ZERO Driveablity Sick of the BS

[redstangs9308gt]

Ok, I am sick of my car and its bull shit. I am thinking about trading it off and just being happy to get what I owe out of it. I don't understand how come I can't get this peice of shit to do idle recovery. All it knows is stalling out. Regardless of what pcv setup or lack there of I am running. It will do great one day and then junk for a month later. I have been told its all in the cams. BTW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elzevxPh0EQ
Proof that you can be stroked, blown, cammed, and still have idle recovery. Is there a sensor that needs to be replaced that I dont know about? I am going to make a smoke vacuum leak machine and see if I don't have a vacuum leak. DOES ANYONE have a clue to help me out. This peice of shit just wont do anything right. Tunes are like band aids only to peal off in a day or two.
What I can you tell you is this
Throttle body with motor and TPS is brand new. Same stalling effect
New 02 sensors=same stalling effect
New fuel pressure sensor=same stalling effect
New fuel filter=same stalling effect
Brand new plugs=same stalling effect
Fifty different ways to have a pcv system setup=seemed to get better then only to get worse over time.
Vented pcv system=same stalling effect
You can idle the car around 950rpm and it will get better but will still idle/rev up/stall
At least 30 tunes from different people, car gets better, problems seems to be fixed or at least at a minimum, only to get worse with time. Then its back to the same old song and dance.
Fact of life here. Comning to a stop while deceling (gearing down) push the clutch in and STALL. Idle /rev it up/ idle recovery STALL
Car runs great as long as your giving it gas.

 

[46Tbird]

Start with some real basics. Get a vacuum gauge connected to the intake manifold and see how many inches it pulls when it actually does idle. In fact, I would take a long piece of vacuum line and run the gauge into the passenger compartment and drive the car around some to monitor the engine's behavior. In order to have a reliable, steady idle, you should be able to pull 12-15". Regardless of what the reading is, make sure you are getting consistent readings for various engine speeds.

My guess is that you have a vacuum leak. But I can also see how you might have an ECM problem, since that is what controls engine idle speed. I see that you have had some tunes done on the car, but is anyone actually tuning the car, or are these shelf tunes? Having a datalogger onboard should give a professtional tuner all the information they need to diagnose your problem.

 

[kevinatfms]

pm me about this. i will do everything possible to help you out. i have a set of diagnostic skills that i have aquired over a long career at ford motor company that makes nitemares like this dissapear.

ok now to get out of the liam neeson "taken" voice.....really though, pm me. i have a few things i would like to talk to you about looking into. and going threw a few procedures to rule out a few small things.

 

[redstangs9308gt]

Start with some real basics. Get a vacuum gauge connected to the intake manifold and see how many inches it pulls when it actually does idle. In fact, I would take a long piece of vacuum line and run the gauge into the passenger compartment and drive the car around some to monitor the engine's behavior. In order to have a reliable, steady idle, you should be able to pull 12-15". Regardless of what the reading is, make sure you are getting consistent readings for various engine speeds.

My guess is that you have a vacuum leak. But I can also see how you might have an ECM problem, since that is what controls engine idle speed. I see that you have had some tunes done on the car, but is anyone actually tuning the car, or are these shelf tunes? Having a datalogger onboard should give a professtional tuner all the information they need to diagnose your problem.

I have done tons of datalogging with my x3 and wideband. Something screwed up is going on. Lito can get the car running perfect. ZERO problems then out of no where the car won't run worth a crap and nothing has changed to make the car run any different. I can even clear the keep alive memory or reprogram the car and its the same shit like lito never even tuned the car. Something is clearly changing or getting worse on its own. Same exact thing when Mike tuned the car also. Car runs perfect when giving it gas or at WOT but something is keeping it from keeping a steady idle after comning from a above idle situation. Example would be. Put the car in gear, tach it up to 3700 rpm, pull it out of gear and leave it in netural. My car dies. Sitting parked in netural, rev the car up to any rpm. Let off the gas, the car stalls. Trying to come to a stop while in 4th gear, let off the gas, push in the clutch to catch 3rd gear, if your not fast enough getting it into 3rd gear the car will stall. While in 1st gear comning to stop. Let the car decel from 6500rpm-1100rpm, push the clutch in to stop. STALL. You just can't drive the car.

