On Sunday I desided that Rocky( My 88 XT6) needed a good last hard run on the twisties around my house..before being put up for the winter so the more intense restoration work can be done.

Start him up and he sounded so happy and anxious and ready to go. I let him warm up for 10 minutes the up the street we go.Ran beautifully..like he was saying " Thanks Mom, I knew you didnt forget about me"..got about a mile up the street when he started bucking and acting like he did when the coil failed. Alright..he is just being jealous and tempermental right?? NO!!!Couldnt keep him running..put the cluctch in and instant shut off...but my boy tried..Oh did he try...He limped back to the house ( we were about 3 miles away at the time)...and that was it.

You try to restart him..he catches right away but dies right out.WTF! My first reaction is to over react...Then I look beside him at the beautiful and lovely Holly ( the 08 Imp 5 door) and rememebr that this is why I got her..so I dont have to freak out when one of the cars breaks down.

 

I can get him to start and run if you feather the gas and keep it in the 5k RPM range..if you hold the pedal steady he will die right out. Run codes...nothing..Just the old log 22,23,24,32...Pop the hood and it smells like mouse pee and there is stuff everywhere...check the airbox..nothing in it..nothing got past the filter either. There is mouse party remnents in the trunk too. Couldnt find any obvious chew marks so I am confused..he ran fine 2 weeks ago.

Someone thinks maybe the ditsy has taken a nap...I have a spare I may get to this weekend..if I dont work( its hard to pass up triple time pay).

 

So for now he is packed full of moth balls until I can figure out what happened..any ideas? ( I hope my symptoms didnt sound to vague)

Check as many wires as you possibly can. I have seen rodents do some strange things to wiring harnesses, and they always seem to chew just a *few* wires that will make your car run like crap..... instead of the whole bundle, which could be easily spotted!

 

.....its hard to believe its time to put our summer rides away already! My brat got put up this past sunday after a good mud run.

My brat got put up this past sunday after a good mud run.

 

 

Mud run!! Without me:mad: When did you do that:confused:

 

Connie sorry to hear about Rocky. Congrats on your new car Holly.

Mud run!! Without me:mad: When did you do that:confused:

 

I took the field to go next door. After all the rain.... there were foot deep muddy ruts! Not really an "offroad trip" ...but LOTS of MUD!!!

The rats always had a habit of chewing through the crank sensor wires on my 91 Legacy. Smart rodents, they love them some subaru.

Sounds more MAF orienented.

Make sure the plug is tight.

 

but you say

"There is mouse party remnents in the trunk too."

 

Your ECU is back there, did you check around it?

 

Congrats on Holly, a "good" job does have it's perks.

also check the exhaust for blockages - seems to be a favorite place for building nests for the rotten little you know whats...

 

have had that problem in the past - car seemed to run great for a short while, but eventually the nest materials get very compressed in the exhaust and wont let the gases escape effectively killing the engine.

 

the further forward the nest, the faster the car will die.

So sad to hear that about your XT6.

I think that the Dirty MAF and the Wires are a Must Check, but Also, rodents can damage the Vacuums... when you said that it only Revvs at Higher RPM`s, I imagined something related to the Fuel Injection, Vacuums Leaks or Around that... I hope you can fix it soon, easily.

About the "Jealous Car Syndrome" Let me Tell you that it sounds Crazy, but it Happens... ... For Example: When dad and I purchased the Second Wagon (the one that became the Yellow Wagon) our First Wagon (The White One, that We got since 1985) started to act like that... but no mice where found Around, then it Needed some Valves / Head Gaskets \ Hoses, etc... ( "Loving Care" ) ...Jobs to Fix it.

Good Luck!

I think we feel you're pain and want to see Rocky, the XBEE6 finally solved and running right. Might I suggest some in depth wiring checking. One common problem with these cars wiring is the splices. Places in the harness where multiple wires are crimped toghether. There are several of them in the ECU harness. A few of them are under the carpet, and subject to moisture. Clean and solder them and they should be fine again. Just a hunch. Pull out the seats and carpet to expose all the harnesses.

 

I'm just getting settled into my new house, I'll dig out FSMs soon and try to scan some more specific info.

Thanks for the ideas!! Since I dont have to depend on him anymore ( even to be back-up) and can devote alot more time and effort into fixing him right..I already planned on gutting the interior to install the new carpet..so while I have everything out I will make sure to check,double check,and triple check the wires Its very damp and rainy right now so I wont go out tonight ..but I think cleaning the MAF is a terrific idea also.

 

Gloyale..I have FSMs but I appreciate the offer to scan yours..and you gave me a terrific idea for new decals to rebadge him ( XBee6)

All the suggestions make perfect sense.I plan on working Friday ( triple time baby:banana: and I just got a $2 an hour raise) So Sat I will start working on the Rockster.

 

And for giggles:

 

This picture I call beauty and the beast:

 

Cars:rodents=humans:crabs

Cars:rodents=humans:crabs

 

 

:lol: So thats what Rocky has been doing when I aint home..sleeping around I always knew he was a "Bad" boy.. :grin:

 

 

OH! Skip... Holly was almost named in honor of a certain wagon thats close to you and me...she was almost called Willy 2 But couldnt do it cause Willy 1 is still around and she alone should be the only Willy for now:)

 

Tried starting Rock last night to do a test ( thinking about clogged exhaust) wouldnt run at all..plus the muffler is just ..set..on the pipe and has an extreme leak..but I have a welder now so that will be fixed soon.

 

Gonna set some traps around him too..not playing with mice around my boy..I have too much of my soul into that car to let them destroy him

I just went out exploring whats up with my boy... I think it was all jealousy..seriously..I found the first hose after the Maf..on the bottom of the snorkus thiny..off..the one that goes to the IAC...Now I swapped that snorkus before going to the Dragon meet in July..and haven't touched it since..So how could this happen?? I think My boy is jealous..but we had a talk..and went for a drive..he is purring like a kitten again..and seems the moth balls for now are doing a good job at detering the rodents..I didnt find any new mouse party remnents:banana:

Gotta love those easy fixes.....

Gotta love those easy fixes.....

 

Yes! ... Absolutely!

I think Rocky was Jealous! ...

So Nice that you´ve Fixed it!...

Gotta love those easy fixes.....

Unless its a matter of removing the beautiful, but useless NGK's that you beat your head over, tested all wiring and components, swapped components, and tweaked for two or three months over, only to install four rusty nasty NGKs from your datsun that were old when it got sidelined, and havent been fired in three years, only to make the car purr like a kitten.

 

 

 

Or, doing something equally stupid only to discover its an easy fix. You know. :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Well... That Spark Plugs Thing did Happens, one of a set of Four, that had a Cracked center Electrode... I saw that Long, Long time Ago...

But an Easy Fix is always Soo Nice!