Running Out of Ideas. Problem Child Sr !

[Tedskiii]

Well I usually don't post much, and I've searched countless threads, and it seems like there isn't many problems that match mine exactly.

To start out this problem occured out of nowhere.

Symptoms;

Car will start and start idling, then once it reaches around 1k Rpm when idling, I will get the infamous Bogging, Sputtering, and eventually dies with the smell of fuel. It is possible to drive the car if I finess the throttle, but the car will tweak out.


Troubleshooting;

So far I've been starting small, with the easiest most common steps.

Things I've checked/done so far;

-Vacuum lines are all silicon, and been replaced. Boost leak is very unlikely I hope.
-Intercooler piping is brand new, silicon couplers.
-Fuel injectors are all good, tested by unplugging each one, and starting the car.
-Tested fuel injectors/rail for leaks or stuck injector.
-Cleaned Idle Air Control Valve, seemed to make a little progress.
-Spark plugs swapped, and checked gap.
-Inspected coil packs, no cracks.
-Air filter is new.
-02 Cleaned, and tested by unplugging.
-Fuel pump is priming, can hear it.
-No blown fuses.
-New fuel pressure regulator.
-Z32 Fuel filter.
-Running Atmospheric Bov, but never had problems with it. Plan on reticulating eventually. No leaks from it, can see the piston moving, and not getting stuck.

-MAF I know this is one of the most important parts to check. I'm currently an S13 Sr Maf, been cleaned thoroughly numerous times, and the car will die if unplugged. Tried out another Sr Maf today, wouldn't let me rev past 2.5k, and died eventually. Could possibly try a SOHC Maf this weekend.



Next steps planned;

-Clean all wires/connections.
-Check Tps? What would I be checking for? My buddy was moving it, and the idle moving aswell.
-Check ECU Codes.
-Possibly try out another ECU? Would it matter which #? Along as it's an S13 Sr ECU should it matter?
-Use a Multi-meter to check power to some wires?
-Timing? Have no idea how to do this. But wouldn't the car always be running bad if the timing were messed up? I actually drove the car for about an hour after I changed out the Fpr. Don't understand how it would drive on, and off. Then be bad again.


Sorry for such an essay, but I wanted to get my problem/solution clear, and understandable, and organized as best I could.

Any thoughts/tips/tricks from the fellow 240's?

Will check this everyday, and update whatever is done to the car.

Thanks !

[Mikester]

Check for boost leaks. Don't assume there isn't one just because the couplings are new. Going to be tough to check the timing if it idles like crap- you may try advancing it a bit to see if you can get it to idle then checking it (loosen CAS and rotate it clockwise A LITTLE BIT. You say the car drives on & off... Have you checked your fuel pump? Just because you hear it priming does not mean the sock didn't come off in the tank & it's sucking in a bunch of crap... You should check it.

Sounds like your ECU may be shitting on you once the warm circuit kicks in. I had very similar symptoms with mine back in the day... Changed everything under the sun; then one day I swapped ECUs with a buddy... His ran like shit, mine ran fine- which is when I got my PFC and never had an issue again :D To answer your other question, YES you can run code 62/63 ECU on a blacktop for troubleshooting.

[OutToWinPAHC]

The Nissan motor basics.

Is everything hooked up?
Any cracked or leaking hoses, couplers?
Healty spark on all cylinder?
Is TPS set per the FSM?
Is fuel pressure in spec?
Is timing set per the FSM?
Check trouble codes
Perform further testing, injector click with turn of CAS, fuel prime with turn of CAS (disconnect injectors), check injector o rings if running rich, check maf, check signal voltage with a quality calibrate DMM

[Tedskiii]

Check for boost leaks. Don't assume there isn't one just because the couplings are new. Going to be tough to check the timing if it idles like crap- you may try advancing it a bit to see if you can get it to idle then checking it (loosen CAS and rotate it clockwise A LITTLE BIT. You say the car drives on & off... Have you checked your fuel pump? Just because you hear it priming does not mean the sock didn't come off in the tank & it's sucking in a bunch of crap... You should check it.

Sounds like your ECU may be shitting on you once the warm circuit kicks in. I had very similar symptoms with mine back in the day... Changed everything under the sun; then one day I swapped ECUs with a buddy... His ran like shit, mine ran fine- which is when I got my PFC and never had an issue again :D To answer your other question, YES you can run code 62/63 ECU on a blacktop for troubleshooting.

True, I plan on ordering a Boost leak tester today ! Would come in handy anyways. I have a Walbro on the side still, may aswell install then.

I was just curious about the fuel pump though, so it's possible to work on and off, always thought that was something that was either dead/broke or not?

And Power FC is def a future investment for this car ! Want to possibly do a MAF delete aswell? We'll see.

Not to sure if any of my buddies have my specific ECU, should I go ahead and just order one? or am I jumping the gun on that?

