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The sooner the better as far as fixing this goes as I deliver pizzas and without a car I'm without pay. And I'm getting married on Halloween so funds are already kind of tight...
Anyway, '91 NX2k was running fine for years but last week wouldn't start when I went to leave a house after a delivery. After push-starting it to get home I narrowed it down to the starter and replaced it. Eureka! It starts! No big deal since I've replaced the starter before.
But now there's another problem. It stutters/sputters/hesitates at all revs, and at idle it dies. It creates a very violent "jerking" as it lurches down the road and I haven't been willing to go farther than just down the block let alone try it in anything aside from neutral and first gear.
The sputtering is at regular intervals, not just random, and at different revs has a different sputtering frequency (but when accelerating in neutral doesn't sputter). After trolling around here for a bit I replaced all my vacuum hoses, spark plugs, and regrounded my MAF. No change. In fact, when I disconnected my MAF entirely there was also no change. Everything that I disconnected I reconnected. There's a small chance it may be a fuse or relay (if that would even make sense) since I monkeyed around with them a bit but put them all back where they belong.
My thinking is that my MAF is dead for no reason whatsoever, but it could simply be that another problem is "masking" a perfectly working MAF. I doesn't even know what an MAF is or what it does, but the pictures in the regrounding thread got me through.
I beseech anyone with any ideas to share them. Please be explicit as I know very little about cars and while I have the FSMs on my computer in PDF format it's an old Pentium 2 laptop that crawls through the documents and takes forever to find anything. I have a fair amount of wrenching ability without the knowledge to use it, basically. If someone could give me instructions on an MAF swap I know where I may be able to get a spare, but I'd really rather avoid that if there may be an easier/more probable solution.
tl;dr -- car sputtering as if disconnected vacuum hose, all hoses connected.
None of that clicks - down underneath where you did the starter there shouldn't have been any leads for you to trash, but I'd be tempted to go underneath to see if you have the starter leads AND THE STARTER snug - if somehow you got the starter crossed up (I honestly can't imagine how) it would have a poor ground. I'm guessing you have some sort of intermittent ground - and perhaps even to the fuel pump, but again, can't imagine how you did it as a function of replacing starter.
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'93 B13, etc.
If you don't have the patience
to do it right the first time,
how is it you have the time to
do it over and over again?
Thanks for the input, but I'm a firm believer in your signature and did it right the first time. Even so, I checked my grounding after your post and it's all good. I even pulled everything apart, cleaned connectors, and reinstalled -- no change.
No place in town will do anything short of an $80 (starting price, would probably be more as they dig deeper than vacuum hoses) diagnostic on it, which is utter ripoff pricing.
I'd like to pull the ECU codes, but I don't even know where it is or what it looks like (or, admittedly, what it does aside from generate trouble codes -- I've been learning about cars via the work I'm doing on mine, and have never done anything involving the ECU).
I'm 90% sure it's electrical since everything mechanical that, in my limited experience, would cause this is okay. Bear in mind that the only mechanical thing I could think to check was the vacuum hoses.
Could my O2 sensor be shot? I know what it does, but I don't know where it is or what it looks like. I've also seen mention of "limp mode" on these forums but can't really find out anything about it. My next step is to re-check my plugs, wires, and distributor although I'm 100% sure that's not the problem since the plugs were dry and clean both times I've pulled them and I get great spark when I ground them.
sorry to doublepost, but two new things I don't understand that I found from other posts about similar issues:
1) IAC valve. Where is this, what does it look like, and how do I tell if it's shot? I'd also like to know what it does if anyone wants to help teach me more than I NEED to know.
2) EGR. Same as above since I essentially know nothing about it.
Up until this vehicle the most I'd ever done was brakes/tires/plugs/filters/oil changes and install audio systems, though I do know how to use tools and follow instructions. I have an understanding of the operational fundamentals of an internal combustion engine but beyond that I just see a bunch of hoses and electrical connectors running to various other parts, only the largest and most visible of which I can identify and site the purpose of.
I'm sorry if I seem like some chump who should just go to a mechanic rather than waste the time of actual enthusiasts, but everyone's automotive education has to come from somewhere, right? I'd simply never had the interest, opportunity, or urgency to learn much in this area and suddenly find myself with plenty of all three.
I sincerely appreciate everyone's help not only to the extent that it fixes my car, but because you're also helping to expand my knowledge base about vehicles in general.
Okay, just took it on a mile-long lurch after checking the plugs and distributor and wires. Same as before, but now I have more info on the symptoms:
If I don't gas it to keep it running, it dies. I can't give it enough gas to go over 5mph or it dies, meaning second gear is right out. The more gas I give it the worse it sputters up to a point where it dies. This leads me to believe that it's the O2 sensor, since it seems like it's just not getting an appropriate amount of air to burn the increased amount of fuel that's injected. Does that make sense? Is there a way I can test the O2 sensor without pulling it? Where is it/what does it look like?
Checked TPS resistance, it was 1.1 closed - 10.1 open ohms -- slightly over norm resistance, but probably due to dirt. Even so, cleaned installed and recalibrated TPS. Problem remains. I'm going to go over the EGR tomorrow morning based on these instructions and post results.
