92 replies to this topic

[BoyracerAU]

I did all the easy things before I figured it was time for someone with more patience, experience and knowledge to have a go.

I did the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, HT leads, dissy cap, rotor button, air filter, vacuum lines & rubber ends but got into a panic when it was suggested it might be EFI related sensors that were causing my grief. A 'hopefully' minor workplace accident this week reminded me that my forte is really behind a desk (if anywhere ) and this hands on stuff is a cut above me.

The car has been two weeks at the mechanic's and I'm really looking forward to giving it a good run tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

If it doesn't, it'll be heading back to the mechanic.

Sprocket has been so incredibly helpful and informative. I hope I'll be able to submit a successful report tomorrow.

[BoyracerAU]

Well I took the car for a good run this morning, reaching speeds of 100km/h at times.

The car ran well and there was only one brief incidence of the splutters which did not recur during the 10 minutes it took me to get home from that point.

I think we're nearly there!

[BoyracerAU]

Thanks to a recent post by Syed Malaysia, I learnt that the electronic ignition cars should have resistor spark plugs BPR6ES (NGK).

When I replaced the plugs three weeks ago, I'd only put in the regular ones (BP6ES).

I've just installed the resistor plugs this afternoon, but haven't yet had a chance to test drive the car.

Hopefully, this will iron out the last of my bugs.

[BoyracerAU]

Well, the new coil didn't do the trick, nor did the right plugs.

The car still waits till it's well and truly warmed up (some 25 minutes of running time) before it starts to play up and won't rev above 2,000 rpm under load.

I'll have to wait until I can hook it up to some real diagnostic gear.

[ICAM]

Have you replace your fuel filter? fuel pump?clean your injector?
Might do the simple thing first. Clean your injector. Maybe some dust clogged it and making no spray.
It is quite easy but be careful when fixing it back.
Unscrew the torx screw at the yellow cap(throttle body). Using screw driver, slowly lift the cap(do not twist the cap).
After that ,using a plier, pull the solenoid injector out(this time, you can twist it.) You can clean the strainer now.

Plug in the solenoid to the connector and put some oil to the o ring then only fix it back to the housing. . Well you might as well open-up the rail press diafram(mine is red color) and pull a bit the spring as to get the tension back.

Sorry for my english, a bit poor.

Good luck.

[BoyracerAU]

ICAM, no worries with your english. I followed it all perfectly.

I'm grateful for any help at the moment. We have not yet replaced the fuel pump or cleaned the injector, so thanks for the method.

I have however replaced the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, HT leads, dizzy cap, rotor button, coil & suppressor.

And to re-cap, the car is still unwilling to rev past about 2,000rpm (when it's totally warmed up only).

[ICAM]

For the fuel pump, temporarily you can used other type if mini fuel pump is hard to find.
My car is using a merc external fuel pump. Dont worry about over press cause the system have overflow and will return back to tank.

[BoyracerAU]

I have a Crypton Act 1 coming in a few days so I'm sitting tight and waiting to see if that'll show anything up.

This morning I had a quick look around the engine bay in case there were any dodgey wires, particularly around the Oxygen Sensor and the ECU Relay pack. No dodgey wires to be found and no corrosion in the connectors. The only things I found were:

(1) an ever so slightly loose screw on one side of the distributor cap; and,
(2) an earth strap that comes off the block above the gearbox and goes nowhere. It's just hanging there.

I also discovered that the mechanic had installed an Intermotor Hi Energy Ignition Coil, Part Number 11070. Can anybody can confirm that this is the right one for an SPI? He has also replaced the suppressor.

[ICAM]

The earth wire should be fix to the engine steady bar.

My car is using a secondhand coil slaughter from a Toyota Levin. Having no problem with it. As long as the coil came from an electronic distribution system.( If I'm not mistaken, electronic coil uses 9V supply where as the contact point using 12 V supply)

From Sprocket previous post, he did mention that after 2000rpm the injector ease up a bit.
Base from this that I am highly recommend you to check your injector and re tension your rail spring as I mention earlier.

