Fairtax4me

Ditch the water separator box and just run the snorkel piping inside the fender and connect it to the filter box.

You notice this when the car is off? Or when it's running?

The high idle indicates a vacuum leak. Spray around the manifold with some throttle body cleaner to see if it changes the idle. When the idle changes you found where the leak is.

Oil filter size is no indicator of what year the engine is. Oil filters change design and dimensions all the time. An 02 engine WILL NOT work in a 97 car. All of the sensors and wiring on the 02 are different and are not compatible with the 97 ECU. They might have an 02 2.5 short block, but the heads and intake manifold have to be from the 97. Heads and manifolds are not compatible pre-99 to post-99, and absolutely will not swap.

Filler tube is probably rusted out. Very common, and allows liquid fuel to escape the tank which causes a substantial amount of fuel vapor to drift under the car and come up into the cabin.

Old thread hopefully the OP solved his issue by now. mzop, Do you have disc brakes in the rear or drums?

Before you put money on that oxygen sensor, the DOWNSTREAM sensor does NOT AFFECT the air/fuel ratio. The downstream sensor only checks the efficiency of the catalytic converter. If you think you have an A/F problem the UPstream sensor is responsible for that. Hesitation on acceleration could be the knock sensor. Those are cheap on eBay and they do fail often.

The large hose on that one usually breaks (after you break the Y part first). Last one I did I had a heck of a time finding emissions hose that large. Ended up cutting up an old IAC hose. Literally had to chisel the old hose off the fitting on the block. The hose broke off at the bottom and left the last inch or so on the block. The thing was brittle as glass. I was able to get a small pick in around the Y fitting and the hose broke around that too and I was able to get the Y out without breaking it. A little silicone grease in the new hose and it all went back together easy.

How old is the fluid? These cars shift funny in the cold anyway, but it sounds like its flare shifting. Old fluid can cause issues like this. The bad thing is when you start having problems like this, the trans probably won't last much longer, especially if you drive the car hard.

Not always true. I've seen enough clean and free (still rattle) PCV valves cause oil consumption problems that I just replace them if they're heavily sludged. I only clean them as a preventative matter. If they're plugged, I replace them when viable.

This is considered normal for most engines during the break-in period, during the first 1,000 - 5,000 miles. After that, about half a quart or less per 3,000 miles is what I would consider normal. Burning that much oil suggests excessive piston ring or cylinder wall wear. If you're still within the warranty period, keep pressuring them to do something about it.

If the 99 has the ABS tone ring on the axle you may need to knock it off to fit the axle into the 98. Other than that it'll work.

Starting with the pedal on the floor cuts fuel entirely so in order to clear fuel from the cylinders. If it doesn't start when you do this, it wasn't flooded. Engine braking uses LESS fuel. The injectors barely spray during engine braking because the engine doesn't need fuel to slow itself down. Check fuel pressure. Filter could be clogged or it may need a fuel pump.

Since the solenoid isn't actually a mechanical part of the drivetrain, tire wear will not affect it. Tire wear will affect the transfer clutch pack as well as the transfer drum, but NOT the solenoid. The solenoid is often damaged merely due to age, but occasionally the wiring to the solenoid is damaged. The wear on the tire is more likely due to low tire pressure, or incorrect toe-in on that side.

Most of the time for valve cover gaskets I just use Fel-Pro from Advanceautoparts or Autozone, etc. Advance usually has good discount codes if you search on google or retailmenot.com. Rockauto.com has tons of parts for much lower prices, but you do have to watch the shipping charges. If Felpro doesn't have the gaskets, the dealer may be your only option. Try an online dealer for better prices. Sometimes the cost to ship makes it not worth it, but your local dealer may be willing to match online pricing to get a sale.

Breaker bar, and they will twist over 1/8 turn before the threads crack loose. There's an about inch more shank on the bolt than the thickness of the head, then about 2.5" of threaded beyond that. Id guess final torque on these head bolts to be somewhere around 120 - 150 ft lbs. They require quite a yank to crack them loose. The bolt heads should be 12 point 14mm. Use a 1/2" drive socket and breaker bar. A short extension may be necessary. A long extension will twist and will require more pull in order to crack the bolt loose. What were you using?

I've had good luck before having a mom-n-pop type body shop paint a bumper for me. There are also painters who specialize in bumper repair for car dealerships. Might try calling a few dealers and find out who they use.

Clutch safety switch tends to cause a rapid buzz from under the dash. One solid "Click" is a starter issue. The contacts in the solenoid are worn and need to be replaced.

Wrong mark. You need the mark on the BACK tooth of the crank sprocket. Its 90 degrees off. If the previous person put it together 90 degrees off the valves are bent.

The seat for the drain plug is clean and flat? What type of washer are you using? Copper works best on these. Aluminum works also but not as well. I've seen the area under the plug flange pitted and galled from having the plug tightened down with dirt still on the pan or under the plug flange. This usually needs to be cleaned up with a fine file or sand paper. Wipe a blob of grease in the hole to keep shaving and dirt out of the threads. I've seen people glue/seal the washers to the pan. This makes it more of a pain to get it to seal next time since the glue doesn't really hold. The washer falls off and then you have to clean it and re-glue it.

Yep. The newer soobs love wheel bearings. They eat 'em like candy. Luckily on that one the bearing simply unbolts from the trailing arm. You may have to wait for it to get louder before you can figure out which one it is.

The nylon sprockets are brittle. Any damage or knicks in the surface could create a weak point and the sprocket may break. Better off to replace it. Not something you want to take a chance with on an interference engine.

Could be a cam seal if its leaking from the left or right side. The left side has a cam seal and an o-ring that tends to dry out and leak. If its in the middle it could be the crank seal or the oil pump seal. Don't wait to fix it. If oil gets on the timing belt it will weaken the belt and break it. That engine is an INTERFERENCE engine so a broken timing belt = bent valves.

+1 what Lmdew said. Nuetral position switch on the trans is sticky. It tells the computer when the trans is in gear or Nuetral. When it sticks in the "in gear" position, the ECU holds idle speed up a bit. The Nuetral position switch is the rear-most switch on the left side of the trans. Try removing it and cleaning the plunger and working the switch a bunch and see if that helps.

You replaced the MAF first, then did the vacuum check, andthe acceleration issue is still present with the "new" MAF? Unplugging the MAF is a good test to see if it is causing a stall condition. Typically if the engine is running rough, unplugging the MAF will only make it worse. The ECU defaults to a baseline AF mixture and ignores all AF related sensor inputs with the MAF unplugged. This means you get a very rough idle and low power, but the engine will continue to run. If the MAF had been causing a stall issue, unplugging it would at least allow you to get the car to a safe place, or a short distance back home. Most of the time a rough running or rough idle problem caused by an oxygen sensor can be made better by unplugging the front O2 sensor. But unplugging the MAF sensor will generally cause the engine to run rougher, so it's only a conclusive test if you have a stalling issue.