ACIS and a vaccumm leak?

[suprarx7nut]

Did you take any of the plugs out? If so, you probably dumped some oil into the cylinder and that would cause some smoking and a nasty misfire until the oil has burned off. That happened to me and I thought I messed something up by changing plugs, but it was just the oil. 20 mins of highway driving fixed it and I'm sure it shortened the life of the plugs.

 

[Chris R]

Did you take any of the plugs out? If so, you probably dumped some oil into the cylinder and that would cause some smoking and a nasty misfire until the oil has burned off. That happened to me and I thought I messed something up by changing plugs, but it was just the oil. 20 mins of highway driving fixed it and I'm sure it shortened the life of the plugs.

How nasty was the misfire?


We swapped throttle bodies, and checked the plugs today and cleaned the oil out.

On the first start up it idled pretty smooth, but on the highway it started sputtering, delayed reaction, and general lack of power. So the throttle body wasn't the issue at all in this case.

When working with it, we started it up and ran it numerous times. The idle seemed to get worse (we were going through checking sensors, engine codes, so on and so forth).

We cleared the ECU and it's only throwing a code 43 now.

On a side note, the previous owner did have a setup where I had to charge the fuel pump to get it started easily. That stopped working, so it's pretty hard to get it started right. I'm not sure how this occured. He had swapped out a gas tank to the "turbo" gas tank, which holds 16 gallons.

I should have mentioned that before, but I was so focused on the spark plugs and the TPS that it slipped my mind, my bad guys. If the fuel pump is indeed going bad, will that cause a rough idle, and the sputtering when revved? The sputtering has only occurred since we started messing with the TPS. Previously, it was pretty smooth under load except for a small misfire (which is what we've been trying to fix here.)

Lastly, I'm throwing in a used ECU. I have no idea what any of the previous owners did to it, and that could be a cause of the problem too. So it's better to just return to stock and see where that gets me.

 

[jetjock]

Well, you could always measure fuel pressure and see. Pump current would also be helpful.

There's absolutely no need to prime the fuel system so why he did that is beyond me. If he had a code 43 I could maybe see it but that's a dumb way around the problem. That said you can always prime it by jumping B+ and FP in the diag block.

 

[Chris R]

Well, you could always measure fuel pressure and see. Pump current would also be helpful.

I plan on it. It's possibly there could be a leak somewhere.

There's absolutely no need to prime the fuel system so why he did that is beyond me. If he had a code 43 I could maybe see it but that's a dumb way around the problem. That said you can always prime it by jumping B+ and FP in the diag block.

I figured that a fuel pump was either a "It works, or it doesn't" item, but I could be wrong on that.

I'm not sure what codes he had. I had a 41, 21, and 43. 41 and 21 have gone away, leaving me with 43.


I'm going to try and get in contact with him and see if he replaced the pump and filter when he replaced the tank.

 

[Chris R]

It's been awhile. Haven't had much of a chance to work on it this week.

I ordered quite a bit of gaskets, the valve cover, valve cover #3, small ones for the valve cover #3 bolts. I figure that we'll figure the oil leakage problem, and while we're tearing stuff down we'll take a good hard look at the spark plugs.

I have some questions for you guys, and some pictures to help out.

Starting off, started it today. It takes effort to start up. It'll just crank, and then die. If you play with the throttle and manage not the flood it, the car will start, and then idle high.

After my dad and I poked around the engine bay a bit, I took it out for a drive. For the first couple miles, it runs smoothly, but if you get into the throttle, the car hesitates and doesn't really respond.

After a couple of miles I turned around, and at this point if I get on the car, it misfires. The best way I can describe the sound coming from the exhaust is that it sounds like a motorcycle under acceleration. On idle, it just kind of hovers at 600-700, it idles rather roughly. The car only did the bluh- bluh-bluh thing on the second half of the drive, which was only about 4 to 5 miles.

I tested the fuel pump by jumping the connections that the TSRM lists. I can't remember the exact ones, FB and B+, I think, or something.

When I do, I get a buzzing sound from this area. I'm thinking it's that steel box, the fuel pump relay?
My dad touched the fuel rail when we did this. He could not feel any fuel going through and we couldn't hear anything either. But later on the car started and drove, so this problem seems intermittent.

