Hey guys,

I was just driving around in my car today at crusing speeds [35 mph] and the next time I applied throttle, I noticed a significant power loss. I pulled into a gas station nearby and I could tell that the engine was idling rough. We pulled the spark plug cable for cylinder #1 and the engine didn't idle/run any different.

We took the car home and we tried another OEM plug, but the one from cylinder #1 looked fine. Started the car up with the new plug, same thing. #1 not firing. We knew a ring had not let go because we checked the compression as well [170psi], plus the plugs looked fine; not fouled. We attempted to start the car with the plug wire for #1 removed, and we could see that the plug was receiving spark, because the end of the cable was lighting up. We checked cylinder #2's plug wire, and the spark was a little brighter. I'm trying to figure out what else could this be? A broken fuel injector? Bad plug wires or disty cap? Here are the things I have replaced /fixed in the past 10,000 miles or less:

O2 Sensor, Plugs, Wires, Cap, Rotor, Fuel Filter, PCV Valve

The car has 198k on it now and I think it may be a fuel system problem. I am going to get some more plug wires to see if that may be the problem. Am I on the right track here, guys? Anyone want to sell me some of their injectors for high port SR20DE? :confused:

Please help, I am going to hate driving my car to work on 3 cylinders tommorrow!

BTW If you guys want to see pictures of my plugs just let me know, I will probably be working on my car tomorrow. This sucks! :(

sometimes your getting a spark and sometimes your not? check your wires with an ohm meter.

Only my opinion, but with those symptoms:

Fuel injector #1 went bad

If you have a NAPA near you, you can pick them up for around $35. They are rebuilt, but work great. And it is an easy replacement job.

Good luck!

NismoPC,

I agree. I'll pick one up after work today, hopefully they'll have it in stock. I will also try plug wires too, just to make sure. I didn't drive to work today :( yuk! Must fix car!

EDIT: Replacement fuel injector for $125 @ NAPA. No less anywhere else. WTF?! Anyone care to sell me a spare? PLEASE PM me if you have one..

Originally posted by silversx

EDIT: Replacement fuel injector for $125 @ NAPA. No less anywhere else. WTF?!

WTF! Exactly! :eek:

Was that for a new one or a rebuilt/reman'd one? Sounds like it was for a new one. Just in case, you might wanna call them back and verify it.

Damn! I bought one for my old '91 NX2000 about 3 years ago for about $35-$38 + tax. Can't see them going up that much. :confused:

The sales associate said, in a rather unpleasant voice:

"That IS a rebuilt one, sir."

Sigh...I'm working on getting a highport intake manifold right now...comes w/ 4 injectors.. will keep you guys posted!

whats the point on buying a new injector is the diagnosed problem is no spark?

No spark is not the diagnosed problem, we can tell that there is spark going to the plug, because we could hear it popping inside the plug wire, plus we could see it when we cranked the engine.

I'll try a new set of wires just for shits and giggles, until my injector arrives tomorrow. If it is the wires, that's cool because I'll have new wires plus 2 spare injectors at a great price. Either way, I hope my car can be running good again soon!

Why not swap #1 and #2 injectors, and see if #2 quits working? Easy check.

Okay Guys,

I just got home, and started my car up to take it down to a friends house who had some extra plug wires for me to try, just for grins. The car was fine! Idled just fine, ran great.

My question now is:

What could cause this? Will it happen again? Has anyone had any similar problems? It sucks having a mysterious problem! Argh!

i hate to say it guys, but... i told you so.
according to silversx the #1 wire at one point were not firing and then when checked at another time, they were working. Obviously its an ignition system defect, not a fuel system problem. Maybe the old spark plug wire had a loose connector in the spark plug boot. Or maybe the wire was broken, so if twisted it may make contact, intermittently working.

