drivelikejehu

i just got a 94 3rd gen with 48,000 miles on it, 100% stock, original engine. its been sitting in a garage for about a year but it drives fine most of the time. problems:

1) idles low, never has stalled, but the idle sits around 500 rpms. recently the exhaust has been sounding a little funny, almost like a puttering sound.
2) strong smell of oil burning, sometimes smells of gas. these only usually happen just when starting up, or after its been running for a good while.
3) when the car is idling and the clutch is out, something underneath seems to rattle a good bit. when the clutch is in however, it sounds perfect.
4) when i shift from 1st to 2nd, no matter what rpms, i hear a pretty loud "thump" that seems to come from the rear to my right, but its hard to say. it sometimes does it when i shift from neutral to 1st also.

the car runs great above 2500 rpms, its also had a turbo timer installed since the day it was bought by the orignal owner. thats the only modifacation as far as i know.

if anyone has any suggestions on where i should take it or what should be my first step of action, it would be greatly appreciated. sorry for the logn post.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

1. Don't worry about it if it doesn't stall. Don't worry about the exhaust noise either.
2. Get under the car, and look for oil leaks.
3. Probably your throw out bearing. Could be a sign that it needs to be replaced.
4. I don't know???

drivelikejehu

whats the throw out berring and what does it do?

p.s. i like the white! looks like we have very similar cars

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

1) You can adjust the idle, but no big deal. Puttering sound is normal, usually goes away when the engine gets good and warm.
2) Find the oil leak. Exhaust normally smells rich when warming up, this is normal. Raw fuel smell is not normal, and should be investigated immediately. Gas smell from under the upper manifold could be a leaking injector o-ring, leaking FPR, or leaking FPD. All of these leaks are essentially a fire waiting to happen. If you're a DIYer, you can remove the UIM and pressurize the fuel system to help locate the leak - run a search and you'll find plenty of info.

3) Agree, t/o bearing. Hopefully not an input shaft bearing (means tranny rebuild).

4) Possible cracked Powerplant Frame, Bad differential bushing, or bad engine mount. Does the shifter move around when this clunk happens? Another, different possibility is pillowball bushings in the rear suspension - these will clunk the first time the car is moved after being parked for a bit.

Dave

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

T/O bearing pulls on the clutch pressure plate. It's usually replace during a clutch job.

Dave

drivelikejehu

it just passed inspection and they said nothing about engine mounts so i dont think its that, thanks for the warning on the gas smell though! i dont need to be going down in flames. it is usually only when the car is started though, so i dont think theres a major concern (but i will have it looked at, as well as the oil)

im worried about this clunking sound though. the shifter doesnt move at all when the clunk happens, and it only happens when shifting from neutral to 1st, or from 1st to 2nd. but it happens everytime. could the rattling of the clutch when its out have anything to do with this?

the puttering doesnt bother me as long as its not affecting the engine, but it generally doesnt go away at all. whenever i pull up to a stop sign i can hear it. but above 2000 rpms i cant.

like before, the engine is perfect above 2000-2500 rpms, but below that it seems rough. it sounds scratchy if im driving and i give it a little gas when the rpms are anywhere around there.

drivelikejehu

what should be the first line of action (after checkign leaks)? replace clutch?

drivelikejehu

anyone?

DaveW

[QUOTE=drivelikejehu]
recently the exhaust has been sounding a little funny, almost like a puttering sound.
[QUOTE]

"Puttering" sound and smell of fuel when you first start - could this be an exhaust leak? Does the "puttering" come from the end ot the tailpipe, or from somewhere under the car (indicating a leak)?

drivelikejehu

it sounds like from under the front left side (if you sitting in the drivers seat) but its also coming from the tail pipe.

i was also playing around to see if i could figure out the thumping sound, and i found that if i hold the clutch in a good 1-2 seconds before i make the change to the next gear, i dont get the sound... odd?!

the scratchyness at low rpms continues, as well as the clutch rattling when its out, although fine when its in.

manny34711

most of these happened to me. your gas smell.... check your fuel pulsation dampner because that might be bad also check your orings on your primary fuel injectors and fuel rail. you should find a leak in one of those. a good way to check is bosot the car a bit so its been running in a good 170-190 temp. turn the car off and listen for any sizzleing sound (fuel on top of rotor housing). the idle problem.... get a flat head and look for the idle adjsuter by your 2 bottom bolts of your uim arm. DO NOT MESS WITH THROTTLE CABLE. the 1-2 thump is a common problem. it happened to me but i forget how it went away. msg 'trini' in the forums because he would know he was the one that fixed it. good luck on rest.