[Tedskiii]

The Nissan motor basics.

Is everything hooked up?
Any cracked or leaking hoses, couplers?
Healty spark on all cylinder?
Is TPS set per the FSM?
Is fuel pressure in spec?
Is timing set per the FSM?
Check trouble codes
Perform further testing, injector click with turn of CAS, fuel prime with turn of CAS (disconnect injectors), check injector o rings if running rich, check maf, check signal voltage with a quality calibrate DMM



Will go through wiring this weekend, cleaning connections.
-Couplers are good, no known leaking hoses .. Will find out when I get tester.
-Will be doing a compression test this weekend for sure.
-How would I check my fuel pressure without a gauge?

-All the simple checks have been done.

[Sx-mad]

What gets me is it dies when you unplug the afm, usually it will go in limp mode and it wouldn't matter if you had a boost leak etc it would still idle/rev / drive to 2500rpm.

[Tedskiii]

Ok so I tried pulling ECU codes, and wherever I turn the screw whether in troubleshoot or regular setting, the red light will flash once for a quick time. Nothing else. Does this mean my ECU isn't finding any faults?


Also when running the car there was no red light at all.

However I did find a rusted looking resistor ! Picture soon.

[Tedskiii]

Well here's a shot of the corroded/burnt looking resistor;

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l507/t39clayton/AB9F0A3C-2E31-4481-8161-0154E882FFAD-181-0000008FFE4FC398.jpg

The stray wire, not sure if this even is supposed to go into the ECU? Dosnt look like the right kind of pin?

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l507/t39clayton/97B593BF-9A71-4186-9C67-69B783F94034-181-00000090A5CDDAE9.jpg


Also something else looking corroded;

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l507/t39clayton/4A119312-FCD6-4D61-AA1B-345C21E49758-181-00000092232D6FCD.jpg

[Tedskiii]

Tomorrow I will get a multimeter or whatever it is, and start shooting some wires. May aswell clean my connections good too ! Hopefully can try out my ecu on a buddy's car.

[fliprayzin240sx]

If swapping ECU doesnt fix it, follow where that blue/red wire goes. I'm almost sure that is an ECU wire and from the quick search I did, they're saying that is a power wire for either the coilpacks or ignitor.

[Tedskiii]

If swapping ECU doesnt fix it, follow where that blue/red wire goes. I'm almost sure that is an ECU wire and from the quick search I did, they're saying that is a power wire for either the coilpacks or ignitor.

Yeah I saw that on my diagram. But that pin didn't look like it was for an ecu?

Hopefully I can try it on my friends tomorrow.

If it was my coilpack wouldn't it the motor misfire all the time?

[Tedskiii]

Alright so I tried my ECU on my buddys car, turns out his car ran fine. So I tried his on mine .. NOPE same thing as usual, once I reach 1k the car dies !

Next I tried putting my TPS on his car, and his car sounded different, but maybe thats because it wasn't adjusted properly? Tried his on mine, NOPE nothing same ol'.

Thing is, once we put his back on, his car was doing the exact same thing my car does when I try to drive it ! The bucking/jerking/cutting out ! So I'm really suspcious about my TPS being bad, or bad signal, or possibly set wrong?

[ultimateirving]

Your setting the tps wrong. Get a multi meter and search in Google. Srt sr20 tps.

[Tedskiii]

Your setting the tps wrong. Get a multi meter and search in Google. Srt sr20 tps.

Buddy from yesterday said he adjusted his, and it's fine now. I hope this is my
Problem too ! Really miss driving haha.

So I found some info, and it says I should be looking for anything between .35-.65V with the throttle closed. And when throttle is slowly pressed it should be just over 4V. Does this sound right?

[ultimateirving]

I set mine closed at .45v. Then when. Its fully open you want to make sire it's over 4v.if closed its at .45v but less then 4v and more then 5v when open. You have an issue

[Tedskiii]

I set mine closed at .45v. Then when. Its fully open you want to make sire it's over 4v.if closed its at .45v but less then 4v and more then 5v when open. You have an issue

Well I got mine to right to specs today, Idle seemed smoother/stronger, but still died out ..

Decided to mess with my CAS a little, didn't help. Probably made it worse now .. But i marked where it used to be, and we put it back.

Going to try to fuel pump tomorrow, clean all connections/grounds, and if that dosn't work, compression test.

Last resort is to have one of our local shops take a look.

[DriftVader]

Have you mechanicly timed the motor correctly? as well as putting the CAS in properlly? My car ran like dog shit untill i timed it correctly, and then all my problems went away.

[Tedskiii]

Have you mechanicly timed the motor correctly? as well as putting the CAS in properlly? My car ran like dog shit untill i timed it correctly, and then all my problems went away.

Well when adjusted it slightly we just loosened the two bolts then tapped it down a little to see if it would make a difference.