This is the same place that emits the sound when the switch that the previous owner installed to prime the fuel pump. I can not get a hold of him to find out why.

Thinking that in some way this might be a pressure problem, we poked some more around the engine bay, and noticed that this line (#2 on the picture) was crimped. We're not sure if this was a fuel line is. We're thinking that if it's crimped, then that might be part of the problem.

The #1 circle in that picture is a loose connection we found, but we couldn't figure out what it goes to. It looks like one of the connectors for the injectors, but all those had plugs in them.

We plan to go to the local mechanic and see if he can help us test the fuel pressure. I've looked at the diagram for the tsrm, but I'm having trouble identifying the fuel line. I took a picture of the area. What line should I be looking at here?

I've seen the AFM listed as a cause for the car starting, and then dying. Again, the TSRM confused me because I couldn't actually locate it on the engine so I could test it with a multi-meter. I'm thinking that it's hanging off the black thing that is directly to the right of the power steeling reservoir, in the intake hose. But I'm not quite sure.

Lastly, this isn't really connected, but we found this in the main fuse box in the car.

That arched thing is pretty burnt. We aren't sure if that's just an odd fuse, or if the previously owned rigged it up. The fuse on top of the box has "ALT" in it. I can't remember the rest of the title, and I injured my leg last week, the car is long walk out the barn away, or else I'd go check it right now.

 

[CRE]

Okay, a crimped pipe is a bad thing... can't see what you're referring to in that picture, but if it's crushed it probably should be replaced.

The VAF (AFM) is the aluminum box that's bolted to the air filter housing. It's got the big black plastic "D" on the top, your pic shows it very well.

The burnt, arched thingy is a fusible link. If it's burnt and in poor shape replace it. You may replace it with a sealed unit instead of the stock fusible link wire if you wish. It is NOT just a regular piece of wire! If you replace it replace it with the proper part.

Buzzing from the fuel pump relay isn't the sign of a healthy relay... probably should look into that further and replace it if needed. This relay and the attached resistor pack are used to switch the fuel pump from low and high, a bad relay can cause sluggishness or even prevent the car from operating. You could try bypassing it *temporarily* to see if that's the source of your problems.

 

[Chris R]

Okay, a crimped pipe is a bad thing... can't see what you're referring to in that picture, but if it's crushed it probably should be replaced.

We're planning on doing that today.

The VAF (AFM) is the aluminum box that's bolted to the air filter housing. It's got the big black plastic "D" on the top, your pic shows it very well.

Gotcha, thanks.

The burnt, arched thingy is a fusible link. If it's burnt and in poor shape replace it. You may replace it with a sealed unit instead of the stock fusible link wire if you wish. It is NOT just a regular piece of wire! If you replace it replace it with the proper part.

Definitely, we're not planning on rigging anything on this car unless we have to. Bad, lazy fixes will just cause me more problems later on.

The previous owner had to replace to alternator, I had forgotten that, so it might explain why it's in poor shape.

Buzzing from the fuel pump relay isn't the sign of a healthy relay... probably should look into that further and replace it if needed. This relay and the attached resistor pack are used to switch the fuel pump from low and high, a bad relay can cause sluggishness or even prevent the car from operating. You could try bypassing it *temporarily* to see if that's the source of your problems.

Okay, that'll work. We'll bypass it today and see what that does with the car.

Would sluggishness in any way include that putter/misfire the car does under load? Or would the relay just cause the car to not really respond to the throttle?

 

[Chris R]

Noticed today that the sputter starts when the car just starts to warm up. We didn't notice this before, but now I'm starting to wonder if it's a sensor problem somewhere.

What can do to help describe these problems better? I'm trying the best that I can, but I'm not that knowledgeable with cars, and my dad has more experience with carburetor stuff than fuel injected, so we're kind of stumped here. It's hard to know what information you guys need when I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for myself. So if I need to give more information, please let me know so I can help you guys to help me.

