Engine help needed! ASAP

jthomas1600 · 01-19-2011, 06:39 AM

I'm going to throw out another option: new car. Isn't this the rig that was kind of given to you? Or you paid $500 or something like that? Didn't it have a little bit of rust issues you dealt with? I can kind of see the engine swap if you can get one cheap enough and can do the work yourself. You throw in a new transmission though and you're talking about a pretty good investment and when it's all said and done, you're still looking at a rig that's approaching 20 years old. So what goes next? Rear end? Major overhaul of the braking or steering system? I just think if you're not careful you can end up with a ton of money in to old car that's always needing to be fixed.

**scared2mosh** · 01-19-2011, 08:29 AM

I payed $300 for it orig. but after buying paint and doing a tuneup and some other things I have about 1200 in it. the only reason I put that much in was cause I figured it'd last at least a few years. I'd get a new car if I had more than $500 available.

...I know an old lady selling a 98 prism w/ 35k miles for 3k obo.

**scared2mosh** · 01-20-2011, 09:50 PM

Well it's put all back toegether... THe belt and everything are timed correctly but it woont really run cause I need to adjust the distributor. Also there is a lot of smoke when I crank it and once it gets running the cat starts to heat up and smoke really bad... idk why.

gtrdave · 01-21-2011, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scared2mosh

Well it's put all back toegether... THe belt and everything are timed correctly but it woont really run cause I need to adjust the distributor. Also there is a lot of smoke when I crank it and once it gets running the cat starts to heat up and smoke really bad... idk why.

Do you know if the cat. converter is actually functioning properly?
Are you timing the vehicle to any particular spec? If you "need to adjust the distributor", why do you say that "everything [is] timed correctly"?
The two go hand-in-hand. If it's timed correctly, you won't need to touch the distributor.
Sorry, but something is not making sense in all of this.

**scared2mosh** · 01-21-2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtrdave

Do you know if the cat. converter is actually functioning properly?
Are you timing the vehicle to any particular spec? If you "need to adjust the distributor", why do you say that "everything [is] timed correctly"?
The two go hand-in-hand. If it's timed correctly, you won't need to touch the distributor.
Sorry, but something is not making sense in all of this.

Sorry... I was pretty out of it when I typed that haha. I've been sick for a few days.

What I meant is that I put the belt on correctly, but I cant keep it running long enough to check the timing and adjust the distributor accordingly. I need to do a compression check so I know whether I should keep even trying to make it run. I mean if the valves and rings are destroyed I'm scrapping the engine. That's all there is to it.

Like I said though the timing is still off, I think the injectors/filters are still clogged & I think the cat might be damaged as well.(my dad thinks that it may have melted the honeycombs inside from the engine running hot cause of the timing/ lean fuel mix)

... so it's gunna take some work to get it running even if it isnt ruined.

**scared2mosh** · 01-21-2011, 07:30 PM

Timed the engine tonight then I redid the compression test WOT 6-8 cranks. guage read 180,182,135,210. Put abit of oil down cylinder 3 and it jumped up to 175.car is now running... but It doesnt run correctly at all so I believe there is still a fuel issue. I really dont want to take apart the fuel injectors and such so I'm gunna check the fuel pump and filters first (hopefully tomorrow morn)

as far as the smoke goes, it is white and it pours out of the CAT after the car is running for a few minutes and smells horrible. My understanding is that means the CAT is damaged and/or is clogged with oil... I imagine that would increase back pressure alot... could it be enough to keep the car from running properly?

Also a friend suggested that I should start using at least 90 octane fuel rather than 87. thoughts?

mulletman · 01-22-2011, 11:14 AM

90 vs 87 octane won't matter one bit.

If you think you have cat problems, just yank the stupid thing out and see if they go away.

gtrdave · 01-22-2011, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

90 vs 87 octane won't matter one bit.

If you think you have cat problems, just yank the stupid thing out and see if they go away.

Yes and yes. Don't waste your money on higher octane fuel. It won't do a thing for you except...waste your money. And just unbolt the cat. and then start the car.

I suspect that you have something else going on...distributor off 180 degrees...cross-wired plug wires...bad plug...but your compression is fine and wouldn't cause the issues that you're experiencing.
White smoke is indicative of water in the combustion chamber. Are you sure it's not blue smoke?

**scared2mosh** · 01-22-2011, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtrdave

Yes and yes. Don't waste your money on higher octane fuel. It won't do a thing for you except...waste your money. And just unbolt the cat. and then start the car.

I suspect that you have something else going on...distributor off 180 degrees...cross-wired plug wires...bad plug...but your compression is fine and wouldn't cause the issues that you're experiencing.
White smoke is indicative of water in the combustion chamber. Are you sure it's not blue smoke?

it was definitely white and after runing it for 30 min last night it was still rough, but this morning I started it and it ran as good as it ever has. So it must have been water...

Needless to say I'm pissed at the gas station.