New to FC's a little help please
 

Hello, I'm not really new here, I've been browsing absorbing loads of useful knowledge. I just bought an 88 TII for $900. It has a RB catback exhaust, Greddy BOV, a lot of HKS goodies (i'm still finding unmetioned parts), tokico blues and lowering springs, brembo brakes just installed never driven on, an HKS computer, Greddy turbo timer, a FMIC, and a hearty 3" downpipe. I know it sounds cheap for all the goodies but the car does have it issues. First it's pretty ugly, and second it starts and runs kinda rough then dies. The previous owner said it was the MAF sensor so I replaced that. I havn't tried to start it since it was replaced cause I got the battery and tray out to remove the a/c and powersteering stuff. The powersteering pump was bad, i'm not a huge fan of p/s anyhow, and the car will mainly be used at the track and occasionally out for a cruise. The a/c I dont really want/need because of these reasons as well.

Now my questions. The starting issues mentioned before are common of a bad MAF? I sort of trust the owner and the car had good referances from others on my other board. he had also previously built a 240sx showcar and had to sell the FC in a couple days because he moved to japan. the motor was supposedly rebuilt 21k ago so if that true I dont beleive the starting problems lie in a bad motor. I also noticed when I was removing the a/c and p/s that a few of the intercooler peices were not connected. I also suspect this as part of the problem. Tuesday I should be able to finish off the powersteering removal and put everything back together. I pray the car runs somewhat decent after this.

I got pics here

anyone??

meh.
You got a good deal, with the money you saved, first go download the free FSM or buy a Haynes manual. Go through every inch of the car like you were going to do a maintenance tune up. Oil, filters, hoses, everything. Those loose hoses could have been part of the problem, also tuning the computer correctly.

Follow the haynes/fsm check up guides. Since the previous owner(s) did do alot of work to it, you need to check and make sure each mod is working correctly. You need go in sequence, ruling things out before you go to the next.

I know from experience that my S5 N/A will start and run briefly with the AFM disconnected. It is horribly rich and dies in a few seconds (always double check that you plugged everything back in after working on your car...).

You should probably measure the resistance that varies with the flap position on your AFM (both the "good" and "bad" ones) to see if the values look resonable (no drop outs in the mid range etc). You could also have a loose connection or broken wiring harness. Check out the FSM and look at all of these electrical possibilities. Of course, many other things could cause the problem you describe, but if the previous owner was right you should find the problem fairly quickly (assuming you know how to use a multimeter...). You can also check the ECU codes to see if the AFM has been flagged as "bad."

Yah the AFC can cause that. Their are a couple of fuel pump relays that are activated by the AFM and engine computer. So, in a sence if the AFM isn't working or a wire is broken it will only run for like 2 seconds and die...


Good luck...
Gil

well i bought a new AFM the day i bought the car. I replaced it the next day i was removing the p/s and a/c I havnt had a chance to start it yet because I keep finding small problems. I have to replace the radiator which should be in this weekend. So it will be tuesday before I can attempt to start it again. what you described is exactly what it has been doing. It will start then run bad and die after a few seconds.

Update got the car started today and it ran. a bit rough at first then as it started to warm up a bit it started to run better. I took it around the block a few times and i noticed when the motor got around 3000 rpms it hesitated till i let off the gas and it seem ok. as the rpms got up around 4500 it sounded like my BOV was venting. It seems like it was running very rich. I got it back to the house and backed it into the garage. no problems, was not expecting it to run like a new car, but i sat in the garage and gave it a good revving taking it up to 6k and backing off then I hear a pop then oil everywhere. I imediately turned the car off and opened the hood. I noticed one of the oil lines seperated at the fitting closest to the block. Is this semi common? what would cause this other than a bad line?

also any ideas on the eary BOV vent when driving? It seems to work ok at idle. oh and is there a way to adjust the a/f mix without reprogramming the ecu?

anyone?