aircraft engineer

The unlock on my alarm button (python) works fine, the alarm sets but the doors won't lock. also when the key is truned on, the doors don't autolock. The KEY locks all the doors (just like it should)

Is your stumble at speed and then just a simple miss or is it pronounced - longer duration and then just disappears? Have you cleaned the MAF? My stumbling was pronounced - even an occasional on the cruise control at about 60 - on the cruise you really notice a M IS S. Then it got nasty so I cleaned the MAF and it quit - only to recur on a 30 mile drive home from Seattle (2 days later - almost all freeway). I was lucky - my sister has the same car so I borrowed a different MAF (all 2.2 use the same unit - mine is a 97 2.2 Imp) and it disappeared just like it had never happened. A trip to the salvage parts facility for another and the problem is gone. It sounds just like my problem - you might be able to get by with the CRC cleaner. If not, then there's replacing the MAF - worked for me. It's nice to be able to trouble shoot with a known good PART.

So the problem came back again - I went and borrowed the MAF of my sister's Imp (also 97) and the problem went away. So it was off to my local junkyard for another. Got 2 - 1 off a 99 Forester and another off 96 Imp 2.2. The ID plate numbers are slightly different - but I installed the 99 anyway. Seems to work fine. Will know soon enough when it comes to fueling - I hope to see an improvement in the 25 around town. with the dieing MAF it averaged 23.5.

Just did a 10 mile run - seems to be "fixed" - the dirty MAF was the problem. I added a bottle of gas line cleaner/ water pick-up "just in case". anyway - an airplane story - Or as one of my former bosses related (true story - he was driving the Cessna) "Cessna 54charlie, Boeing tower- Runway 27 right, wind 250 at 6 knots,cleared for takeoff" "54 Charlie" 30 seconds later at about 500' (still over the 2.2 mile long runway) "Boeing tower, 54 charlie - I seem to have lost #1 engine" {2 or 3 second pause) "54 charlie, you're a Cessna 172...you only HAVE 1 engine" "I KNOW" "54 charlie cleared to land any direction..." (by the way - the rest of the story - Boeing Flying Club aircraft, just out of maintenance. The mechanic came out with fire in his eyes asking "what didja do to MY AIRCRAFT?" Turns out he hadn't tightened the cable clamp on the throttle linkage so the cable slipped out - the engine would only IDLE) Anyway Ivan - usual tower response to that situation would be "OK - we'll send out the equipment for you"

cleaning the MAF seemed to help quite a bit but it isn't all gone. Will go get a "different" MAF and maybe replace some of the VAC hose as well. Might as well put my old coil pack back on, too. will go find my fuel pressure gage and see what it tells me, too

I'm thinking that it's the MAF - easy enough to check and see - easy to clean, too. Would fit the "started acting up after the hi flow rate from stomping on it". How does the coolant sensor affect the spark? and where is it (or "are they") Thanks for the help.

NO CEL codes set. It's a ghost for sure. Next it's off the handy dandy wrecking yard and get the crank and cam sensors and try swapping them out one at a time - also try to do a circuit trace in the wiring drawing and see if there is something "obvious". It's not a code item and seems to manifest itself when the engine starts to heat up. I need to check the fuel pump but it sure doesn't seem like fuel starvation. What are the symptoms of a timing belt slip?

swapped the coil pack - started fine then started rough running in 2 miles or so stalled a couple of times on the way back. If I keep the RPM "up" it runs in neutral but will not idle (most of the time - but not always)

so this AM on my way to my language class, it ran fine UNTIL I STOMPED ON IT - then it went back to the missing - made it into the parking lot and it died - had to push it 20 feet or so. Let it sit for 3 hours (the class time) - went out and it started up but missed off and on until a couple of miles down the road - then it seemed fine again. Anybody know fuel pressure output at the pump? I have a fuel pressure tester I got from Harbor Freight - might as well USE it. (new in the box)

