ok i have an 87 nonturbo. i havent driven it for over a week. today i went to go get cigs for my dad and when i was gettin home the engine noise changed. It turned to a poppin sound. the car is hard to start now. take a little while and when u do start it, it does the poppin thing. Is it a lose air hose or did i blow the SOB. Someone please Help!!!! Could it be detonation, can i fix it. What is detonation?

 

Hopefully a hose just popped off. Take the intercooler off and look at the 3 hoses in the front and the 3 or so in the back to make sure they are all hooked up. If they are, check the compression.
To check the compression you need a regular compression checker. Remove the check valve from it so the needle won't stay at a high point.
Disconnect the white clip that goes to your CAS (crank angle sensor) Remove the inner most fuse in the fuse block in your engine compartment. It's the one that is on the drivers side with a cover over it. The fuse you want to remove is the closest one to the passenger side.
Remove your Trailing (top) spark plugs.
Have somebody get in and crank it over while giving it full throttle while you hold the compression checker in the plug holes.
Watch the needle. You should be getting on an N/A, I believe 95-100 PSI. Watch for EVEN bounces. That is the most important part. Just make sure that you get 3 even bounces on the needle.
Check both rotors.
If you don't get even bounces, you have a blown seal.

 

Would the forum admin please RXTASY1's repsonce.

Good stuff.