Hey guys,
I'm losing my mind trying to figure this out, tried posting on Vortex because I have an AZG in my wagon but I don't think that forum is as active and I know there are a lot of knowledgeable folks on here.
I'll try to make this is brief as possible.
Car sat for like 7 months waiting for some work that I finally got to this summer. Replaced my exhaust manifold, valve cover gasket, did a complete timing belt job, crank seal, ignition wires, battery, new muffler, intermediate pipe clamp.
- I'm 99% positive I didn't mess up the timing belt job. Had everything correct and at TDC. It wasn't my first rodeo.
- Upon 1st start-up, car shook and bucked, smoked (I had my ignition wires incorrectly routed to the coil pack and had a vac line unplugged. I also think it's possible some of the Slip Plate I had used to restore the manifold burned off?)
-Things smoothed out a bit after that but I am still regularly getting a flashing CEL that will sometimes stay and sometimes go on its own-2nd. cylinder misfire. Heavy smell of fuel. Detonation in the exhaust.
-The misfire was present last winter before the car was parked, only when accelerating uphill, without wet conditions being necessary, so I always assumed my old ignition wires were the culprit. It didn't happen consistently enough at that point to care.
Things I have tried:
-Swapping out the coil pack-no improvement
-Replacing my plugs-no improvement
-Unplugging the connector on the large air intake hose (not MAF)-SLIGHT improvement
-Added some Techron to my tank (which had less than a 1/4 tank these 7 months-wondering about bad gas and moisture building up-will be trying to add fresh gas soon.)-SLIGHT improvement
-Put electrical tape on some suspect vac lines I should probably change.
-Confirming pulse at fuel injectors using "screwdriver trick."
Things I have not tried:
-Compression Test
-Actual testing of spray pattern fuel injector #2 (have never done this kind of test)
-Replacing all vac lines, which are the stock lines. There is a hose that goes into the larger air intake hose (under that plug I had tried disconnecting) and when I manipulate it where it connects to the nozzle I hear a hiss. Inspected it and it checked out ok, but maybe the clamp has loosened up?
Unfortunately, yesterday I was at one point able to get a smooth idle for quite a bit of time and kept revving the motor up to like 4K RPMS to see if it would miss. It didn't but then when I restarted the car I had the same misfire code plus 2 NEW ones-P0030 and P0135. I then noticed my pre-cat 02 sensor wiring was resting on the heat shield. I had forgotten to route it away after all the work and this was the first time the car got up to running temperature. There is no melting in the wires. Possible all this testing of the car ruined it? It is the original sensor that I removed for the first time ever doing the exhaust work. I fear the catalytic is next.
Any advice much appreciated. Really hoping it's not a compression issue. Car has 177K on it.
I'm losing my mind trying to figure this out, tried posting on Vortex because I have an AZG in my wagon but I don't think that forum is as active and I know there are a lot of knowledgeable folks on here.
I'll try to make this is brief as possible.
Car sat for like 7 months waiting for some work that I finally got to this summer. Replaced my exhaust manifold, valve cover gasket, did a complete timing belt job, crank seal, ignition wires, battery, new muffler, intermediate pipe clamp.
- I'm 99% positive I didn't mess up the timing belt job. Had everything correct and at TDC. It wasn't my first rodeo.
- Upon 1st start-up, car shook and bucked, smoked (I had my ignition wires incorrectly routed to the coil pack and had a vac line unplugged. I also think it's possible some of the Slip Plate I had used to restore the manifold burned off?)
-Things smoothed out a bit after that but I am still regularly getting a flashing CEL that will sometimes stay and sometimes go on its own-2nd. cylinder misfire. Heavy smell of fuel. Detonation in the exhaust.
-The misfire was present last winter before the car was parked, only when accelerating uphill, without wet conditions being necessary, so I always assumed my old ignition wires were the culprit. It didn't happen consistently enough at that point to care.
Things I have tried:
-Swapping out the coil pack-no improvement
-Replacing my plugs-no improvement
-Unplugging the connector on the large air intake hose (not MAF)-SLIGHT improvement
-Added some Techron to my tank (which had less than a 1/4 tank these 7 months-wondering about bad gas and moisture building up-will be trying to add fresh gas soon.)-SLIGHT improvement
-Put electrical tape on some suspect vac lines I should probably change.
-Confirming pulse at fuel injectors using "screwdriver trick."
Things I have not tried:
-Compression Test
-Actual testing of spray pattern fuel injector #2 (have never done this kind of test)
-Replacing all vac lines, which are the stock lines. There is a hose that goes into the larger air intake hose (under that plug I had tried disconnecting) and when I manipulate it where it connects to the nozzle I hear a hiss. Inspected it and it checked out ok, but maybe the clamp has loosened up?
Unfortunately, yesterday I was at one point able to get a smooth idle for quite a bit of time and kept revving the motor up to like 4K RPMS to see if it would miss. It didn't but then when I restarted the car I had the same misfire code plus 2 NEW ones-P0030 and P0135. I then noticed my pre-cat 02 sensor wiring was resting on the heat shield. I had forgotten to route it away after all the work and this was the first time the car got up to running temperature. There is no melting in the wires. Possible all this testing of the car ruined it? It is the original sensor that I removed for the first time ever doing the exhaust work. I fear the catalytic is next.
Any advice much appreciated. Really hoping it's not a compression issue. Car has 177K on it.
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