PDA

View Full Version : Reading codes and running rough?


Gabriel
05-10-2003, 02:07 PM
I'm gonna do a search now, but I need this info ASAP so I'm trying this too.

My car started running rough on the highway all of a sudden, I had just punched it to pass someone and it started sputtering on me. I pulled over and it shut off. It'll run but very, very roughly, the whole motor moves back and forth (firewall to grill and back, etc) like if it lost a motor mount, and the car is VERY sluggish on takeoff, and barely wants to shift into a higher gear. Once I'm in third, at around 40 mph, it smoothes out some but there is a serious lack of power. Plus lots of backfire at idle.

So I went to this one place, they pulled off the top cover from the motor with the coil housing and all that, plus the plugs - the plugs were all blackened, and a couple were practically dripping oil. They told me to get a new coil and module, new wires, and new plugs. I tried driving it some more as I wasn't gonna pay them the $750 they wanted for everything (!!!), but eventually just towed it home.

Sooooo ... the SES light finally came on, how do I make it flash me the codes? If it's the old paper clip trick, where do I find the terminal and which ones do I jump?

And what do ya'll think of all this? The oil obviously fouled up the plugs, should I just try replacing those first? And where's the oil coming from - the valve guides?

This just happened all of a sudden, like I said. It's been running great for a long time. I don't think it's due to any internal damage, as I hear no ticking or clanking, etc. The motor itself seems to have plenty of oomph and runs smoothly, once you get it to a certain RPM. But only in neutral or park - once in gear, it'll just shut off.

TIA... If I can figure it all out, and confirm what these jerks told me, I can do it up in a coupla hours. But I need to go buy parts, etc. Please help ASAP if you can!

LargeFish
05-10-2003, 02:40 PM
AFAIK, '94 and later has to be read with a scanner. Wonder if it might be possible to rewire the port to enable dash reading... Hmmm...

Gabriel
05-10-2003, 10:57 PM
Originally posted by LargeFish
AFAIK, '94 and later has to be read with a scanner. Wonder if it might be possible to rewire the port to enable dash reading... Hmmm...

Yes, you're right. Unfortunately, no one down here seems to have an OBD I scanner in stock, so I now have no way of reading the codes.

I replaced the coils and the plugs, but it's doing the exact same thing as before. The coil housing looked OK, no cracks at all and just a little black scoring inside. The wires were fine as well.

I'm thinking it's a sensor .. but which one? Or could it be that the timing chain went and skipped a tooth on me - any way to check that? How hard is the cover to remove? I bought a Haynes manual (couldn't find Chilton's) so hopefully I'll find it in there.

I NEED to fix this .. I have my day job to worry about for Monday morning, and I'm already gonna be missing out on two newspaper shoots because of this. It's gonna be a hella busy week - I need wheels! Ack!

LargeFish
05-11-2003, 09:00 PM
Fouled plugs, could be pistons/rings, but more likely faulty ignition or running rich. I'd be concerned about ANY scaring marks on the housing also. That POS is guilty more than murderers.

Gabriel
05-11-2003, 10:01 PM
Thanks for the reply, at this point I'm thinking it's the ignition module, although the plugs are already all fouled up again. Could be the unburned gas that goes through it everytime I try to start it, which brings me back to the theory that the engine is not getting any spark. Perhaps the bucking and backfiring from yesterday were the module's last death throes? Hard to tell anything with no scanner.

However, there's oil all over the plugs, even after putting in new ones .. could that be it? I ran my Jeep through hell and high water (literally) even though it had a nasty case of blowby, never had a problem like this.

:sigh: I don't know .. but I'm gonna have to tow it to my mechanic tomorrow to get it fixed. I haven't seen that guy in over a year, lol. Had to be a fuel-infection car to get me to go back ...

4kQuad
05-11-2003, 11:01 PM
I just posted in the Problems area a responce to you.

I hope I'm wrong but I think the Head gasket blew. Thats why the oil was all over and the plugs are oily again.

black95ho
05-11-2003, 11:35 PM
well gabriel just like 4kquad said you blew your head gasket. Only reason I know this is that I did the samething in the beging of the year and I also tought i was ignition and sensors and shi@. I then check the cylinder bore with the plugs out and I notice some kind of liquid in on of the cylinders. It ended up being coolant that was leaking from the blown head gasket. I would have it replace as soon as you can. It about a whole days work to do that. If you know that theres a liquid in a cylinder thats your best bet. Change that and you car will run like a champ again.