before i start throwing parts at it...

92redsc

Registered User
I think with your help i got my problems narrowed down to a few things. i finnaly have some time to work on my 92 Super coupe. so before i start spending a load of money let me make sure the parts im gonna buy are correct. 1st, my problems are check engine light (CEL) comes on and off. my car sometimes hesitates if you are making boost. my boost gague is on 15 at idle and only goes barley past 10 at WOT. sometimes my car wont start easy it just turns over for a long time with black smoke coming out of the pipes until it finaaly starts. my car idles really rough. my 8mm ACdelco wires will shock me if i touch them with the engine on. my car seems to not have alot of power and i cant get a tire scratch shifting in 2nd. ran codes on KOEO and KOER and didnt get anything. solution (i hope): 2 new o2 sensors, new camshaft sensor, new magnecor 8.5 mm perfomance wires and some autolite double platniums, and check fo boost leaks. new problem: dont have that much money. does any one know if i need all these parts or could one thing inparticular be the cause of these problems. also can some one give me some tips on changing the camshaft sensor. im going crazy because i cant figure out whats wrong with my car. also can someone give me some tips on trying to find and cure boost leaks. the FAQ didnt really make that much sense to me. thanks.
 
Try the simple things first....

1. Get a set of TBird88's intercooler gaskets. For $20 you won't have to worry about boost leaks again.

2. Get a good set of wires (Magnacore, Motorcraft) and put them on.

3. Get a set of 34PP or 32PP (N/A 3.8) and double check the gap and put them in.

4. Make sure your MAF is clean, running a K&N will get it oily sometimes.

5. Put small clamps on the hose that runs from the air intake to the intercooler intake. It is a hose about 6-8" long and 3/8" line. Under boost this tends to leak it out if hose is old.

6. Double check all your vacum lines that they are nice and tight. As the one from the air intake tube that runs under the nose of the supercharger and into the valve cover on the driver side. It took me a little bit to figure out that one on mine.

7. You can run some STP throttle body cleaner throught the intake system also. To do this, Unplug the MAF, and remove the intake rubber tube to the throttle body. Shoot the inside of the throttle body while car is off. Make sure to get the little hole where the idle air comes in, as this does tend to get clogged (mine was). Then start the car, let it warm up a little bit. Pull the vacum line off the bypass valve so the air will flow through the supercharger and intercooler. It will NOT hurt anything to do this. Shoot the cleaner into the throttle body while engine running. You will have to give it a little gas while doing this.

These I think would be the simple things to do first.
 
already did MAF. i dont want to buy any thing for the boost leaks just fix them for right now. any hose inparticular i should check? i dont know which hoses to even check really. this is my first blown car. and the things you said wouldnt have anything to do with the intermittent CEL. from what ive heard the CEL and rough idle and such is from cam shaft sensor or o2 sensor. but i need to know which one. any input on this part? i think the smoke may be because of the boost leaks. ohthe hose on # 5, can you explain where that one is a little better? the one going to the valve cover is loose but would that effect boost any? ill go ahead and put some clamps on it.
 
Last edited:
hmm

first ...if CEL lite is comming on ..and you got nothing for codes ...I would check memory fuse 5 amp ... under the hood ...if blown could explain alot of things ....it stuck in relearn mode every time you start it...and the IAC is going nuts may explain your -15 vacume ...should be near -20 at idle ....that's where I would start..fix the lite... find the code.. if any ..and then fix the problem...dave
 
also the vacuum line from the valve cover to ythe intake tube right in front of the throttle body was lose, i putsome clamps on it but havnt started it back up yet. any one else know of any hoses to look for?
 
still stumped

i just found out that the car has bosch (sp?) platniums in it. these were there when i got the car. will these along with the crappy acdelco 8 mm wires make this car run bad? the hose clamps didnt help the boost prob. the memory fuse is fine. now when the car idles rough, the engine shakes a little too. not when given gas though just at idle. can some one help? im at my wits end, me and my dad are used to working on older cars so the computer stuff is a little new to us. ok someone give me a diagnosis. heres the problems again: car hesitates under boost, car idles rough, sometimes car will turn over for a long time before it starts with black smoke coming out of the tail pipes. cars boost gauge is on 15 at idle and moves someimes at idle and WOT only goes up to just past 10 psi. CEL comes on and off. read codes and it didnt give me anything. is this o2 sensors, camshaft sensor, plugs and wires, all of them, or what? pleaze help.
 
i just found out that the car has bosch (sp?) platniums in it.First off Bosch plugs are a big NO NO. Get some Motorcraft or Autolite plugs.

my 8mm ACdelco wires will shock me if i touch them with the engine on. That doesnt sound good either, if there shocking you then there is voltage leaking out of the insulation somewhere. Replace them.

heres the problems again: car hesitates under boost, car idles rough,That could be caused by your plugs and wires.

sometimes car will turn over for a long time before it starts with black smoke coming out of the tail pipes.That could be your plugs and wires helping to contribute to this problem but I dont think there the sole cause. More on this in next response.

cars boost gauge is on 15 at idle and moves someimes at idle and WOT only goes up to just past 10 psi. CEL comes on and off. read codes and it didnt give me anything.Your boost gauge reading only -15 at idle tells me you have 1 or more vac leaks in the intake system. That could explain the black smoke and also could explain your CEL coming on and going off. The part I'm having trouble with is you get no codes. How are you pulling the codes? Even if nothing is wrong in the system the comp will give you a code so that one has me stumped. I wouldnt complain about only getting just past 10psi on the boost as long as you have at least 8 psi you have all youre supposed to have so that is not a problem.
 
