Alright, I've just finished a bunch of maintenance on my 88 wagon n/a 1.8 it runs great now compared to before but it has a miss when its idling now. im not loaded with money so i haven't replaced the cap and rotor yet i'm sure it needs to be done, and since part of problem before was the pcv was completely clogged solid hoses and all, I bet it needs a new o2 sensor as well. what else would cause ths miss?

btw i used autolite plugs i heard thats a no no

Yeah I bet if you pulled your disty cap, it would look worn. Also you really should use NGK plugs. They are about 11.00 bucks for your car. I know cause I just got some from NAPA a little while ago!

Thanks, I ordered the parts today. One more question, why is it that it only misses at idle after it has already warmed up enough to slow the idle speed?

Alright, NEW cap, rotor, wires, NGK plugs, O2 sensor, and before this stuff i replaced the timing belts, (because the water pump went). I had to take off the distributor because the screw holding in the rotor would not come out, I put back the dist. at as close to where it was before, started a litlle twisting of the dist. it seemed fine. Except now it must not be quite right because when its warmed up it idles lower and a little rough, oh did i mention the new stuff did absolutely nothing at all, still has a putt in the exhaust AFTER its warmed up when you first start it it runs fine,getting frustrated, 60 more dollars into this car for nothing.. WHATS GOIN ON WITH THIS THING?

Try these few little things: Sea foam into a vacuum line,

use carb cleaner for the throttle body, remove and clean

all fusible links and contacts with wd-40, disconnect

the Throttle Position Sensor or TPS and give the male

end of the plug a thorough cleaning with WD-40 and a small screwdriver.

BE GENTLE. Try those FREE things out lol helped loads on mine

Had this problem once after doing a tune up. A miss only at idle. Eventually discovered I had cracked a small vacuum line on the manifold when I guess I was replacing the plug wires. Check the lines over on the passenger side.

Ahh, I'll check that out tomm. now the plastic end of a little module next to the t-stat broke off but i put rtv around it so i assume its ok now, but i'll check out the other lines. Thanks

might want to double check your timing since you pulled the dizzy... other then that sounds like these guys are on the right track, cracked vac or PCV hose FTW.

Yea I def. need to get the timing exact, how do you do that? I just have it where it will run and drive for now, Thanks

Well couldn't find any vacuum leaks(visible anyway) the one thing i do know is the part i broke the vacuum hook up off, is labeled in the diagram under the hood as "Solenoid Valve VI" i used rtv around it but that may not have done it, would this part make it miss at idle, Ive gotten pretty familiar with the engine over the last week or so but never really found out what these solenoid valves are (theres two right near each other). I also still need the procedure for setting the ignition timing correctly. I drove it today and it ran great when moving but the lower idle's a little scary at stoplights

Ok, well i looked at the cel code under the dash, (red light flashing led right?) three long, five short. 35 Purge Control Solenoid or Circuit. what is this? would it cause the miss?

I can almost guarantee your timing is a bit off. To check it, you'll need a timing light. Then, connect the green, single-wire, connectors near the wiper motor, and start the engine. Shine the timing light through the hole at the top of the bellhousing, and rotate the disty until you see 20* at the tip of the pointer. Then you can tighten down the disty, disconnect the greens, and call it a day.

 

You may need to crank the engine by hand until you see the 20* mark, then use a pen/marker to make it stand out and easier to see.

 

The purge control solenoid is one of the two solenoids next to the intake. It won't likely cause the stumbling issue you're having. The other solenoid is for the EGR. Searches will reveal much more information about each one

 

-Dave

Thanks! I found that the solenoid is causing a vacuum leak, but its just slowing down the idle a little not really a catastrophic problem. I checked everything I could think of, switched out wires with the old ones ect., then the last thing I tried was the MAF (I just thought "why not?"), unplugged it. bam. no miss. perfect. plugged it back in and it was missing again. so Im guessing this means I'll need a new (different) one. I did clean it not long ago, used rubbing alcohol (searched it on the internet said it was the cheapest best way), did that screw it up?

Someone correct me if I am wrong...If you unplug major components, are you possibly putting the system in a fail safe mode that could artificially correct the problem? Only to have the same problem with a new part if there was nothing wrong with the first one?

I did think of that..but what should I do? I remember back in the summer when I would run the a/c the car would always overheat, with it off the temp. would stay dead steady, so my guess would be the electric fan was never cutting in, its controlled by the CTS right? what Im getting at here is since its only when the engine has warmed up this might be it? but it starts fine no matter how cold or warm it is outside ex. it was 10F outside this morning,and 55 this afternoon..started fine. Ideas?

The electric fan is controlled by a thermoswitch in the radiator. It's possible that the switch died, which is why the electric fan never comes on. You can try unplugging the switch and jumping it with a wire. The fan should come on. A new thermoswitch shouldn't cost too much to replace.

 

Since you moved the distributor, you MUST re-check the timing. Everything else is suspect until then.

 

-Dave

Alright I reckon I'll get the timing exact first, the only thing is I dont own a timing light, How much should I spend? does price matter? Im seeing a broad price range out there from $19 to $180

The $19 one should work fine. You don't need a dial-back or other special features for this. Just an el-cheapo one is ok.

 

-Dave

Alright thanks, drove it today then checked to see if i got any different codes, and I did, 14 abnormal injector output, and I noticed gas seems to be seeping out through the gasket on the throttle body, if the injector is leaking this would explain why the engine runs good when cold because cold engines like more fuel, then when it gets warm it doesnt want that extra fuel. Am I on to something here?

-Oh yeah, I think this problem may have been building up for awhile now, considering there's a horrible rattling sound coming from under the car, pretty sure the catalytic converter is about to eat it..probably from the overly rich exhaust

If the cat is rattling around it may also be restricting exhaust flow

I've had the heat shield rattle itself loose on a couple cars now. Makes an aweful racket, but otherwise the internals should still be fine; unless it got hit on a rock knocking the shield loose.

Yeah, I actually fastened the heat shield back down about a month ago, it doesn't move but I guess it might still rattle, maybe I didnt get back on as well as I thought. As far as the injector goes im going to check and see if it leaks, though Im pretty sure it does since the gaskets soaked through and there's gas on the outside of the TB. I guess I'll need to find a used TB or injector then? or is there some kind of way I could rebuild it/make it work the way its supposed to?