 

[Chris R]

Looking up the resistance specs on the AFM, I have a couple questions about the tests. If it meets the resistance specs, is that a sign that its working? I've heard the TPS can still meet spec and not work, so I'm wondering if the same thing applies to the AFM.

CRE, in another thread you mentioned using a hair dryer to heat up the AFM to test it. Which part do I want to blow on so I can get an appropriate reading?

If any of you experts happen to stumble upon this thread, please chime in. I need to get this thing running before I move to Wichita State for college in mid-August, just about two or three weeks away. I'd like to do more than just throw parts at this car and hope it fixes it.

 

[CRE]

The TPS and/or AFM can present skewed signals due to excessive wear. They can also wear out to the point that as the sensor is moved the voltage output is not a smooth, steady change but one with pits and spikes.

The hairdryer thing was something I had to do to finially find the cause of a problem I was having some time ago when my AFM died. I was having a very bad stutter (some might have thought it felt like a miss) and if the car was running up to temp it would just bog and try to die when you applied throttle.

 

[Chris R]

I ordered a new AFM and put that on today. The stuttering once it heats up has done away. It's now drivable. But, under acceleration, while the motor revs is still seems like the car is hesitating until it gets above 3000k.

And there is a misfire at idle. The car will sometimes feel like it's misfiring (very hard to notice) under acceleration.

To recap what we've done with it:
New Distributor cap (they sent us the wrong rotor, the one on the car is circular)
New TPS
New AFM
Checked spark plugs, they're in decent condition and fine
Cleaned the galley of oil and replaced the gaskets.


This is a JDM cressida motor, but the previous owner said he had put the Supra throttle body back on. There were two throttle bodies that came with the car, the one on it and the extra he gave us. The new CPS would one work with the extra, and the old one would only work with the car that came on the motor. Currently the new CPS-throttle-body is on the car.

All the parts I've ordered have come from Rock auto parts. They list two engines, the 7MGE L6 FI and the 7MGE L6 MFI. I've been choosing FI. I figured it stood for fuel injected, not sure about MFI, searching warranted no results.

The car is running better, but I still think it could be running stronger. Any ideas? We plan to change out the ECU and check the timing tonight.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Don't remember and you didn't list if you've set the timing?

 

[Chris R]

Don't remember and you didn't list if you've set the timing?

Actually no, we haven't checked it with a light yet. Thanks.

Btw, I checked all the vacuum lines, they look good to me.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Actually no, we haven't checked it with a light yet. Thanks.

Btw, I checked all the vacuum lines, they look good to me.

Yes you need to check it and with the jumper wire per TSRM. 10 deg BTDC is stock, you can bump it up a little, will help your low end.

 

[Chris R]

Yes you need to check it and with the jumper wire per TSRM. 10 deg BTDC is stock, you can bump it up a little, will help your low end.

We set the timing at 10 Deg. We jumped it too (you put it in diagnostic mode, correct?). Still misfiring under idle and acceleration.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

We set the timing at 10 Deg. We jumped it too (you put it in diagnostic mode, correct?). Still misfiring under idle and acceleration.

I see you said you checked the plugs, did you gap them? Also how old are your plug wires?

 

[Chris R]

I see you said you checked the plugs, did you gap them? Also how old are your plug wires?

Gaps are fine. Plug wires should be as new as the plugs, but I'm not 100 percent sure. That's next on my list, aside from the O2 sensor.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Don't think the 0-2 sensor would give you the problems you have. Have you checked the ISC? There's checks in the TSRM on that and it does need cleaned sometimes. Are you sure you have the TPS calibrated right? It also could cause the problems you describe.

 

[Chris R]

Don't think the 0-2 sensor would give you the problems you have. Have you checked the ISC? There's checks in the TSRM on that and it does need cleaned sometimes. Are you sure you have the TPS calibrated right? It also could cause the problems you describe.

Neg on the ISC. What is that?


When I adjusted the tps, I hooked up a voltmeter and turned it until it deflected it (analog meter) and then turned it back just a hair. I honestly can't remember if I gapped the lever and the stop screw or not, but I remember someone (Jetjock, I think) saying that it didn't really make a difference if you gapped that.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

ISC idle speed control. CSI cold start injector, another possiblity that you should check.