um......are we talking spark plug wires? cause they shouldnt have current, just voltage, like 20,000 volts. if there is amperage, its gunna be minimal anyway

i used the wrong terminology. Ya, Amps. It was between .6 and 1 amp.

so, the question still stands, if I am getting readings. then its working and the distributor isn't the reason for the rough running?

you shouldnt be looking for amps through the spark plug wires. what you need to do is find a volt meter that can go up to 20k volts and check voltage to the plugs.

Its definatley a misfire and Id bet a cap and rotor would do you some justice. Mine missed when i bought it just like that and it it gets smoother when you hit the gas because its moving faster but never stops. I dont think the ohm meter will work too good because its not gonna be a constant no spark in any one wire, almost like a hit n miss

it would be cheaper and easier if you start the car and remove one wire at a time until you get to the one that doesnt change the rpms. Could also be an intector

thats a good idea! I did just purchase new injector O rings in anticipation of having them cleaned. or maybe even replaced. But i will try that approach out tonight.

Its weird. the car ran very smooth before it was put back on the jack stands. then when it came off it shook like elvis.

I assume I need to remove all my intake stuff to get full access to the injectors.

No you you can actually get them out without messing with too much. There's only 2 bolts holding the fuel rail on and be careful with the lines because they are brittle. Before you start though you might want to take the fuel pump relay out and crank it a few times to drain the pressure and you should also clean that fuel head too because that measures the amount of fuel going to the injectors.

believe it or not, only the front 2 cylinders are firing. at least, when i took the front plug wires off, the car died. on all the other ones, the RPM's did not change.

I did remove the last plug wire and installed an old plug, i grounded the plug and it was firing,

does this mean that the fuel rail is plugged and keeping the other cylinders from firing? or is it purely a distributor issue.

does the fuel rail start at the front of the car going backwards?

arghh

fuel rail starts in back and ends up front. so the pressure regulator is at the end (front) of the rail.

so, it must be the ignition system then?

I'd think so. Have you removed the cap and tryed to clean it with some fine sandpaper? Sometimes that might get it firing constant enough to let you know if thats the problem or look at it real good to make sure its not cracked anywhere too.