Ho-kay, I'm stuck on the idle adjustment step described at
http://www.sr20forum.com/technical-i...your-idle.html. Turning the screwheaded knob on the right side near the oil filter does NOTHING, NADA.
Codes are 34, knock sensor (old, used to be not a problem, more below) and 11, crankshaft position sensor (new, mighta got knocked on the dirt road this afternoon...exactly WHERE is that thing before I crawl under tomorrow morning???).
Here are the symptoms:
1. Cold start is okay, has always been okay and reliable. It sometimes idles a bit high for a while, then dies when the cold start cuts out. Sometimes lopes up and down, 1800 rpm down to staggering below 500, but not always.
2. Giving a bit of throttle to keep the thing running when warm is difficult to control below 1500 rpm.
3. Code 34 has been there for two years--stripped the threads in the head and haven't had it out to heli-coil it. Loc-Tite thread repair don't work, not strong enough at that size. Put together a nut on a longer bolt to torque the thing down to operating "squish", but that didn't work. Concluded that the thread repair stuff wasn't allowing a clear enough transmittal of the knocks.
Strange improvement!
3a. It WAS doing the no knock sensor sluggish-power ON! dance until I changed the spark plugs a few weeks ago...and put another quarter-turn on that bogus knock sensor setup I had (I'd even checked for broken wires to the plug last year). Runs fine, goes fast up the hills again, smooth running except for that blasted idle.
3b. The idle had gotten worse (as in all the time instead of half the time) a month ago when I drove over a big rock that rolled up and whacked the exhaust pipe just in front of the catalytic converter. Looks like the rear gasket on that thing is leaking--smudges around the heat shield now.
3c. The front of the CAT now generates a metallic whirring type sound when the idle is stumbling. At first I thought the big bump had somehow knocked the rear bearing next to the transaxle, 'cause it sounded a bit like a spinning bearing and from the front sounded like it was coming from near the flywheel. Parked the thing for a few days until I could look closer. NOT! the sound's coming from the front of the CAT, and is strongest when the engine is stumbling at idle before dieing. My over-educated much mechanics-dumb mind says it's rich exhaust exploding in the CAT. Can that happen??? The sound also comes up under load at speed when it's close to WOT.
3d. When the idle is stumbling, the exhaust smells pretty strong and I sometimes get a fuel smell mixed in.
4. The code 11 was NOT there Saturday, but is there today. NO CHANGE in behavior, though.
Until I hear from us'ns on the Board, I'll switch to the procedures in this thread. Better go re-connect the TPS before I forget...
Any ideas?
