awd92gsx Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 ...but...by the same token, by testing at the spark plug end of the wire first, you are, in effect, testing both the primary and secondary sides of the ignition system since the secondary ignition system won't work if the primary side has failed...however, if you are having a crossfire situation in the cap then you can still have a good, or at least semi-good, spark...it's just at the wrong time But, if I remember right, you said you replaced the cap and rotor, so the chances of that happening on both the new cap and rotor are pretty slim... Have you hooked up a noid light to it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted April 18, 2002 Author Share Posted April 18, 2002 Ok guys. Thanks for the suggestions. I have a few more ideas now on things to check tomorrow. This is what I have tried so far: -mass air -ECU -FPR -CHTS -gas treatment -plugs look fine -cap and rotor look good -all wires are getting spark but I will tomorrow about what color exactly it is. -looked for vacuum leaks -compression test -timing -distributor I'm getting a Fuel pressure gauge tomorrow anyway so I'm going to check that tomorrow. I really don't think that is it....I have a T-rex pump which is pretty damn loud and you can still hear it very well. Could it be my MSD ignition box by chance? Seems like my friend's mustang had a similar problem and that's what it ended up being. I do have a spair thankfully if that ends up being the problem. Hopefully I will get this fixed soon. I'm about to the point I want to give up for a while. Thanks! JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awd92gsx Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 I wouldn't think it's your box if you're getting spark, but...all things are possible... My MSD didn't work when I bought the car (and still doesn't). It constantly grounds the coil. JT, do you have AIM or MSN messenger? I have some questions about your turbo swap if you have a few moments. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted April 18, 2002 Author Share Posted April 18, 2002 Yeah, my instant messenger name is turbozzzzzz. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted April 19, 2002 Author Share Posted April 19, 2002 OK, added a few more things to my list of things I have tried: -cap -rotor -fuel pressure reads just over 2.5 bar at idle which is right at 40 psi. This is about right, right? JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 20, 2002 Share Posted April 20, 2002 Hi all, This may be no help as I'm not fimiliar with the EFI setup on this car as I'd like to be but I have a Toyota pickup with a 22R in it that was giving me a similar problem. The truck would get up to speed on the freeway and then bog down or die. It felt like the ignition but in the back of my head I kept thinking it was leaning out. I went through my ignition system and nothing was bad. I replaced my plugs just in case. The truck got good fuel pressure at idle but kept up wit the problem. Finally I looked into my fuel filter and while it seemed to be flowing alright with little obstruction, I replaced it anyway. Turns out that fixed it. The filter was my problem. The thing that bugged me was that there was almost NO restriction in the filter and I also ran treatment in the tank before and it didn't help. Hope I've been some help. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted April 20, 2002 Author Share Posted April 20, 2002 Oh yeah. I have replaced the fuel filter as well. Thanks for the suggestion though. This brings my list to: -mass air -ECU -FPR -CHTS -gas treatment -plugs look fine -cap and rotor look good -all wires are getting spark but I will tomorrow about what color exactly it is. -looked for vacuum leaks -compression test -timing -distributor --cap -rotor -fuel pressure reads just over 2.5 bar at idle which is right at 40 psi. -fuel filter I really hope I can find this before I decide to trailer the car 220 miles away to the only person I trust to work on it. Noone around here can help me b/c all the Z people with problems seem to come to me. LOL. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Taylor Posted April 21, 2002 Author Share Posted April 21, 2002 OK. Add a leakdown test to the list as well. Had less than 10% leakdown on all cylinders. Apparently the problem for sure has nothing to do with engine internals. ANyone else know something I can try? JT Are there any sensors that could cause the car to run rough and bust up bad on acceleration? It doesn't have the hard or no start anymore. It always starts on the first turn over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 Have you checked the exhaust manifold before the turbo. I had a similar problem in my old 83 Volvo turbo, I would floor it and it would only go about 40 on the highway. It turned out to be hairline crack in the manifold. It was not noticably a loud leak until the RPMs go up and even then it was not incredabily loud. Just listen carefully and feel around. I hope this helps you out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 J Taylor: another way to check the quality of the spark is with a tester made by KD (and others) and sold in most parts stores. It's a tester spark pluf that has a ground clip on it and you plug it into a plug wire. The tester gap is set for conventional or high energy type systems, and you fire the car up to see if the spark jumps the gap and that it is a bright spark. Now that your car is starting but running ragged, make sure you didn't cross up your wires in troubleshooting. If an electrical breakdown, the car can idle fine but will break down under load, like pulling up a hill. It may recover when you ease off the throttle. If idle is OK but all else is off, did you check throttle position switch? DAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awd92gsx Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 Yeah, it's definitely sounding like something along the lines of a plug wire...I haven't had to buy wires for my Z yet, but I can't imagine they'd be that expensive for a cheapy set from Autozone. If you know somebody with a Z, try grabbing their set and throwing on your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clint78z Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 2 things I would check is the igntion box make sure it isn't intermitantly screwing with your timing it will make cranking sound funny and it won't start. Next I would check the terminals in the airbox, I believe there is something in there that controlls the fuel pump operation. Take it out and inspect and test as per manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 J, I had an 81 ZXT that would sputter and cough during acceleration. The problems I chased down that seemed to affect it was the connection at the throttle position sensor, the connection and cylinder head temp sensor, the AFM connection, and finally a partially shorted wire in the harness just before it plugged in to the computer. If you cannot find the problem, I can put you in touch with my dad in B'ham. He was a Nissan/Infiniti master tech before he began selling Mac Tools. (He now works on Toyota's.) He has been working on Nissan's for about 20 Years, and is very good with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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