When started after replacing the plugs, there was some smoke and then it ran OK for a few seconds. After a while I started it and drove 5 miles to Auto Zone. Checked for engine codes - NONE. BUT...AFTER I turned it off it wouldn't start for 10 minutes. The A-Z guy said he saw puffs of black smoke coming out the rear and thought it had been flooded. FINALLY got it started and drove it home. (no miss, beats me - running just like "normal") Maybe a temperature related electrical issue? BTW - All I replaced was the plugs If I weren't losing my hair I'd pull out what's left. Anyway - Took it home, checked the fuel - clean. NOW it's running FINE (I did disconnect and replug the coil module while I was pumping some fuel out the fuel filter outlet port - reduce ignition chance with the raw gas) The A-Z guy thought it might be a corroded cam sensor pickup. OK - but WHY is it running FINE NOW? BTW - I HATE doing a timing belt - it's not "difficult" just "time consuming" (Series I is "non-interference")

Changed fuel filter - not fuel problem can smell the gas and see soot in exhaust pipe outlet. EJ-22 series I Runs sometimes "well" but spits and misses others. new plugs today - no net effect. Haven't been able to get to Auto Zone for a scan. (yet - will chance it later - 5 miles) Limped home Thu noon and haven't had the time to do anything except change plugs and fuel filter Ideas? Unknown when last timing belt was done but I've put 55k on the car since I got it. now has 205. BELT WAS DONE ONCE FOR SURE I'm suspecting a sensor but no idea which one

The way I found to hold the belt to the cams was to use a piece of paint stirrer stick and a C clamp. Put the stick on the belt and the clamp on the cam. Not too much pressure and it holds it to the mark just fine. just make sure you line up with the timing marks first. The "lower" idlers don't matter much but it is a bit difficult to get that lowest BOLT back in and hold the pulley at the same time - it might take a few tries

Well - you've asked a question about like "does an orange have a core?". I'll explain - Copper plugs have a copper center electrode which conducts heat away from the electrode area "better" - heats up the ceramic insulator and conducts the heat out "better" into the air. It's only sort of related to "hot" plug or "cold" plug That has to do with how fast the electrode area retained heat is dissipated to reduce deposits. Platinum plugs either have a small platinum alloy electrode end or one or 2 thin platinum wire electrodes attached to the outer shell. Mostly for automotive plugs, it's the platinum center electrode stub and the typical steel alloy spark gap adjustment. (Piston aircraft typically platinum plugs were the fine wire with a large center electrode. The intention is to minimize the "wear" from the arc across the gap) Like I said - slightly different intent - "cooler" plug or reduced arc "wear" (actually it's electric arc erosion - we just call it "wear") Somebody probably does both in 1 plug

The manufacturer is REQUIRED to state the CONTENT (not the AMOUNT, the content - the "materials" in the solution). We even HAVE MSDS sheets for "aluminum blocks" (and the only "hazard" is dropping it on your FOOT ) Woe unto any manufacturer who doesn't supply the hazardous contents (and just about EVERYTHING is considered "hazardous" by the EPA - there is even an MSDS for "distilled water")

OK - the designated brother drove it up a 1/2 mile 6% grade from a standing start. Temp show mid range right where MINE is (same car, just with the phase 1 engine) There's a dead spot in 3rd gear where the engine lugs unless downshifted by either tromping down a bit to force the downshift or manual downshift into 2nd. After the slope slightly flattened and got back into 3rd it accelerated easily without a lot of lugging. Checked physical output from the gas line downstream of the filter, key off to key on - nice squirt of gas out the filter so filter doesn't appear plugged. I didn't do the acid test of "take it all the way out" (only disconnected the output line - c-c-cold hoses don't slip off easily) and blow thru the metal tube to VERIFY free flow", though. She INSISTED on new plug wires, I kept the old ones - there's nothing wrong with THEM either, but not MY problem. No indication of engine codes - no lights on at all. Still have no idea of why the fuel economy went down to 22 or so - on my Tempo it was an oxy sensor (without an engine code. New sensor and the mileage went back up) I'm thrashing about here, folks...