Missing/Low Idling issue now no start.

[vortex2450]

For those who don't like long paragraphs skip to bottom

Over the past couple of months I've been plagued with a low idle issue, I have been working, most of the time, out of town so I've had very little time to investigate.

I did have a vacuum leak at the hard tee about a foot from the pass side on the top of the firewall which I blamed this issue on and I recently (3 days ago) fixed.

This vacuum leak now seems irrelevant as after my 2nd oil change (Dec 26) 4 qts Mobil One 5w-20 + 1 qt Lucas Oil / Mobil Oil filter I had been having a ever more noticeable missing issue, mostly under slight acceleration at first, then acceleration and idling, and it grew to progress randomly. Sometimes the SHO would miss hard at highway speed and cause some worrisome "clunks" that clearly sounded like pre detonation or worse off a piston smacking at TDC.

So yesterday I parked it and under further investigation I found oil in my plug wells, which I cleaned out , and inspected my plugs which were, aside from the oil on the top side, in normal looking condition for 6K on them. I cleaned everything up and patched it back together and drove down the road and back and still had the miss issue.

So I went back in with the wrench and cleaned the mating surface between the DIS module and the Intake crossover, I also at the same time disconnected the battery to clean the terminals and try the idle reset procedure.

The SHO won't even fire now. I have fuel pressure, and have tripled checked the DIS ( it's impossible to mount back wards as the holes are offset on the bottom), cleaned all the possible connections and no fire.

All this seems to lead to a text book example of a BAD CPS. I just wanna get other input.

The oil change seems relevant because the past two I did with Castrol GTX conventional ( I got cheap ). My Guess is the new and better oil managed to seep past who knows how many gaskets in a 216k engine that probably hasn't seen the light of any synthetic oil since the factory and accelerated the deterioration of the CPS and other components. ( I guess this based on the new oil seeping into the plug wells and the black puffs of smoke I got upon starting the car after about 4 days of sitting last week).

I know its a lot to read, sorry, I like to be thorough.

Short version of this?

Started with Low Idle which I blamed on vac leak then fixed. Oil changed then all the issues (sporadic missing at idle, under acceleration, and while cruising ) started to occur and finally after disconnecting the battery I have no fire. CPS finally take a crap?

 

[SHOspazz92]

If the car would start before you unplugged and removed the DIS, It sounds to me like you don't have all 4 DIS bolts in tight. Remember, the two bottom bolts on the DIS are part of the ground for the DIS.

-Sam

 

[vortex2450]

You could be going somewhere with this, I'm missing one of the bolts for the DIS and only have 3 installed, 2 on top, 1 on bottom. I'm gonna punch myself is that is the start issue, but it stills leaves the horrible missing :\

EDIT: That's the start issue, guess I better find some hardware, this isn't my first bout with the DIS, guess I just wasn't looking at the right sutff but now I have no idle at all, which is okay as long as I keep a foot on the gas and the other on the brake.

 

[SHOspazz92]

You could be going somewhere with this, I'm missing one of the bolts for the DIS and only have 3 installed, 2 on top, 1 on bottom. I'm gonna punch myself is that is the start issue, but it stills leaves the horrible missing :\

Yup, You need both of the bottom ones for it to start. Take one of the top ones and put it on the bottom. Then see if it starts.

-Sam

 

[frosho]

Make sure the bolts for the crossover tube to surge tank brackets are snug, too. They are also part of the ground path.

 

[lowc]

Make sure the bolts for the crossover tube to surge tank brackets are snug, too. They are also part of the ground path.

found that out the hard way

 

[vortex2450]

It was the bolts, just switched a top one to the bottom and it turned over, but I have a un ignorable miss, it fell face first just moving it around in the yard.

Thanks Sam

The SHO intake is dead sexy but it's a high maintenance piece of work that's for sure. I guess it's all part of the learning curve.

I've already experienced the issue when attempting to reinstall the intake already tightened up, or forgetting to connecting all three hoses to the TB,and then there is forgetting about the IAC connector and crushing it under the intake, painting the grounding surface for the DIS, now I can add not tightening the bolts all the way down for the DIS/ not having both bottom bolts on the DIS. lol

 

[rubydist]

if the plug wells were found with significant oil, then the wires and plugs are shot and will need replaced to eliminate your miss issue. the oil causes shorting on the top side of the plug, which leads to carbon tracking on the wires and/or plugs and even cleaning up and drying out the oil will not prevent them from continuing to short.

your miss may be more than that, but you will need to change plugs and wires to have any reasonable chance to get it to run properly.

sounds like it needs the full 60k work - I'd start planning and budgeting for that asap.

 

[vortex2450]

It undoubtedly needs the full 60k badly, this is a clear sign of that. I did look over the plugs and wires suspecting that oil got up to the top of the plug and 1/2 the wires have nasty burns and residue inside the caps along with the top of the plugs looking like their are 50 years old.

This car needs a complete rebuild as it stands, the engine bay has crushed connectors all over, burnt wires, dry rotted vacuum lines, loose components, rotting bushings, crap tires, missing bolts all over, leaking gaskets, bad fuel economy, a whiny transmission, oil leaks, and all the other symptoms typical of any car that was neglected for 200k+ miles.

I am simply waiting on SHO #2 to arrive so that I can park this project. Until then I'm pretty much stranded, good thing is that I don't have a lot on my platter ATM.