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View Full Version : Spark issue or something else?


Gnnr
05-29-2006, 11:28 PM
Sorry this is sort of long, but I dont want to leave anything out and give you guys as much info to work with.

Car:
95 240sx stock KA.

Background:
A few months back the clutch fan sent a few blades flying and cut the distributor harness plug. So I had to cut and splice in a new plug. I didn't solder/heatshrink it, I just crimped the wires in with some butt connectors as a temporary thing.

Later some motor oil had gotten on the MAF harness plug, and eaten away at the wires. So I had to do the same thing for that harness aswell. A week after I did that, my engine would die on me after 30mins or so of driving. I thought it was the recently installed MAF harness, but it wasn't. It turned out that motor oil had also gotten on the distributor harness plug, and messed up the contact where the butt connectors where. So I redid that again, and it eliminated the shutting off after 30mins.

Problem:

I thought all was well. But a few days after I fixed that issue, my motor once again did something weird after driving for 30mins. It would make a realy really loud clacking sound. It almost sounded like what my engine did once when it overheated past the H line (radiator had a leak I didnt notice). But the temp indicator was at the normal spot, and no check engine lights came on. I pull into a gas station and notice white-ish smoke coming from the exhasut side of the engine. I couldn't really tell where it was coming from. I couldn't go above 1Krpms with out the sound getting louder and louder. The RPMs would drop exteremely low and the car would die.

I was running late for work so I said "screw this", drove it (under 1K rpms) to work since it was about 10 blocks down. I parked it and went to work. When I came back out I started the car and all was well. I was driving back home, and again the problems started after about 30mins. Again, I drove it slowly home, and the same smoke was coming out the exhaust side of the engine. The next morning I turn it on for a 2 mintues, and its fine. But I know I couldnt drive it as the problem would surely arise.

Question:

Now can an irregular spark, sparking order, or whatever be causing this? I also have feeling that it could be the engine heat thats effecting the harness. Because it dosent do this when the engine is below normal operating temperures. Only after its been at normal operating temp for 15 mins or so. What can I use to properly shield the wires from heat and any other interference?

I just want to get it running okay, or atleast figure out the problem so that I can take it to a shop thats about 45mins away from my house where they can do the soldering/heatshrinking. I just think thats what it has to be (the harness) because thats the only thing I've been messing with lately on this car, if its not that I have no clue what the problem is then. :(

Thanks in advance.

Gnnr
05-31-2006, 09:00 AM
*bump*

anyone? :(

NIK90s13
05-31-2006, 11:23 AM
I'd recheck the wireing, but if it was wireing it would always act up, or like when you hit a bump, ect... Is it still over heating? Or is it starting to act up when it warms up?hense the 30 min. What I'm getting at is the head gasket may be shot.

Gnnr
05-31-2006, 02:20 PM
No its not overheating as far as I can tell (stock temp guage). But I know my temp guage is functional. And the coolant resovior is stable. Are there anyways to test for a blown headgasket?

NIK90s13
06-01-2006, 07:11 AM
Visually you can look at the oil and see if there is any water in it (grey and lumpy) or vise versa, oil in radiater. But the best test is there is a pump that goes on the radiator that will test the gasses in the coolent and will tell you if the gasket is blown. Take it to a shop for the test it shouldn't cost to much.