Log1call

I'd do the old motor up if everything else is equal. The head gaskets these days are made of a cardboard material that has a high failure rate once they have been used then drained of water. I've seen it heaps of times, you've got a good motor, no head leaks, so you pull it out for a spare, then, when you put it into service a few weeks later the head gasket blows within a real short time. If you're putting the spare motor in you should do it's gaskets before you fit it.

those two codes and all the symtoms could be caused by anything that makes the car run too rich, have you looked at your air cleaner yet? The cat struggling to do it's job would register as inefficient and the idle speed control being out of range trying to maintain an idle within specs would give the readings you mention, Lots of these codes are the result of something else being at fault and not actually the item mentioned.

have you tried wriggling all the wires around the sensors on the motor while it's running? The O2 sensor only adjusts the mixture by a small percentage and would set a fault code if it was playing up so I would not think that was likely. The maf sensor could do it but it would be more likely to be a bad connection because of the intermittent nature of the problem. The temp sensor wouldn't have an intermittent fault either other than a loose wire, and if it's faulty it only changes the mixture by a small percentage too, and once again it should make the cel come on... I'd check for loose wires and dirty fuel, perhaps water in the fuel. If you take the fuel filter out you can drain it into a can and look for water. Try the simple cheap fixes before you start spending money. Most electronic components are very reliable these days and if there is a fault it's mostly in the connectors or wires.

If you're thinking of changing the starter it would be a good idea to test the solenoid before you take it out of the car. There is a small wire that is fed power from the start position of the key switch, sometimes because of a bad connection somewhere or a faulty switch it only gets nine volts which isn't enough to make it work. All you have to do to test it is get a small wire and feed power from the battery into the small terminal on the starter, if it cranks then the starter and solenoid are both fine. You can fit a cheap relay between the battery and starter and drive it with the original starter wire.

Hi, what makes you think it's the ABS that's at fault? It could be the master cylinder. Do the brakes work at normal brake pressure? Does the pedal pulse at all when you hit the pedal hard? What speed are you trying this procedure at?

Just noticed the suggestion that it may be your valve cover gaskets, well they would have to be pouring oil out on the ground before they would cause the motor to not idle! If you are tempted to seal the valve cover gaskets don't use five dollar silicon sealer... it won't be oxygen sensor friendly and will lead to new problems, get your self some sealer that's approved for use with emission control gear and oxygen sensors in particular.

Hi, if the check light isn't coming on then the coils won't be to blame, likewise if it runs fairly well with a load on it then the plugs and wires probably aren't at fault either. I would suggest that you change the fuel filter and check all the vacum hoses on the motor first. A hose off would give those symptoms and is what the dealer should have suggested as a first step, if they don't suggest doing the simple low cost things first then i wouldn't go to them for my work.

I would suspect the screws on the throttle body have been adjusted. The butterfly stop screw should be marked with paint, if that's been moved then you need to try and readjust it to where the butterfly is just not quite closing on to the bore of the throttle and then look for the paint being matched up again. Next the throttle position sensor may need adjusting so that the idle contacts are just closed at idle. Last, the manual idle air screw needs to be adjusted till the idle air valve is in the middle of its travel at the idle revs, this you have to try and arrange by trial and error. Be aware that the CEL will come on because the idle valve is struggling to maintain the idle speed without getting out of its operating range, it doesn't nessecarily mean that the idle valve is defective.

try getting the bolt in without the sensor on it, that will confirm that the threads aren't damaged. Then put it in and out a couple of times to get the feel of it before refitting the sensor on the bolt and trying again?

yes, nippers right, it produces an AC voltage, you need it in circuit and the car runs better with it on! If it's giving trouble it may have been over tightened, the car may have the wrong/faulty fuel or the heads may have been planned too much.

cracks in cylinders? Look about twenty-five mills down from the top.

The knock sensor kicking in and causing the timing to be retarded can cause that. Depends how much power it has to start and how much power it looses that will really tell you, there is no substitute for experiance. If the drop off in power is not too dramatic you could try additive to raise the octane rating or disconnect the knock sensor from the block but leave it connected to the wire and try it but be carefull not to let the motor, "pink". You need to tape the sensor up out of the way of being knocked while you go for your test drive.

That will be the main relay, it is controlled by the ECU and also turns on the main power to the ECU. It's high up in the kick panel, right above the fuel pump relay. They are both on a bracket which you can unbolt and pull down to get at them. The fuel pump is a round relay and above it is a square brown relay which is the, "main relay".

Hi, you could try giving the brake caliper a shake and see if it rattles, they get a bit of wear on the pins that mount them sometimes.

Hi, check the TPI is adjusted right too, when the throttle idle contacts are shut the ignition timing is set to an advanced setting which can cause missing and surging if the butterfly opens while the contacts are still shut.

Hi, have a look at your air cleaner too.

Hi, are all of your windows shutting correctly? Sometimes an open window can cause a very distinctive noise just like you are describing. It can even be load enough to hurt some peoples ears.

Hi, have you checked the power steering fluid is full?

Hi, try the simple things first, aircleaner, sparkplug colour, vacum pipes. The dealer should be able to test the O2 sensor and get your codes out using a scanner for a few dollars which will be a lot cheaper than fixing the CEL.

Hi, could be a wheel bearing, try jacking the car up and grabbing the wheel top and bottom and seeing if there is any play when you try to rock it in and outwards. Let us know what you find.

Or the air cleaner could be dirty!

Hi, I would check that the plugs are right in at the computer and that they havent got wet and corroded. It's just a guess but the problems indicated are not really related except that they all come together at the computer.

Hi, if the coils were missing then the O2 code should set and the check engine light should come on. It seems likely if it has to cool right down that it is temperature related, electrical component or connector temperature that is. I would check the earths and power wires to the computer and engine as a first easy and free option.

Hi, I'm a mechanic and in my experiance the most common cause will be a distributor. The fuel pump could cause it but that is fairly easy to test, can you hear the fuel pump noise when you turn the key on? When it cuts out try turning off the key then turning it back on and listening for the pump noise, if you hear the noise then it's propably not the pump. I'd try a second hand distributor.

Could be that there is a piece of dirt or dirt rolling around in the bottom of the carb and getting sucked up into the jet as you corner. Can you drain the carby? Can you take the jets out? Can you get it to misbehave and then stop straight away and remove the main jets,(hopefully with the speck of dirt still in the jet).