88se N/A automatic

I am not getting spark on the #1 trailing plug and intermittenly on the #2 plug. I have check the trailing coils according to the Haynes manual and they check out ok. Resitence was .8 ohms on each coil which is within the .2 to 1 ohm range specified in the manual. The manual does not have a test for the ignitors.

The car will not run below 2000 rpms and is running roughly from 2000 to 3500. It smooths out above 3500 but still is not just right even there.

I have just replaced the engine. I have checked and rechecked many times for vac. leaks and I am 99.9999% sure that there are no leaks.

The crank angle sensor was bad on the replacement engine so I swapped it with the one from the old engine. This helped some but I still do not have spark getting to the trailing plugs.

Two questions: Would the trailing plugs not firing cause the engine to run roughly and stall out below 2000 rpms?

Also, where do I need to look next for the cause of the trailing plugs not firing correctly?

I am also getting a single beep/pause/single beep/pause apparently from the power steering computer which is what caused me to start checking for spark. The leading plugs are firing correctly.

Any Ideas????

Thanks as alway!

 

does your tach work? it gets its signal from the trailing coil - umm wait, it does on S4, but im not sure about S5

anyways, I would get your hands on another set of coils, swap them out since its just SOOO damn easy and then go from there....

 

The tach works fine. But, again, I am not getting any spark at all on the #1 trailing plug and erratic spark on the #2 trailing coil.

 

oops wrong words there. Should be (erratic spark on the #2 trailing plug).

coils checked out ok according to the Haynes manual by testing resistence.

 

in all reality your trailing plugs should not stop it from running smoothly below any rpm. they are there for a little bit more power, and better emissions, and thats pretty much it.

many people remove the trailing ignition when they are initially tuning a car to avoid detonation (hence the No detonation mod which was just a plug to replace the spark plug) (search)

I would check and verify that the leading are operating correctly as this has a larger effect on drivability at any rpm than the trailing.

kenn

 

The leading plugs are firing correctly. I checked them first.

Thats what I thought about the trailing plugs not causing the poor running but at least fixing this would be one more step in the right direction.

Also, would the trailing plugs not firing correctly have anything to do with the warning beeps I am getting from the computer ( 1 beep/pause/1 beep/pause/1 beep/ etc.)? According to the faqs this is a failure of the speed sensor. I have not been able to find that in any of the manuals. Can some one point me in the right direction as far finding that sensor and how to check it?

 

the trailing plugs in the event they are not sending signal to the tach, will throw a warning beep on....in your case it MIGHT be related to the trailing plugs but Im not sure........

get another set of coils and try them out

 

Your apparent lack of spark and the warning beeps are NOT INTERRELATED. The beeps are your power steering and do not have anything to do with your problem.

What is likely happening is you are using an inductive timing light and you have a weak spark plug and its not lighting the inductive light.

 

Ok, so if the trailing plugs are not causing the power steering to send the warning beeps, what is? The FAQS say that the one beep is the speed sensor but I can't find anything about the speed sensor in the manuals. What is it, what does it do, where is it, and how do I check it?

Also, does the signal to fire the trailing plugs come directly from the ECU to the CAS and then to the ignitors and coils and then to the plugs?

The trailing plugs are fairly new and are in better shape than the leading plugs. I am getting good signals from both leading plug wires, no signal on trailing one, and erratic signals on trailing two.

The symptoms I am seeing with the trailing plugs seem just like a faulty ignitor in my first gen. engines. How likely are the ignitors to fail on the the second gens.?


On another note, there is some type of switch/sensor beside the passenger wheelwell beside the pressure sensor. It is plugged into the the engine wiring harness. It has a switch that says R and L and has arrows pointing to each letter. What is it and what is its purpose?

Thanks again!!

 

Okay, after looking at the wiring diagram, the speed sensor is behind the dash, and is tied into the Tachometer. It also appears that the power steering ECU does take an input from the Trailing coil, so I may be taking my words back and having a neat little learning experience here.

The trailing coil has two coils, so it is very likely that one failed, or for some reason the switching signal isnt getting there and not toggling between the two coils

thats to set your initial idle mixture and speed. Dont mess with it unless needed.

Sounds like you need to take Classicautos advice and swap that trailing coil. An N/A or TII will work, as they are the same.

Rat

 

Thanks for the help so far. I am at work now but will swap out the coils this afternoon if I can find some.

I don't think that fixing the trailing plugs will fix all the issues with this car not running correctly but will definately be a step in the right direction.

Once I get this fixed maybe then I can zero in on what is not letting this engine run below 2000 rpms.

I know for sure now that I prefer the 1st gens. to the seconds. The 12as with their carbs are much less complicated than all of the electronics on the 13bs.