Friggin' car...

[ClodKing]

So! Let's get to it.

I have had my car on the road for 3 weeks. And now it is screwing around with me. It has been driving great. Absolutely fantastic. Quick responsive throttle responce, handles great, stops on a dime. I have been having waay too much fun... up until today at 4:00pm.

I started up my car to warm it up (it got cold this week). And once I heard that sweet exhaust note, I went to the trunk to get my snow bush (started snowing at 3ish). I close the trunk, and notice there is no more exhaust sound. A little befuddled I went to start the car again. It started up fine, but after a few seconds the car started to drop in rpm's, almost die, then shoot up again. It did that three or four times, and by then the car was cleaned off so I climbed in, and took off.

The engine wanted to die when I tried to take off. But when the rpm's are up, the engine runs fine.

I read most of the other thread "Car Running in "Limp Mode" on Start Up", and I don't really think my problem is the same as what he has.

The car shoots out a 1222 on the stomp test. I had a website saved that would tell me what that meant, but my pops replaced that computer, and I don't have it anymore...

I have done many things to this car to get it to idle supremely.
New parts:
ICV
TPS
O2 sensor
COP conversion
Mustang injectors
Cleaned up "the mess under the intake"
Replaced air filter
New fuel lines

I have a new pump, and gas tank in the basement.

What could be screwing up with my car?

Any takers?

[bearsbmw]

check fuel filter, AFM, Fuel presure regulator, leaky injectors

A narrow band air/fuel guage or volt meter on the O2 signal could be very usefull for you...we need to know if your leaning out or runing rich ...check for black spatter coming out of the exhaust on startup like take a white plane sheet of paper and hold it a half a foot away from the tips and report back

[EN318isPDX]

I've replaced all my vacuum lines and somehow they have managed to come slightly unplugged from the ICV and caused my car to do something similar. Go back and check all the new hoses and make sure they are secure.

[Jimmy Lewis]

I would throw the new fuel pump in and see how that affects things. You have taken care of almost all of the main problem areas of this engine, so many of the usual things can be thrown out. I believe the 1222 is an o2 sensor fault code, but I could be wrong. But as bearsbmw said clean your afm, maybe throw a new fuel filter in. This one kind of has me stumped, but there are a few things left that could be causing this.

Edit: 1222 is a lambda control code, what I don't understand is how it recognizes that there is an afr problem but it doesn't throw a code for the actual cause.

[Jimmy Lewis]

I've replaced all my vacuum lines and somehow they have managed to come slightly unplugged from the ICV and caused my car to do something similar. Go back and check all the new hoses and make sure they are secure.

Good call, I would also make sure that the hose connecting the ICV to the manifold isn't collapsing. I totally forgot about it, but that is exactly how my car acted when I cleaned up the vacuum hoses. You need some pretty heavy duty hose because it sees the most vacuum.

[Birdman16]

Agreed.  Check all hoses and then if that doesn't work, check head gasket/ head.  I had all of these problems with a 1222 code with the OBDC.  Hopefully u dont get all of these problems like I did.

[roundel318]

Take a GOOD look at your AFM?
Might swap it for a spare just to rule it out?

[ClodKing]

Okay question: The AFM is the little unit on top of the air filter right?

Good call, I would also make sure that the hose connecting the ICV to the manifold isn't collapsing. I totally forgot about it, but that is exactly how my car acted when I cleaned up the vacuum hoses. You need some pretty heavy duty hose because it sees the most vacuum.

I don't really have much hose there at all really... I used steel tubing and bent it, and only used hose for the connections.

I took the car out last night to the bar. Every start up was fine. It snowed a quite a bit too. Either way, the car never totally cooled off.

But this morning the car started up, and idled fine. Granted I was inside the house. But I stuck my head outside quite a few times, and nothing sounded strange. No engine sputtering, and no high rpm's.

The day I got home I popped the hood, and wiggled the wires for the ICV, and the one that hooks up to the wire that leads to the little box thinger on top of the Air filter box. Maybe that's it. But I kinda doubt it.

I'll carry a sheet of clean paper in the car so if it comes around again I can stick it in front of the exhaust.

I cannot afford those gauges, and test equipment. And the tank is pretty corroded around the pump. I'm scared of busting that ring and NEEDING a gas tank replacement. Again, no money for that, and it's friggin' cold out.

So any CHEAP ways of diagnosing??

And thanks for the ULTRA fast responces guys.

[roundel318]

The little box at the top of the airbox is the air flow meter (it has wiring going to it) that has a round connector on the side.
Aside from a volt meter and proper procedure to test, I am not sure of any cheap way of testing that item.

[ClodKing]

Does anyone have the volt and ohm numbers for the AFM?

Oh and by the way, still no sign of that idling problem. My car seems to fix every problem that crops up by itself.

It's like a Herby, without the need to drive itself

[AcSchnitzer318is]

^must be nice... mine refuses to have it's initial idle corrected

[RED IS 91]

Does anyone have the volt and ohm numbers for the AFM?

Oh and by the way, still no sign of that idling problem. My car seems to fix every problem that crops up by itself.

It's like a Herby, without the need to drive itself

Use the reference area

http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2282

 or buy the manual

[ClodKing]

Thanks man. I bought the Chilton manual, and I didn't expect those numbers to be in there.



I think I have a cracked block aswell... So this car may be replaced soon anyways :rolleyes: