FD3S running like a lawnmower - running on one rotor?
 

Hello everyone,

I'm a new member here and everything I search for that is FD3S related ends up with this site at the top of the listing so I have decided to join and ask for some help with an issue I cant seem to pin point.

My car is a S1 FD3S 13B-REW that is running a single TD06-25G and PFC management.

3 days ago, I moved the car from one location to another and it ran just fine over the course of the 150km journey - started, idled and accelerated smoothly just as it always had. Pulled hard as I remembered. I had't driven it in 2 months but I had no reason for concern.

Then today, I went to move it to the office - it started up fine then suddenly it developed a misfire and sounded and acted like a lawnmower or a car running on 3 cylinders. It wouldn't rev without a struggle and I was baffled.

I let it sit idling for maybe 5 minutes while I switched out to my other car and then suddenly again, it started idling smoothly again.

So I decided to try driving it to the gas stand to top it up and again... idling smoothly.

But as soon as I started taking off again it started cutting in and out - rough idle one minute, smooth the next. Right now, it refuses to idle smoothly, rev freely or develop power even though it idle's at around 1000rpm.

I ended up turning around and going home and parking it.

And now I am here hoping desperately for some answers.

The car was compression tested 3 months ago and returned 8.0-8.1-8.0 for the front and 7.5-7.6-7.5 for the rear seals.

It was serviced for all fluids including R-Magic specific oil, NGK-R plugs and filters 3 months ago as well.

I am hoping it is not seals... that would be a major setback but, again, I'm just looking and hoping for answers.

Has anyone else had this problem and is there anything you all can suggest I start with to try and track down the smaller things first..?

Looking forward to your support and thanks for reading.

Could be a loose/bad plug wire. Also could be fouling plugs.

I hope you're right. So the easiest way forward to start with is plugs (which could be fouled?), leads and coil packs...?

There's three packs right?

Just a quick update... pulled the EGI fuse and cranked the motor - got a rotary specialist to have a listen and he said its definitely not internal so I am now leaning towards packs, leads, plugs or all three...


So I'll pull the plugs and see if one (or more) of them is soaked... and if any of them are, then I'll know right away one of the packs or leads is shot.

Fingers crossed.

or a loose primary injector clip, they tend to break easily and any previous engine rebuilds it may have been broken and not addressed and has a marginal connection. they're a real bastard to get to though, if the car still has emissions.

can anyone else chime in at all...?

Ive had that issue but it was because i for got to plug in one of my coils after taking off the UIM and ratsnest stuf :facepalm1:

Theck you ignition components like said above, plugs, wires, coil etc. Also any ignition amplifier you may have.

I've had this issue before but not necessarily the same cause. Mine happened after I flooded the motor. The solution was to pour a cap of oil into the housings o rebuild compression. Perhaps your oil injector is clogged.

But In your case I would start by checking the plugs and then use a timing light to verify spark. It's going to be a leading coil problem if it's ignition related.

Good luck.

Fixed it ... but...
 

Okay - so it was plugs... they are less than 500km's old but the carbon build up is heavy. We changed those to stock NGK platinum 7's and 9's, changed the leads to Autoexe triple cores and the car fired up right away and revs angrily.

The plugs weren't hard to change on the hoist but f*ck me the leads are a bi*ch.

The second rotor showed two wet plugs meaning it was not firing properly and combined with the carbon build up, I have to presume the tune is running very rich.

As I have a PFC, I can assess this on a dyno but how much risk am I running now that I know these things..

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks!

If you drive it easy you'll be fine to wait for a tune, just don't get hard on it, at least its running rich, not lean, lean is worse, much worse

probably burning too much oil, also i don't suggest the platinum plugs because they foul far too easily. BUR9EQ copper core is what i use on standard to mild builds and the race plugs on higher end cars(though they are $20 a piece). the race plugs also do not last very long, as do iridiums and platinums in an older engine.

I was using NGK-R 11's for both trailing and leading plugs and they were fine until this problem. I have 420hp on a ported and straight pipe TD06-25G Trust 13B turbo...

What plugs should I be using if the NGK's fouled so easily... unless the plugs are fine and the tune is simply way to rich...?