Please post other ideas/solutions as I doubt it's the EGR since the surging/sputtering/stuttering/hesitation is across all revs. My bet is still the O2 sensor -- can anyone tell me how to check it?
My neighbors got an old '91 Ford Probe running and donated it to me until my Nissan is running again, so at least the urgency is mitigated. Please help me get into my NX again, I miss her so much
you should be able to start the car with the tps disconected if it was causing that much trouble it should start and run up to like 1500rpms. i had a very similar problem w/ a b14 it turned out that the little ground wire on top of the trans was not connected fully. it was only hanging on by a thread and it melted the connector. since that i replaced it with heavier guage cable and the problem was gone. so i always reground the trans and the motor on any sr20 i get. hope this helps.
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'02 G20 5speed sport edition in white, so pretty!
'00 Honda VFR Intercepter 800FI the cheap way to low elevens
'93 white classic the new toy getting ready for the funny stuff
you should be able to start the car with the tps disconected if it was causing that much trouble it should start and run up to like 1500rpms.
I tried disconnecting the TPS, no change.
Quote:
i had a very similar problem w/ a b14 it turned out that the little ground wire on top of the trans was not connected fully. it was only hanging on by a thread and it melted the connector. since that i replaced it with heavier guage cable and the problem was gone. so i always reground the trans and the motor on any sr20 i get. hope this helps.
It does help since it could be the source for all my problems, but I don't know what/where "that little ground wire on top of the trans" is. A picture would be best, but a detailed description would help nonetheless.
To continue with posting the things I've done, I did the "EGR Problem" fix even though there was no blockage. No change. Also, I still don't know where the ECU is if anyone wants to give better directions than "in the middle, under the dash."
... I'm taking the Probe to get registered/licensed so I have a vehicle for work today
Do you have a CEL light? I'm not 100% sure, but the ECU should be underneath your center console, underneath your radio and HVAC controls. It's underneath a plastic cover. You need to remove the plastic cover that is being held by a couple of those cheap plastic screws, and two nuts (12mm I think). Pull the cover off, and then pull the ECU off of the bolts closest to you, and then slide it out of the clip that's holding the back.
Turn it to the side and you should have your diagnostic screw facing you. I believe, that you put the key into the ACC ON position, and turn the screw fully counterclockwise, then fully clockwise. You need to pay attention to your CEL on the dash, as it is going to start flashing codes at you. The long flashes represent the first digit of the code, and the short ones represent the second digit of the code. If it flashes 5-5, then all is well, regarding components that the ECU looks at for trouble free operation.
Personally, it sounds like the MAF, though I'm not a genious mechanic. Are you able to take it past 3000rpm in any gear? Neutral? It could be possible you have a vacuum leak...
Post those codes up if you have any, and that would help us better diagnose your woes.
I know my check engine light works as it comes on every time I ACC the key, but it's not on when I'm "lurching" the car so I doubt there's any stored codes. All I can do is hope and try at this point, though.
Thanks for giving me detailed info on where the ECU is. I'll report back with any codes that come up, and I have the "How to read ECU codes" thread open in another tab so with any luck it'll be a simple diagnosis. As it is I have to leave for work pretty soon so I probably won't get to it for another 10 or so hours.
I went over all my vacuum connections. I even replaced all the hoses that looked shady regardless of testing (submerged in water with compressed air on one end and blocked on the other). The problem does seem EXACTLY like a vacuum leak, though.
I already regrounded the MAF (if that is in fact the connector that goes to the throttle position sensor). I can redline it in neutral without it dying, but the rythmic surging of the engine is terrible and I'd rather not subject her to such abuse more often than needed. If it's any help, it seems to surge at a slower rythm at higher revs (in neutral) though more severely.
Do you have a CEL light? I'm not 100% sure, but the ECU should be underneath your center console, underneath your radio and HVAC controls. It's underneath a plastic cover. You need to remove the plastic cover that is being held by a couple of those cheap plastic screws, and two nuts (12mm I think). Pull the cover off, and then pull the ECU off of the bolts closest to you, and then slide it out of the clip that's holding the back.
Turn it to the side and you should have your diagnostic screw facing you. I believe, that you put the key into the ACC ON position, and turn the screw fully counterclockwise, then fully clockwise. You need to pay attention to your CEL on the dash, as it is going to start flashing codes at you. The long flashes represent the first digit of the code, and the short ones represent the second digit of the code. If it flashes 5-5, then all is well, regarding components that the ECU looks at for trouble free operation.
Personally, it sounds like the MAF, though I'm not a genious mechanic. Are you able to take it past 3000rpm in any gear? Neutral? It could be possible you have a vacuum leak...
Post those codes up if you have any, and that would help us better diagnose your woes.
its OBD1 you can unplug practically every sensor on the thing and it'll never through a code. on the trans there should be a small 18-22 gauge wire with a black connector that grounds somewhere next to the drivers side engine mount. did you disconnect the battery when you changed the starter? you may have inadevertantly shorted something out. check the fuses under the dash there is one for i think its engine accessories or something like that i would just check them all. i would unplug the iacv and see if it will run w/o it you may have to hold the throttle *** it won't idle right. don't give you'll find somethng stupid and that will do it.
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