Ok guys I need help on this one!!!

 

I will start with the car and what is done to it: 96 O/B 5MT, 212,xxx miles, originally 2.2, swapped to 2.5 DOHC..... don't even say it, I should have left the 2.2 alone:lol: , Borla header, running front car, gutted the rear cat running back to a Magnaflow, Perrin pulley. The motor is a 2.5 SOHC phase 2 bottom end with phase 1 DOHC heads. Engine harness was used from the original motor. Removed and blocked off all of the EGR stuff. Other than that everything is original.

 

Yesterday I drove the car to work and it was all fine. I went to fire the thing up for lunch and it was running really lopey. I ran it up the road hoping it would clear out and then it really fell on its face and I barely got it back to the shop. CEL is flashing and got a cyl 2 missfire code out of it. I only had enough lunch break left to start looking at things. The cat was glowing orange so I figured it was a lean condition. I started pulling injector plugs to see if it would change the idle and each one seemed to change the idle equally. That was all the time I had for lunch.

After work while I was waiting for the wife to pick me up I fired it up and it ran perfect for 30 seconds and then went back to crap. I pulled it into the shop and started just swapping stuff to see what happened, I through a mass air meter, coil pack, ignitor, ECU at it and ohm checked the wires(I work at an all Suby parts shop so it didn't cost anything). Nothing changed. I parked it again.

This morning I came in let it idle, revved it up a bunch of times it was good again. Tried it again at lunch and just let it idle while I did some stuff and it went back to crap again.

 

This thing has always run great for me. It did have a slight miss like wires were bad but it never gave me a problem. I swapped it as soon as I got it and have driven it for about 4000 miles. I would just like to get some feedback and ideas. The only other thing I want to check at this point is I want to drop the exhaust and run it, the cat setup I used is a one peice setup from a 420 code 02 impreza. Thanks in advance!!

Don't know if you had the plug out of cylinder 2, but how'd it look. Wet, carboned up, white...etc

That is another thing I am going to check, haven't had a chance yet.

You cant test wires with just a meter. How about a new set of OE wires and a new set of plugs?

 

nipper

It just got new plugs when I did the motor and they were the OE's. The wires I gotta check into what I have to use, I beleive they only ran that wire for a few months in early 97

It just got new plugs when I did the motor and they were the OE's. The wires I gotta check into what I have to use, I beleive they only ran that wire for a few months in early 97

 

Not the answer i wanted.

 

hehehe

 

 

swap wires and see what happens.

 

a bad CTS may be making the car run too rich and that can make a converter glow red too

And it was a brand new Suby CTS when I did the motor. We are actually going out now to look at it a little more.

And it was a brand new Suby CTS when I did the motor. We are actually going out now to look at it a little more.

 

Your not giving me a break are you?

 

 

hehehe

 

nipper

CEL is flashing and got a cyl 2 missfire code out of it. I only had enough lunch break left to start looking at things. The cat was glowing orange so I figured it was a lean condition.

 

 

That is why the CEL flashes when the ECU detects a "Class A" misfire. It is to get your attention before the cat is damaged.

 

It is raw fuel being dumped into the cat and igniting that makes it glow. Me thinks you have a rich condition.

Since there's a code for cylinder #2 only, the problem may be restricted to that cylinder. I'd suggest throwing a vacuum gauge on the next time the problem shows up. Get a general idea of the reading and how steady it is; pay particular attention to any rhythmic change in the reading.

Actually I meant to say rich condition, sorry.

 

I actually did throw a vacuum gauge on last night.... 6 in lbs

 

I probably won't be able to touch it again untill mid next week due to my Forester project I just picked up. I planned on pulling the O/B off the road to drive the Forester..... it must have gotten jealous:lol: