One interesting note is I had to get help setting the timing. The distributor needed to be ground out to get the timing exact as it wouldn't advance enough. Bad distributor? Never had to replace a distributor...can that be a symptom of failure?
Anyone have any input, questions, or ideas here? I am at wits end with this vehicle. I am not a mechanic.
Update: I have a reman distributor, new cat and new muffler. I'll see if that helps. Will an exhaust blockage of some sort cause this red hot exhaust manifold? I am skepical. But the muffler is cheap enough so I will go ahead and replace it.
I will update this with the results but still would appreciate any wisdom any of you can provide.
I think I have a similar problem. Also at wits' end.
Engine idles fast, and misses at running speed. I have multiple problems with the engine though (the coolant lines in head corroded into 2 firing chambers in addition to the fast idle) so it's hard to diagnose. I replaced the head myself and now I'm down to just the fast idle. I broke down and took it in to a mechanic who couldn't figure it out. Now I have taken it to the Toyota dealership and they are telling me the catalytic converter is bad. I don't understand why that would be the case, but you noted you think yours might be causing problems.
The engine is NOT throwing any trouble codes though and does not register overheating, so I am suspicious that this might not solve the problem. They want $600 too.
One other problem that relates to yours: the first remanufactured head I put on warped without the engine registering elevated temperatures, but the heat tab on the head was melted, so it got hot somehow, which means other parts could have warped, including the intake manifold. This could be your problem. If the intake manifold is warped, unmetered air gets in and the engine runs lean=hot. This could also go unmonitored by the sensors if the fuel pump is not supplying enough fuel. Along these lines, your fuel filter could be clogged as well. Most of the sensors are set up to detect a running lean problem if one cylinder is off of the others, not if all are off together, so you don't get a trouble code. These are not common problems though, so I would first check if the engine is running lean...a mechanic can check the exhaust, or you can add fuel to the mixture through the intake manifold and see if the rpms drop. I ran out of patience and took mine in.
Are you having high idle? Throwing codes? Temp sensor reading hot? If the exhaust manifold is red, I can imagine your head and intake manifold could be hot enough to warp. Try checking if you're running lean. Once one thing goes wrong though, the engine starts trying to compensate, which will throw you off in trying to diagnose.
Also, I have a question: why did you suspect the catalytic converter? How do you diagnose if its bad in your case?
Try posting at
Good luck, Will
The ERG valve may have been involved with the red-hot exhaust manifold. If that goes bad, the cat can get clogged. A clogged exhaust can cause the heat, but it is timing. I ordered a new cat and hollowed out the one on the vehicle now. I can't get the damn thing timed correctly and neither can a hired mechanic. I am taking it somewhere else when I have the time and money.
Perhaps the cam is off which would make sense since it is a newly remanufactured engine. How can you diagnose a poorly aligned cam? Compression is very good on all cylinders. Does that tell anything?
It is not unusually for a exhaust manifold to get pretty hot and glow at times under load but if it is getting really hot, there is only a few things that can cause this. The main ones being over retared timing or lean mixtures or both. Insuffecent airflow under hood can aggrevate it. Never seen a bad EGR valve cause this though. EGR valve is likely a causulty not a cause.
----------------- The SnoMan
I am still struggling with this. I have replaced/adjusted every damn thing. I should have just sold it to the junk yard. Several Mechanics have looked at it and can't figure it out. I have replaced every sensor, the distrib, fuel injectors, cat, muffler, thermostats, radiator cap, every damn thing under the hood. All fifteen miles of vacuum tubes have been checked or replaced. Some of the sensors cost approximately $110 billion dollars.
never again...I will never work on a car again.
Still poor power and red hot exhaust manifold.
You need to check the timning because if it is not set or advancing correctly it will afterburn in exhaust manifold and heat it very hot and also have poor power even though mixtures are correct. I feel you problem lays there. You need to cure it though because it will fry the exhaust valves and make thing worse. (you might do a compression check too)
----------------- The SnoMan
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