[BoyracerAU]

ICAM thanks, but I'm reluctant to open up the injector. I'm not at all familiar with them. I think I'll leave that job to a mechanic if it comes to that.

[ICAM]

Oh I C, Never mind. Please tell the result after you done so.

[DaveRob]

That earth strap is mighty important........ dont discount it as not being the whole problem here, its their for a very good reason and damage can occur if you dont have it attached. Voltages float about when earths arnt attached and thats doubly important on an injection car.

DaveRob

[BoyracerAU]

Thanks DaveRob, I didn't realise that strap was so important, I'm seeing my mechanic tomorrow to get some new rack boots put on, so I'll get that braided earth strap sorted out too. I'll be truly rapt if this solves my dramas, but as this has no doubt been dangling since I got the car, I'm not real hopeful.

Thanks too to ICAM for telling me where the other end goes!

[BoyracerAU]

Just a brief update.

The braided earth strap has been re-connected and I recieved a Crypton ACT1 during the week.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the test found no faults, but I still have the problem same.

[BoyracerAU]

Okay, I have been turning this problem over in my head all day. I have an idea. I'm not sure if it's possible and/or makes sense, so I thought I'd write it up and see what people thought.

Remember, this problem started pretty much at the same time I had an alarm/immobiliser installed six weeks ago.

I've already had the alarm guy back out to isolate the alarm and we found that the problem was still present. At this point, we ruled out the alarm as being the likely culprit and we began to look at other possibilities. However, the truth is, I don't know to what extent he took it out of the loop. Perhaps, not completely?

Seeing as everything checks out okay according to the Crypton ACT1, I'm back to thinking the alarm is the cause of my dramas.

To recap, the car starts and idles perfectly well. It revs very freely and goes very nicely indeed when the engine is cold and until it gets warmed up.

The drama only happens when the car is fully warmed up. And even then, only intermittently. The car misfires (little pops can be felt through the air filter), there is a relay clicking noise, the tacho needle looks like it hits a glass ceiling and gets slammed back down to idle speed. The engine does everything you ask of it, except rev past approx. 2,000rpm.

Q. Can anyone think of any circuits that either open or close when the engine reaches operating temperature?

Basically, I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible that the alarm might've been installed incorrectly, even slightly.

The following might be silly, but it sounds plausible to me. I'd be grateful if people chimed in with suggestions/advice.

There are any number of positive leads in the engine bay. They come in and out of all sorts of things: Starter Motor, Relays, Fuse Box, etc... They also come out the other end of relays, fuse box, etc...

According to the alarm's very simple wiring diagram, the alarm picks up positive connections at least twice. One is direct and constant. There is another through the ignition.

It might be any positive, but let's say as an example, the alarm picked up a positive from the relay that feeds the PTC Heater, Tacho and the fuel filter, I think. I chose this one because I understand the PTC heater switches off at 77 degrees which is kinda close to operating temperature (88 degrees). It's the only thing I can think of that either switches on or off at the point when the car reaches operating temperature.

Now remember, the alarm has several earths and it also still has at least one other positive - the constant/direct connection. So, my theory is that there is a still a closed circuit happening here and I'm just wondering if perhaps power is therefore able to enter the circuit that feeds the relay for the PTC heater, Tacho, etc...

Would this scenario produce the problem I'm having? If not in the circuit I chose as an example, how about any other circuit that should be open when the engine is warmed up?

I'm thinking of cutting all the wires at the alarm to isolate it completely. They're ALL black, so of course I would do these wires one at a time, put plugs on them all and label them to facilitate re-wiring. Not nice, I know. But it's expedient.

Does this sound like a good plan? Or am I seriously barking up the wrong tree with this?

Signed,
Getting Desperate & Possibly Foolish!