Daedalus

OK, after a few months of having his car, I've pretty much killed it.

Its a 89 GTU.

Let me start with the history so maybe you can tell me where I have gone wrong through out time.

I bought the car in October of 2002. I think I got a good deal as it had a bunch of new parts (i.e. exhaust) and the engine only had 50k on it. When I bought it, it had a bit of a rough idle but made good power through out the band.

I took it to a mechanic friend of mine, he found a bad intake mani gasket and a vac hose that was unplugged. That solved the problem for about 5 hours, and then it went back to being lumpy.

I then pulled the BAC and cleaned it. No change in idle.

So I go out and buy 4 fresh spark plugs. Put them in, and its a bit better, but not very much.

As suggested by everyone here, I attempt to adjust the TPS. I make a test lamp. But it wouldn't work. I'd plug the test lamp in, but it would never light up! It would light up when the engine was on and running, but wouldn't when the key was in the ON position. I thought that maybe it was really maladjusted. So I turning and turning that screw until BING! I over turned it and the spring went flying away... GREAT! So I go to a hardware store, get a new spring and put that in. The car started and ran, but it it now ran MUCH worse. The only way to get it to keep from cutting out was to adjust the idle with the set screw on top of the dynamic chamber and the car was running mega rich. Also had poor fuel ecconomy (guessing because its very rich).

I then went on an extended ski trip and when I came back, the car was majorly flooded. (It sat for about a month, maybe more, and it was a very cold winter for northern va)

Simple unflooding didn't work, so I did the complex procedure. It started with a cloud of white smoke (ATF), and ran just like it did before it flooded.

New spark plug wires. No change.

Reading the forums again, I decided to buy a water themosensor (the brass water pump sensor thingy) and replace that. I pulled the alternator to get to it, took it out, and like a dumbass, over torqued the new one when putting it in and snapped it off.

The car sat for another month before I finally got the piece out. I tried to get to it from the thermostat side (that was actually working until I snapped off the little piece on the inside. That means that the waterpump was somewhat exposed for a week or more.

Now here's something. My dumbass dad thought he's be a super cool guy and get the sensor out, and in the process, he pulled the end off some wire. When I had originally disassembled everything, this black female plug thing was behind the water pump, but not connected to anything. He promptly ripped it off.

I finally get the new sensor in. But a new thermostat gasket and install the thermostat and coolant tube. Replace the alternator and try to start her. Dead battery.

Tried to jump it, it ran, but the battery wasn't holding a charge.

New battery.

She immediately starts. Revs to 4k and holds there. Hmm.

I tap the throttle, and it drops to 2800ish (warmup). She warms up, idle is still crappy. I fool with the set screw some more, gets a bit better. I drive her around the block.

I then decide to replace the TPS. I had bought a working one because I thought my TPS was shot. I start to take it out. I unplug it, take out the two top 10mm bolts, and then realize that there is another bolt/screw under the throttle body holding it on. I wasn't in the mood to take the throttle body off. So I put the two bolts in and start her up.

Wow crappy idle, check engine lights, and the add coolant light is screaming at me. I drive her around the block again, and she is cutting out like hell.

Check codes. TPS wide, TPS narrow. DUH! I forgot to plug it in. Plug it in. Start her up. Vroom! Dead. Try again. VROOM! I can will stay alive as long as i give it some gas. Let off. Dead.

I also put some more coolant in, it was pretty dry. The engine never overheated though.


So this is where I stand. I'm worried that I have a blown water jacket seal because of how much coolant disapeared. But wouldn't that produce a bunch of white smoke out the tail pipe like a blown headgasket on a non rotary motor? Isn't there a simple way to see if this is true?

I'm about to buy a multimeter and start checking the TPS (and setting it), the AFM. Anything else I should check.

I also might redo the grounds. But I have no idea how to do this.

I've considered replacing all the vac hoses and intake gaskets, but I'd perfer not to right now.

Any other suggestions?! Please help.

CrispyRX7

iTrader: (139)

How about a compression test?

Crispy

Daedalus

Please, I need more advice.

What kinds or wire should I do to redo/add more grounds???