Haven't tried mechanically timing it because I'm really paranoid/nervous to mess with that kind of thing man, and I've never done it before, but I guess I can try if I follow the directions?

[DriftVader]

theres a bunch of references online on how to get it mechaniclly timed properlly, and its actually quite easy. google it.

[Tedskiii]

So we regrounded my igniter, and the car was driving cherry !! Soons we started messing with it, thats when we got changes.

Is it possible the igniter could be going bad, or giving a weak signals? I think I'm going to order one.

[Tedskiii]

Well I've been on Vacation for the past two weeks, and I get back with a better ignitor hoping thats the problem. Swapped them out still not much of a difference .. It was drivable, but still bucked a little.

Got back from my cruise around the block, and I'm seeing a lot more smoke now !

It used to be every now, and then, but now it's way more !!

Here's a video;

Sr20det problem. - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INSioGsE_gY&feature=youtube_gdata_player)

I have another T25, with braided lines to replace, so I'll probably get to that this week then.

Still haven't gotten around the testing my compression .. I'm still shady about my Headgasket being blown between two cylinders or something?

Any thoughts?

[unijabnx2000]

checked timing?
Compression test?
Tuned ecu?

[Tedskiii]

checked timing?
Compression test?
Tuned ecu?

Stock ecu, haven't done any of those yet. How could the timing just magically be off out of nowhere? Curious about that man, last resort is to take it to a shop man .. I really want to figure this out.

[ultimateirving]

until you can get a compression test, and verify timing by removing the valve cover, dont take it to a shop. These are things you can do to make sure you have it properly calibrated. ALSO BOOST LEAK TESTER, your not going to get away from boost leaks ever. You need to pressurize the system and check for leaks. Your symptoms point towards a vacuum leak, especially since it developed out of the blue. Spend $10, build a tester and get ur car running right.

[Tedskiii]

until you can get a compression test, and verify timing by removing the valve cover, dont take it to a shop. These are things you can do to make sure you have it properly calibrated. ALSO BOOST LEAK TESTER, your not going to get away from boost leaks ever. You need to pressurize the system and check for leaks. Your symptoms point towards a vacuum leak, especially since it developed out of the blue. Spend $10, build a tester and get ur car running right.

Will do this weekend !

Still worried about this random smoke though ! Possibly blown turbo .. Well see when I swap it out this weekend !

Also im pretty new to the whole timing thing, don't I need one of those timing lights aswell? What am I doing besides removing the valve cover? Will be searching more on timing !

[steve shadows]

Your harness looks super hacked as well

Hacked harnesses and bad boards are a pretty common issue lately. These motors and motorsets are more than 20 years old now! Remember that!

[Tedskiii]

Your harness looks super hacked as well

Hacked harnesses and bad boards are a pretty common issue lately. These motors and motorsets are more than 20 years old now! Remember that!

I'm still shady about my ECU too man .. But I tried it on a buddys car, and it worked fine. Tried his on mine, still the same problem. Weird ..

[unijabnx2000]

That means your harness could still be a problem

[Tedskiii]

That means your harness could still be a problem

Any ways I could fix this without taking the harness apart?

[steve shadows]

Not really...I would recommend just investing in a new harness anyways. It looks pretty hacked up even just in that shot near the ECU.

[Tedskiii]

Not really...I would recommend just investing in a new harness anyways. It looks pretty hacked up even just in that shot near the ECU.

I see I see .. Do they sell individual plug and play kits without me sending in one? I'd like a cleaner bay anyways, I'm sure chase bay or wiring specialtys have something.

[unijabnx2000]

I lost the link i had in my favorites.. but if you search you will find options

[Tedskiii]

So I swapped out my turbo with another T25, it stopped the smoke. But still having the dying after idle to 1k, and the bucking.

One thing I was reading up on it that it could be possible the Coolant Temp Sensor is going? Any thoughts on this?

Boost leak, and compression test this weekend for SURE ! If not back to the drawing board again.

[ultimateirving]

CTS is possible of course anything is at this point. But CTS symptoms would show problems after its warmed up, or only during cold starts.

[Tedskiii]

CTS is possible of course anything is at this point. But CTS symptoms would show problems after its warmed up, or only during cold starts.

It's normally the first start when it's bad. So after a few starts it gets somewhat better, maybe because the ECU is adapting? But seems like it's driveable after it's completely warmed up/hot.

[Sx-mad]

Is it a standard fpr that you have in it?

[Tedskiii]

Is it a standard fpr that you have in it?

Yes, I'm running stock I injectors/tune. My Sr Fpr was bent, so I replaced it with a KA one, was told they're compatible.

[Tedskiii]

Update !

Alright so i put a new cts, and that wasnt the fix.

Decided to try an O2 sensor, still the same thing. But when i unplugged it, the car starts running normal!? Could this possibly mean something could be wromg with mg wiring harness? I think i may run without my O2 this week, because this is my daily.