Thread: Damnit, not right before school!

Hey everyone,

I've been having a few issues since I got my car out of storage the last few weeks.

1) After a while when I'm driving (seems like about 5-10 minutes AFTER the car has fully warmed up and I've been driving it around), it will start missing. In this case by missing it does the following. I can be driving along accelerating normally and it will stop accelerating, if I give it gas, the turbo will spool, boost gauge reads the boost, A/F gauge goes Rich (basically how it would look under normal boost/acceleration) but the car will not go anywhere. Sometimes it will just lug and maybe buck a tiny bit. If I let feather the throttle a little and slam it down again it will take off like it should. It does this in any situation, seems to be most prevalant around 2.5-3k RPMS though. During regular driving it will do it also. I have boost leak tested up to 20psi and have no leaks. The only thing I can think of that I did that might affect it is that I changed the spark plugs a month or so before I parked it, though I gapped them correctly. The difference with the plugs is that they are the BPR6KES, instead of the 7 that I used to use (I used the colder one before but I decided to try out the hotter one since my boost isn't all that high and I read a post by Defiant that the colder ones might cause the spark plug to load up). Any ideas? The only things I can think of are 02 Sensor fcuking up, and on my downpipe I have the ground wire stuck inbetween the hangar (though it is touching it and doesnt' move or anything, just not bolted in there, and its on the metal part, not the rubber). Could one of these things, or the spark plugs, be causing the issue?

2) Since I got my car out of storage a lifter or two possibly, has been ticking like freaking crazy...non-stop. I also thought maybe my car is reading it as knock and might be causing the above problem. I did an oil change a few weeks before (Mobile1) parking it and the oil level was perfect, and oil pressure looks normal, so I don't know why it just decided to start ticking. Any ideas on this? I think I probably know the answer (try an oil change and if that doesn't work change out the lifters) but I just wanted to see if anyone else had any other ideas.

3) This last weekend I installed an SS clutch line that runs to the slave cylinder, and also rebuilt the slave cylinder (even though it was not leaking) while I was doing it. After installing the clutch line I haven't really felt any difference in the pedal. I rebuilt the master cylinder a couple of months ago and at the time it seemed like the clutch pedal became a lot softer (MIGHT be my imagination), it was really light...Everything engaged ok and all so I didn't really do much about it. I thought installing the SS line would make it a little stiffer and possibly make it so I could feel the engagment point better but it doesn't. After the install I also noticied that I can push the rod on the slave cylinder in with just my fingers, and it pushes back out VERY slowly...is that normal? I also now have a popping/clunking noise when I engage the clutch in first gear (mostly when the weight of the car is shifting, so I'm not quite sure if its related to this problem, or something in the suspension, but I didn't notice it until later that night after working on the car), and the clutch is still a pussy clutch =(. NOTHING is leaking from the the master/slave cylinder, or lines on the car. The popping noise sounds bad, any ideas what it could be? And should I be able to push in the slave cylinder?


Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for the help guys. People on here seem to know more then on all of DSMTuners. =)

-Fritos

Time for a logger.

1) When your car doesn't "go anywhere", does the RPM's climb but the MPH gauge doesn't? Misfire will put your car in 'safe mode' if you have a 2g and it will feel like its limping and stumbling as you try to accelerate. I had an open wire going to my ecu that caused my car to do that since it would short itself on a ground. May want to just double check your wiring harness.

2)Lifter tick is prominant in pre 98 dsm's due to the smaller holes in each lifter. You can try mobil1 full synthetic with an OEM oil filter or even upgrade to an OEM 3000gt VR-4 oil filter. I've had success with that combo, but there's still a chance of tick due to poor design. Get revised lifters, get an eprom chip that gets rid of phantom knock, or just deal with the clack-clack lol.

3a)You need to properly bleed your clutch system. Especially if you have an aftermarket heavier pressure plate, ur clutch should be STIFF. If you dont have a vaccum to properly bleed your system, expect to spend about 30min-1hour doing it the manual way. It really does take a long time to properly bleed it. Some ppl get tired halfway bleeding it and are just satisfied with a soft pedal and a pedal that engauges close to the ground. You'll just put faster wear on the assembly that way imo.

3b) Clunking sounds like a motor mount issue. Check the condition of your front mount. If the clunking happens at a standstill, it could be a faulty throwout bearing.

Manny

Yeah, I have been mulling over the idea of a logger a lot lately...just starting to get tired of not knowing wtf is going on in the ECU...I was gonna try to wait it out for Christmas though so I can get DSMLink from the Familia + Girlfriend...maybe =).

Thanks for the response...and here we go.

1) The car definently doesn't go anywhere. Though I can't say for sure if its pulling timing, as I've never had the chance to have someone show me the actual feeling when it happens, from what I've read it sounds like that. I never have really checked the RPMs/MPH while it was doing it, I've just gone WTF and checked the boost gauge and the A/F (useless) gauge to see how the O2 and Boost are acting, which basically act normal...but basically the car goes no where. Next time it happens I will look at the RPM's/MPH to see what they are doing. Safe mode won't throw a code? I've kept it floored one time (cause I was pissed and just wanted the damn thing thats fcukin up to break so I can fix it) when it was doing it for about 10 seconds and nothing happened. I thought maybe if something was screwed up for that long it would tell me...but of course not =).

2) I have been using the Mobile1 full synthetic + Mobile1 $12.00 (!@#$) filter since I got the car and I've never had really bad lifter tick until recently. Nothings changed oil wise or filter wise. If I used a 3000gt VR-4 filter...wouldn't that cause less oil pressure..assuming its bigger? I don't mind the ticking really at idle and stuff, but its bad when I'm driving around and the oil pressure is up and the windows down and I can hear it tapping away...especially since it never did that before =(. I will try the other oil filter though next oil change, and if that doesn't work look into getting some revised lifters. The only other thing I can think of is that something fell in there...because a few months ago my valve cover cracked and I had to JB weld it up..I hope some little piece wasn't cracked on the inside.

3) I generally have bleed it for about 30 mins the last few times I've done it. My whole clutch system is stock (sometimes I've have gotten the feeling that it actually has a lighter pressure plate in there since a fem was driving it before). Any idea where I can get a vaccum to do it the easy way...just incase I didn't do it long enough? As a side note, and I don't know if it matters, but the clutch doesn't engage right off the ground, it engages where the manuals say, and seems normal...its just ...for a girl. My girlfriends 96 Sentra is harder, needless to say she loves my clutch's pressure...=(

3b) A few months ago I installed the ES bushing in the front mount, so its pretty solid. I haven't yet put the rear in, I was planning to do it when I did my next fuel filter. It will also make the noise if I put the e-brake on and let the clutch out slightly...it seems to be more of a pop then a clunk...what does a stuck caliper sound/feel like?

Thanks for the reply!

Well looks like the car will be parked for a while, as I don't want to waste time rushing to put it back together while school is in. I'll just save some money on insurance, and build it up with that money =). I used a vaccum kit to bleed the clutch and it was still had the same stiffness to it, so maybe my leg just got fat at some point. One thing I am still wondering about is if I should be able to push the rod on the slave cylinder in by hand. Can anyone confirm if this should be possible on a good working setup?

Thanks for the help so far guys, and when I nail down the real problem I'll let everyone know for future reference.