RockRobster

Still working through the control systems in Rubie Sue to track down the last bit of raggedyness in the engine. I cleaned the MAF with CRC MAF cleaner last night, again, a little bit of a gain. In all, we have gone from really raggedy, barely runs to pretty darn close to smooth now. I am not looking for more power, the 38 or so horsepower it makes now is adequate for around town, I just want it to pull through the gears smoothly. New parts/fixes to date: new plugs and wires new rotor and cap new fuel filter set timing reconnected several vacuum hoses and replaced two sections with new hose oil and filter Cleaned MAF Checked ground on Primary Coil bracket - solid So, I am thinking that next up would be to clean the TPS, and make sure that I am getting a clean signal from it. Can I take it apart and get to the potentiometer to clean it? What exactly is the drill for this? Thanks in advance,

When I first got Rubie Sue, she was very cold blooded, took forever to warm up. And she really ran crappy when cold. So, I swapped out the thermostat, problem solved. She now is heated up by the time I get to work; used to be still cold. I suppose I could have tested it first, but it was cheap enough, and easy enough to swap out. I used a new gasket when replacing it. Cheap easy fix. She's slowly coming around to running better. Not too much more to go.

I bought a can of CRC MAF cleaner yesterday and did the cleaning. Before cleaning, I inspected the probe ends. They were pretty clean, no crud on them, but had a very slight patina to them. I performed the cleaning operation, now the probe ends were shiny, so they did clean up a little. Not sure they were dirty enough to be an issue. Put the system back together and went for the test drive. Seemed to be yet a small step better in smoothness/driveability. Maybe that is wishfull thinking I am still chasing that last bit of smooth driveability, still lurches a bit at times, I am still thinking it is something (or many little somethings) in the engine control circuit. Still, much better than when I got her 2 weeks ago. Thanks again for the replies, I really do appreciate the knowledge/experience sharing thing happening here.

Guys, Thanks for the answers, I will get the Haynes book and scope it out.

Not sure what the deal is with the AC compressor. It is simply not engaging. I have checked the AC fuse, the fusible links, and looked for loose or frayed wires. No results there. So, the question is, what makes the compressor engage? It looks like there is a two conductor wire harness, going through a connector, that connects to the sensor at the front of the compressor. Does the signal to engage compressor come through this connection? What else am I missing? My determination to fix at this time of year is driven by the de-humidifying function of the unit, not the cold air function. Very moist air out here in the Pac NW. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the responses, guys. I appreciate it. It is the SPFI, and now I have a clear idea how to procede. I will pick up some CRC cleaner today and take a whack at it. Should be pretty straightforward.

How does one go about cleaning the MAF on an EA82 engine? I am still chasing a minor driveability issue, and am wondering about cleaning the MAF? i am worried about damaging it. Thanks in advance.

Hi Miles, thanks for the reply, Fortunately, i have no issues with starting, hot or cold. it idles great, just doesn't want to accelerate smoothly. How does one clean the TPS contacts?

Greetings all, I just bought a "new" car! Aa 1991 Loyale Wagon 5sp/4WD. 238,050 miles. It is actually in very good shape for its age. Runs OK, but a little "raggedy". To this end, I have been going through it replacing the obvious items. *Spark plugs and wires *Disty cap and rotor *Fuel filter I found a vacuum line disconnected and hooked that back up. Also replaced several other sections that looked a little dodgey. All in all, some improvement, but still raggedy. It starts right up and idles well. Surges and hesitates while accelerating, even after warm up and temp gage shows normal operating temp. With respect to the spark timing, I can only find one of the two connectors under the dash that are to be connected together to check the timing. How critical is this step? Can I just assume an "offset" to the 20 BTDC and set it like that? Even without being able to find the connectors, I set it to 20 BTDC and, again, a marginal improvement. But as a gross SWAG, which side of 20 BTDC should I be on without the connectors in place? Left on the inspection/cleaning list for chasing the raggedness, is several components: *Fuel Injector? *Clean Throttle Body? *Replace Coil? All in all, a fun little beastie. I just wanted something to restore/fiddle with. It came with a complete set of studded snow tyres on steel rims, which will come in quite usefull in Hood River in the winter. Just want to say thanks to all for this site. It really enhances the experience. Regards, Rob P.S. the car's name is Ruby Sue. gotta call her something