Originally posted by slipper
i hate to say it guys, but... i told you so.
according to silversx the #1 wire at one point were not firing and then when checked at another time, they were working. Obviously its an ignition system defect, not a fuel system problem. Maybe the old spark plug wire had a loose connector in the spark plug boot. Or maybe the wire was broken, so if twisted it may make contact, intermittently working.

Wha..? Slipper, when in my post did I deduce that the plug was never receiving spark? Every time I checked it when the problem WAS there...it seemed to be sparking just fine, we could see the light on the #1 wire. Maybe it isn't getting the strongest spark, but it is getting one.

In any event, I have some used injectors coming to me, and I will be sending them off to have them ultrasonically cleaned. I figure it couldn't hurt. If there was/is something wrong with my ignition, what would need to be replaced as a precautionary measure? I don't know much about ignition components, other than a dist. cap, rotor, plugs and wires. I know there is an ignition coil...how costly is it to replace, how easy is it to replace, and is it all I would need to buy? Thanks for your patience with me during this ordeal, guys!

TIA,
Matt

Okay guys,

My car seems to be missing a little bit now. I know this because I was playing with a timing light earlier, and I could see the light pausing along with the engine sounding like it was pausing intermittently too. I am having some injectors ultrasonically cleaned and hopefully this will fix it. If not, what else should I try? Hasn't anyone ever had this problem before?

Things I've done:

Cleaned TB.
Re-Grounded MAF.
Checked/Adjusted Timing and Base Idle
All other tune up stuff installed.

Things I haven't done:

Ignition Coil
Distributor
Fuel Injectors

Any ideas? I don't want my car to run like this, anymore..any input at all is appreciated.

If you were trying to get the car in timing mode, you did not succeed. The timing markers will move around like you stated if you did not get the ECU locked into the timing mode.

If you just held the timing light up to the car while it was running, it will not read accurately either.

I use to have a hell of a time getting my '91 NX2000 into timing mode and I would experiance the same symptons. My '96 G20 goes right into the timing mode when I follow the procedure.

More than likely its you plug wire or cap.

Originally posted by NismoPC
If you were trying to get the car in timing mode, you did not succeed. The timing markers will move around like you stated if you did not get the ECU locked into the timing mode.


NismoPC,

I wasn't talking about putting the car in timing mode. I was merely putting the timing light on the #1 plug wire to see how often it was firing, and if it was a smooth firing order. I can hear the engine missing, and at the same times, the timing light will pause. It doesen't matter if I'm pointing it at the ground, at my head :) , or whatever. I was just observing the flashing of the timing light to see if it was steady.

I did get the engine into timing mode when I checked and adjusting my idle, because the marks on the crank pulley (when the timing light was pointed at it) stayed still and did not bounce around. You get me?

My plugs, wires, cap, rotor, are all genuine nissan parts with under 10k miles on them. I switched out the cap, it made no difference. I will remove my plugs tommorrow and take pictures for you guys. Thanks for your continued support.

Coil? Fuel Injectors?

Originally posted by silversx
You get me?

Gotcha! ;)

i reread the original post, sorry i read it wrong to begin with.
"Started the car up with the new plug, same thing. #1 not firing. "

Hey guys, update for ya:

I was driving my car today, on all 4 cylinders, still missing. I stopped at a Citgo and put in $5.00. About 5 minutes later, it started running on 3 cylinders again. No power; major hesitation from 1000-3000 rpms. I went home, slapped another fuel injector in, and the car is running much smoother now! I think I have fixed my problem!!

It was weird that the problem started a few minutes after I put gas in the car, eh? Ah well, I have 4 extra injectors and will be sending them off to be cleaned soon, just to keep my baby running good. Thanks for your help guys. I got it fixed! w00!

Originally posted by silversx
... I went home, slapped another fuel injector in, and the car is running much smoother now! I think I have fixed my problem!!... Thanks for your help guys. I got it fixed! w00!

;)

recap:

Originally posted by NismoPC
Fuel injector #1 went bad

Hope that solved the problem!