Please help :(

[Broke_240]

Alright so my ka24det s13 has been pissing me off all summer long. When I was going to start it up to take it out of winter storage, it ran like shit and threw a maf code. When I say it runs like shit, I mean it has an idle around 800-1000 and the afr is at a cringeworthy 10. The gauge only goes down to 10, so it's gotta be even worse than that. After a while of cleaning the maf and looking at other shit I decided to say fuck it and just bought a new maf. Didn't fix the problem. then i was told it might be an injector stuck open, pouring fuel into the cylinder. Replaced injectors, nothing. Also checked for vacuum leaks and there aren't any. The mass air flow sensor is from a z32 and so are the injectors (275cc) if that makes a difference. Obviously it has to be wired differently but when I bought it it was running great until I stored it, so it's not likely that the car has had shitty wiring the whole time. It was built by a guy in Florida who works at Enjuku racing so I'm pretty confident they built it well. It's gotta be something caused by storing it. I was away for the winter so I told my dad to start it at least twice a week or else it would be fucked in the summer. Of course, he "didn't have time" to start it enough and here I am paying for it. The ecu still gives a maf code (code 12) even after replacing it.. I live in Michigan so I can only drive it in the summer, and summer is now pretty much gone and I haven't driven a mile in my car the whole time. Shits depressing as fuck. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas.

[brndck]

why are you running 275 injectors on a kat? switch to some stock sr20 injectors, they're 370.

start by draining the fuel tank and flushing out the fuel lines.
add fresh fuel, and see if you can get the car started on carb spray.

make sure the ground for your maf is solid

[Broke_240]

I'm running 275cc injectors because that's what it's tuned to run on...? I'd like to get the car running before I put new injectors in. It's already running rich, I don't think the answer is to pour more gas into the cylinders. Thanks for the reply though, I was thinking earlier the gas might be shit since its been in there for so long. I'll check back in after doing what you said and let you know how it goes.

[tuzzio]

if the ecu is still giving the maf code, i'd start there.

Did you buy another used MAF?

did a mouse chew through the wiring over the winter?

[brndck]

I'm running 275cc injectors because that's what it's tuned to run on...? I'd like to get the car running before I put new injectors in. It's already running rich, I don't think the answer is to pour more gas into the cylinders. Thanks for the reply though, I was thinking earlier the gas might be shit since its been in there for so long. I'll check back in after doing what you said and let you know how it goes.

yeah I didn't mean to confuse things. 275cc injectors on kat will be ok for a small turbo like t25, what I meant was more "later on down the line, sr20 injectors are a cheap upgrade". I don't think the 275 injectors would be the CAUSE of this issue.

[jbt_92]

Check your fuel filter, sometimes its the easy bullshit stuff we look over. Also maybe the rubber fuel hoses that attach to the pump.

Have you tested the maf? Make sure it's getting power (10-12 volts), ground, and signal. You'll need a multi-meter. If it still has a maf code after replacing it, maybe you have a broken wire or somewhere.

[Broke_240]

Well I checked the ground for the maf and it read .007 ohms. Does that sound like a "good" ground to you guys? I honestly have no clue when it comes to electrical shit, but that seems like it'd be good enough lol. And the maf I bought was new, not used. And yeah, I had a mechanic look at it and he thinks it's a wiring problem somewhere, just wanted to get second opinions for stuff I can check myself. Also brndck, yeah it's a small turbo just pushing 12 psi for now haha. Not sure why the previous owner was going conservative on a Ka but I'm not complaining, still lots of fun and decent mpg

[Broke_240]

Oh yeah, one more thing. There's a faint hissing noise coming from the exhaust when the car is running, and it smells like straight up unburnt gasoline because it runs so rich. Not sure if that is a symptom of the problem I have or just a byproduct of the car running so rich. Anyways, hopefully that helps you guys help me :p

[KAT-PWR]

Sounds like your car is untuned

[Broke_240]

Could the tune have been messed up just from being stored over winter though? I've already wasted too much money on it and it's still not fixed. I just don't wanna bring it somewhere and pay them to tell me they can't fix it

[rawgarage]

If you pay they will fix it

[Broke_240]

I've been offering people money left and right to fix it... All they do is guess what could be wrong and leave me to mess with it. I'd honestly pay someone $500 for 2 hours of work just to get her on the road again. I guess no one likes money enough

[sidedrifts13]

Check your TPS sensor good luck get back to me once you do so

[Broke_240]

Alright, I'll do that tomorrow. It's 3 am where I'm at :o

[jumboflan]

where are you getting the vacuum source for boost gauge? Did you check the boost. How about the power steering assist system? The KA gets increase in rpm during low rpm for the power steering assist. I dunno. Maybe the unit is faulty. Giving you higher rpm.

[kruked]

Could the tune have been messed up just from being stored over winter though?

No.
The tune would either need to be physically altered on a program, or rodents would have to chew up the daughter board. The tune will not default, so to speak, just from sitting.

[justinbyrant]

how long was it stored and have you added gas? 4-6 months is usually long enough to turn gas bad, or at least to the point a car will run like shit on it

[TheBlackHand]

I have to agree with justinbyrant above me....

Did you leave gas with ethanol(E10 or higher) in the tank over winter without using a fuel stabilizer? Ethanol gas will absorb moisture over time and starts to break down and separate within 3 weeks if it's just sitting stagnant.
Your fuel pump/lines/filter could all be clogged. I would remove the fuel pump so you can look into the tank and see what the gas looks like. If it's turned yellow and tinged that may be your problem.
As for the MAF code...I think the only you can do is test it per the FSM and/or try running your car with a know good Z32 MAF from a friend's car and see if you still get the code 12.

[Broke_240]

I filled the tank completely full with premium fuel (93) before storage in an attempt to avoid condensation buildup in the gas tank, but after all the times I've started it while it's been running rich and pouring out gas that could definitely be a problem. However, I had a friend come look at It who is much better at wiring than I am and he seems quite confident that there is a wiring problem. We had a multimeter hooked up to the maf plug and some wires in the ecu and it would jump around a ton when we wiggled the wires to the ecu. The maf wiring at the ecu had about 6 wires soldered into 1, so it seems like it's a good possibility. I'll definitely check the fuel, but I don't know whether it had ethanol in it or not. It was just the premium gas from speedway

[TheBlackHand]

If you and your friend suspect a wiring issue from the MAF is the problem, here's a wiring diagram from the FSM of what your MAF should look like.
Your MAF harness should only have 3 wires going to the ECU in pins 4, 16, and 17.
http://www.cottononthenet.com/updates/ej/240sxMAFwiring.JPG
If you need instructions from the FSM on how to test your MAF's wiring harness to the ECU then PM me. Also try following the wiring harness from the MAF all the way to the ECU and check for visible damage. Like others have mentioned, rats could have damaged your harness while the car was being stored for the winter.

[Broke_240]

Hell yeah, thanks for that diagram. Only problem is that my maf is from a z32 so it's wired a little differently. We should be able to make sense of it though.

[TheBlackHand]

No problem. Yea, I saw you mentioned your running a Z32 MAF. I was assuming that your wiring from the Z32 MAF to the s13's wiring harness was known to be good if was running fine before you stored the car for winter. The diagram for the wires from the s13 MAF harness(plug F22 in pic) to the ECU should be the same regardless of what MAF your running. If your still getting code 12, PM me and I can send you the FSM's instructions on how to test the MAF's wiring harness(not the MAF unit itself) to the ECU for problems.