engine hesitation

I have a 1988 GL 1.8 SPFI 4WD wagon. In August I noticed that when the engine started up cold sometimes it would die or if I shifted it into neutral and let the clutch out that would be enough resistance to kill the engine.

After learning about how the fuel system can be clogged over time and how (and how not) to clean it I put a can of BG 44K in and an Italian tuneup later the engine runs quite smoothly and quietly except for a rapid (fuel injector?) tapping sound coming from the intake assembly directly under the air intake boot.

However, something that the FI cleaner didn't remedy is that for the

1.5 years I've owned the car it has been stuttering, hesitating, and just plain going slow on accelerations. Sometimes it can get into the groove and run at ideal performance but mostly it feels as if it's laboring along afflicted by some malady which impairs it's power and perhaps fuel efficiency.

What things can I try? I've thought about disassembling the air intake apparatus to see if anything is out of tune or swapping out the spark plugs (which actually look fine).

Reply to
jfindlay
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news:1164149681.874005.265870 @m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

Start by reading any stored ECU codes.

If those check out work your way through the fuel system starting with cleaning the MAF sensor wires, (use electrical contact cleaner, don't actually touch them. :-)

Check operation of the IAC, TPS, EGR valve as well as the ERG and canister purge solonoids.

If that all sounds like techno babble get to

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and search for links to the Factory Service Manual (FSM) or the SPFI conversion manual which includes relevant pages from the FSM regarding troubleshooting the fuel injection system. A couple hours with a multimeter can make a huge difference in how it drives.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Kultgen

I scored here a few weeks ago suggesting "try replacing the plug wires, and see if the problem goes away" on a hesitation problem.

I had a mazda 626 that, especially when it was humid or raining out or after a carwash would hesitate on acceleration, and it was always plug wires. Not sure what it was about that engine, but about every 30k mi it'd need new ones.

If your car has a distributor ignition, check the cap -- see if it's cracked. A fouled distributor could give this symptom too.

YMMV. Hope it helps though!

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Reply to
Todd H.

Unfortunately all the plugs, cables, and distributor cap and rotor have been replaced within the last year. Ignition coil maybe?

Heh, literally. (-:

Justin

Reply to
jfindlay

I've poked through the site manually and via google,

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which unfortunately yielded nothing. I am willing and able to probe the electronics with a multimeter, however I'm so far ignorant as to any sense regarding the intricate array of hoses and wires strewn across the top of the engine. (-:

Justin

Reply to
jfindlay

Well poo. Then I'm no use to ya. Yeah, a coil could cause the issue. I believe, a multimeter can be used to test it even, but i'm not sure of the exact procedure and ranges etc.

This is a pretty hip crowd, by god.

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Reply to
Todd H.

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Try these. They're for an '89 but the info should be close enough to be helpful.

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You may want to right click and do a "save link as", the first file is a little over five MB and the second is a little over 3 MB. Most of the SPFI troubleshooting info is in the second part.

Later, Joe

Reply to
Joe Kultgen

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