Dude,
1. Can them plugs and wires! That is your hesitation prob as
EVERYBODY has confirmed. Mine went bad and spent the money on some Magnecors and the Autolite PP's. They can be a pain to replace on some SC's but it is WAY worth the money for a good set of plugs/wires.

2. The "Vacuum line" everyone is refering to is your PCV valve line. Ford has new ones with the boot for under 10 bucks.

3. Look in the FAQ section of this forum and read the "Boost Leaks and How to Seal Them".

4. Yes, how are you checking for codes? Do you have a scanner or are you using a jumper wire?

PS. When spraying out your TB, DON'T shoot STP inside your IAC valve, JUST the throttle body only. (The IAC valve bolts up to the throttle body overhanging the throttle posistion sensor.)
 
New these would come in handy..

This is a pic of the TB (Throttle Body) from the BACK side.
The IAC is on left with the TPS (Throttle Posistion Sensor) next to it. Hope it helps....and get rid of those plugs AND wires!!!
 

Attachments

  • tb 1.jpg
    tb 1.jpg
    36.8 KB · Views: 224
ok i will go with the plugs and wires, and im using a 4000 dollar computer my dad has at his work. it is a obdII advanced or something. it has everyting on it. every other time it seems like it will give me system pass (gave to me twice) and then it will say no codes avalible (3 times) on both KOEO and KOER and i ran them right next to each other. should i do a wiggle test to see about a loose conection? also ive been hose claming vacuum lines but i will keep looking. thanks guys.
 
You get codes sometimes and then sometimes not? Hmmm. Maybe a wiggle test is needed, but surely get rid of those plugs and especialy the wires. If they shock you when you touch them then they are not very good. I got mine from Bill at www.supercoupeperformance.com. He will hook you up, or other places on here may recomend some good alternates.
Also, I used a little bit of Anti Sieze on the plug threads and Dielectric Grease on boot ends too. I couldn't believe how bad that was sputtering with boost. Changed them out and Wha La! Do that and we'll see about the codes...
 
AH HA GRAVY

well while im waiting on my plugs and wires i ran the codes for fun and finally got some. alot actually. what do you guys think

KOEO: #172, EGO lean; #214, cylinder ident Ckt failure; #212 lost/eratic IDM

KOER: #111 system pass

Cylinder Balance Test: #40, Cylinder #4 low

im not sure what the KOEO numbers mean, and the Cylinder balance test has me stumped, does any one know what cylinder #4 low means? thanks guys.
 
i didnt mention this, but this might have to do with the code 212, my tach doesnt work sometimes when i first start the car. isnt this connected to the IDM? also wouldnt code 214 be the camshaft sensor? i still dont know what # 172 is. i dont know what the cylinder balance check thing is wrong, but it said cylinder 4 and thats the one that the wire shocked me. any one good with codes tell me what these mean.
 
fix it!

If i were you, I would listen to the great advice already given. I gaurantee that after you change your plugs and wires the car will run a lot better. You also have to fix your vaccuum leak. Did you check all of your intercooler tubes for leaks? What about the collar where the upper intercooler tube connects to the supercharger top? That was my first of many vac leaks! When I had code 214 and loss of tach it WAS my cam sensor....but I believe it could also be the DIS. Cam sensor is only 30 bucks and easy to replace. Good luck.

Kyle
 
Replace the plugs and wires. Bad wires can cause a lot of issues on a DIS system, remember, if all the energy stored in the coil doesn't go through the plug it will go somewhere else and probably through the DIS.

Once you get the ignition fixed, then get the leaks fixed.

Aaron
 
Well Red, The tach thing COULD be a prob with the cam sensor as most people with similar problems have ended up with that, but like I said, If you are getting shocked by those wires by just touching them, then they are junk. Save the $30 for gas and pizza, it could just be the crappy wires/plugs/vac leak. 1 thing can cause all kinds of codes like #4 balancer test. Maybe it is cause the plug isn't getting enough juice to ignite the fuel? Like Buck said, fix the plugs and wires FIRST! Then goto the FAQ section on this forum and look for "Boost leaks and how to seal them.....http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19261
There's the link, read that and that will give you more understanding on how to seal up that leak than I ever could, that is IF there is a leak. You'll like that article. My money is on the plugs/wires though.

What kind of plugs and what brand wires did you get?:)
 
Yes i was planning on doing the wires as soon as they got in but i was going to fix every thing else while they were being shipped. i think the cylinder # 4 low is the wire. but i dont think that would cause all of the codes, i think two of the codes is the camshaft sensor. the other one i have no clue. thanks for all your help and i hope i can figure out the boost leaks because that article never really made sense to me.
 
You'll love those Magnecores!!

Basically it is saying to go around and put zip ties on any hoses that you can pull off by hand, cause when the car is under Boost, the vac lines will leak if not on tight. Also for $20 you can by some re-useable IC gaskets from TBird88. They will seal easier and can re-use them as often as needed. The tape method is a gooyey messy project.

Tip..do you plug wires one at a time, measuring up each new one to the old one. I ended up with too long on one cylinder and too short on another a few times to get it right...
 
Back
Top