Sonicfrog Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 (edited) Well, this suck. The catalytic converters on Murphy, the $500 87 Turbo Wagon, we're both clogged and were just replaced. This problem reared it's head this summer, and though I still drove it some, it was running so bad, I simply stopped driving it in October of last year. The reg was up anyway, and i put a non-op on it. So here we are today. This last week I had both cats replaced. After driving it around a bit to warm it up, I took it to the smog test station.... Where it failed miserably! Here are the results. At idle: RPM - 846 // CO2 - 10.3 // O2 - 0 // HC- 513 (MAX - 12O) // CO - 7.15. (MAX - 1) High RPM RPM - 2686 // CO2 - 12.8 // O2 - 0 // HC - 284 (MAX - 14O) // CO - 3.33. (MAX - 1) When I got home, I checked for trouble codes.... None. Checked the timing. At 20 BTDC w/ green terminals connected. The Ox sensor was not quite tight. It wasn't loose, but I was able to cinch it down maybe 1/4 of a turn. At this point, I can't see much else that is wrong with it. Now, I did run for a while with the clogged cats. It's possible I may have damaged the OX sensor during that time(they are sometimes sensitive little buggers), and though I can't recall exactly when I replace the cap, rotor, wires and plugs, it doesn't seen like it was all that long ago - maybe a year or so. Any thoughts on which way to turn????? PS. This spring / summer, when the cat problem started to rear its ugly head, I had thought about just ditching the car. Well, of course, I had recently put new tires on the thing, so I was already out a good chunk of money, so junking the thing was not an option. Plus.... For all the head-aches the EA82T can be (as many hear know quite well).... I love that car!!! Edited January 31, 2012 by Sonicfrog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 How old is the gas? How long did you run it before getting it tested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Gas tank was almost empty while it was sitting before I did the repair. I put more gas in when I took it to the shop. The drive home from the muffler shop was about 10 miles. This morning I drove it for a few miles to warm it up before the smog test, which included some high revs. It was at optimum temp when I brought it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pressingonward Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Those numbers indicate it is running very rich. There's two things that come to mind: #1 Bad O2 sensor. Hook up a voltmeter to the O2 sensor wire and a good ground, warm the car up. Voltage should oscillate from ~0.2V to 0.8V several times per second. A bad O2 sensor may only switch once per second, or may switch in a narrower range, or may just stay stuck at one voltage. The fact that your O2 sensor was not tight might be your problem. A bad ground will ruin the signal since it is operating at such low voltages. #2 Bad coolant temp sensor. These go open circuit and make the computer think it's running at -40 Degrees, so it richens the mixture. They can also just read low, which is a little less obvious and can be the sensor or a bad connection due to corrosion. They are easy to test, you can find a chart in the repair manual that will list resistance values for various temperatures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 I'm thinking bad O2 sensor as well. I drove it more than I should have with the clogged cats. I know those things get ruined pretty easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pressingonward Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Why are you bumping this? Have you tested your sensors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 The engine temp sensor tested OK. I went ahead and got the O2 sensor. They're cheap for this car, and I know I ran it under, lets just say, not very optimal conditions. I'm also replacing some of the PCV tubing while I'm tinkering around. Some of it is quite soft and probably not sealing all that well. I've done the spray test for vacuum leaks and nothing showed up. But I'm double checking that too. I should have everything back together tomorrow and ready for round 2 at the smog fight!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) UPDATE: OK. So I put the new OX sensor on, but the engine still wasn't running quite right. The turbo still sounded strange, and the engine I realized would not go above 5000 RPM while driving. Well, I think I might have found the problem. The plastic / ruberish big black air intake has fallen apart, and I figure the air intake being measured by the MAS was not the correct amount the engine was pulling in.. I was taking out the air filter, and when I lifted up the air filter housing, I felt it give way. The air tunnel (or whatever you call it) split where it clamps on to the turbo housing (I hate those factory wire clamps). I suspect it has been like this for a while - partially cracked - and had finally given way today. Now, what exactly is it called so I can price the thing? I will of course hit the bone yard, but turbo GL's and XT's are not very common around here, so I'll probably be buying from the list. But I need to know what to ask for.. Edited January 31, 2012 by Sonicfrog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pressingonward Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 That will definitely make it run rich since it's sucking in unmetered air. Good luck finding that part, on most cars it is called the air intake tube or intake boot or something like that. If you can't find a good used one (they tend to be cracked) you can fab together an intake from a piece of pipe and a couple of silicone couplings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Got a good condition air intake (thanks RallyRuss). The Turbo Wag is running much much better than it has in a while! Will smog it Monday.... Fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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