And I really need you guys to work your magic.

All I know is my brother was driving the car and it died on him. He starts it back up and it's really shakey and violent. It will run over 2k RPM, but you need to keep it up there. And it doesn't have a lot of power up at those marks. Almost as if I lost a seal.

I'm thinking it's a plug/wire/coil issue. I'm not sure. Is there any way to test my wires and/or coils?

I'm really hoping this is an easy fix. And I also really hope I didn't loose a seal.

Thx guys.

 

To test wires / coils:

hook up an inductive timing light, start engine, pull trigger on light, observe if light flickers. It should flicker for all four plug wires.

To check for a blown seal:

Take out one plug for each housing (can be both top or both bottom, but only one per housing), remove the EGI fuse from under the fuse block in the engine bay on the drivers side strut tower, spin the engine with the starter and listen for a rythmic whooshing sound. If the whooshes don't sound the same, like if one or two sound weaker than the others, time to borrow or buy a compression gauge and do this test over again, only with the gauge threaded into one of the spark plug holes instead of having it open.

To check compression with the gauge, block its check valve open with a zip tie, rubber band, vice grips, etc. and spin the starter. The gauge should read rythmic bumps of the needle, going up past 80 and back down to 0 continuously as the engine spins. If one or two bumps are not going up past 20 or so, that means that an apex or side seal are blown.

 

when my alternator went bad, it did the exact same.

 

Well, did the compression check.

Around 115psi on the front rotor and about 50 on the back. When I heard the rear turning, it seemed like 2 out of the 3 seals are gone. WHile the front rotor sounded perfect.

God damn.

 

Chaulk one up to your brother!! I know, he'll probably say he never took it over 2,000RPM.

 

Yeah. I already gave him the verbal treatment. The physical one will come later.

 

is he richer than you? If so I would definitely be taxing him for at least a little bit of the rebuild!

 

He's my twin, and we're both poor college students.

Oh well. The car was a damn good one. I was under the hood almost everyday it seemed like with another new problem, but it was fun. I'm happy and sad. Mostly sad. I'm just going to get an old beater car that will last me for a while without me working on it forever.

I'll get another 7 when I'm out of college and have a good job so I can spend money on it. Ahhhh..that would be nice.