 

[bigray327]

Hang in there. This too shall pass.

 

[Tbone]

I think its going to be something real small. Something changes intermittently. Like a crack in the cai tube or something. Heats up just right or hit a bump and crack opens up and screws the tune up.

 

[one eyed willy]

the smoke machine will be your best bet! good luck! let me know what you rig up, i thought about getting a cheap fogger machine and trying that. there is a guy on youtube who used one.

 

[BruceH]

I think you have an intermittent vacuum leak. I had one that was similar a few years ago. Took a few weeks to diagnose and in the end I had make a small cut in one of the fuel injector orings while installing. Depending on how much pressure or vacuum was present the oring would seal or not seal.

Having experience something similar I'd suggest pulling all your injectors and replacing the orings.

Are you one of the guys with a 1L block?

 

[redstangs9308gt]

Yup 1l block here. Ok, so I am not getting excited because I have got my hopes up only to get crushed but I did make my smoke machine. Counting all the special fittings, drill bits, threaders (used my dads drill press) metal pipe with end caps, 1985 f350 glow plug. I have around 180 dollars in it. WORKS DAMN WELL. So I pressurized the engine. It slowly built up pressure as soon as it started building pressure I could hear leaks. When if finally built up what I had set the max pressure too it was pooring. So this is what I found.. I have fabricated aluminum moroso valve covers. 1 bolt that holds the valve cover down is leaking good. (when i first got my engine that very bolt was leaking oil and I put rtv gasket maker on it and it stoped the engine oil leak) The valve cover has a small hair line crack in the middle on one of the welds. Both of these leaks doesn't even compare to this next one. The rubber gasket that "seals" the vct motor is pooring air bad. I mean you can feel the air pooring out of it like a strong breeze.
Things to note. My smoke machine can not produce enough smoke to keep up with leaks above 10psi. Anything below 10psi the leaks will smoke like smoke from a cigarette after a strong draw off of it. I will post a diy write up for us poor people who can't afford a real smoke machine. Looking back I guess I could cut some costs here and there because I bought over kill just to make sure I had what I needed.
Side NOTE. I used two cans of starting fluid trying to see if the engine would raise the rpms prior to making my smoke machine. I couldn't find the leaks like that. I know for a fact that I sprayed on those rubber vct motor seals because I remember reading a while back someone else had this problem.

 

[JeremyH]

Looks like your on your way to getting her fixed. VCT motor?

 

[redstangs9308gt]

Yup. I guess that is what it is called. lol Top of the valve cover towards the front of the engine.

 

[one eyed willy]

but when you were running open breathers, those leaks you are talking about would not have made it do anything, those leaks would only be a issue possibly if you were running a closed pcv system.

 

[one eyed willy]

Yup. I guess that is what it is called. lol Top of the valve cover towards the front of the engine.

vct solinoid

 

[redstangs9308gt]

but when you were running open breathers, those leaks you are talking about would not have made it do anything, those leaks would only be a issue possibly if you were running a closed pcv system.

Yup I figured that out. Yes I was running closed pcv system. That would explain why I couldn't get a steady response out of my car

 

[JeremyH]

Gotcha wasnt sure what ya ment. But I agree these sources are not vac leaks with breathers.

 

[redstangs9308gt]

I am going to fix those three leaks and then I will keep moving. I am pretty sure there is more

 

[BruceH]

Did you plug this hole in the 3v front cover? The 1L block doesn't quite cover it like a 3L does. It would be another source of pcv leaking.

 

[redstangs9308gt]

Nope sure didnt. Add that on the to do list

 

[BruceH]

Nope sure didnt. Add that on the to do list

I found out after replacing the front seal 3 times and removing the cover 4 while chasing down an oil drip. Finally took a pic and there it was. I also changed the oil pan gasket 3 times which isn't exactly easy with the motor in the car. Anyway no more oil leak.

Good luck in getting this sorted out. An undriveable car isn't any fun. Before I had figured out the injector oring it was tricky just pulling out in traffic.

 

[redstangs9308gt]

Does anyone know how to replace the factory vct solinoid seal?