96 tracker bogging

[gorkyb]

So, went to start my tracker this morning (60 degrees outside), it had a hard time starting, cranked strongly, fp good (30 psi)

Just kept cranking and it started, then at idle it started bogging (very steady idle with sudden bogs or mini-shaking)

Popped the hood and every time it bogged I could hear a spark, like when one tests a spark plug. I was making sure the hv wires were pushed in all the way on both ends and when I had my hand around the distributor I got shocked (all hv wires were plugged all the way in) Engine kept running so I shut the key off right away.

I will check the obvious (cracked cap or broken wire) later today.

All these parts have less than 3000 miles on them but hopefully is something simple. Cap is securely bolted down to distributor.

[fixkick]

the HV follows the least path of resistance, if you , then you get nailed, sorry it happened !!

yes, only 2 things cause this.
1: bad ignition parts, ( both insulation) or a dead spark plug.
2: timing way off, such that the rotor is not near tower rotor terminal, at firing,.Point.. if it has to jump too far, it will jump to you , if you are near.

the perfect system is the spark plug forms a plasma, think of a spark plug as a resistor load. (it is).
if the spark plug misfires (not shorted) the voltage goes real high , near 30,000 volts. if you touch the dizzy when that moment hits.
you can get hit, that is why i never do that. I keep my hands away, if i need to move dizzy base, i touch the base ,not a cap ever.
when you get hit with 100kv on newer cars, you will not be a happy camper.

The rotor gap actually allows the voltage to build higher, before the spark fires at spark plug, increasing the energy.so does the resistance wires.
use mag wire, it's runs best and longest (its really and inductor not a resistor, it has reactance , and allows voltage to build up, good.)

HEI means High pain ignition too. HPI.


bad spark plug. bad wire, loose wire term as you said,. dizzy not grounded, (hard to believe).
not getting 300 misfire DTCs' even Pending 300s? or 301,302,,, etc...??
engine shaking? misfiring? misfire is violent, fuel starvation is weak and not violent.
all 4 injectors clicking?
cheers.

[gorkyb]

Inspected everything yesterday, found some very minor cracks on the boots that go into the spark plug wells on two wires but they weren't completely cracked. All injectors clicking. Since I took everything on the distributor our to inspect it, I replaced it with another spare cap I had laying around. Bogging is gone but it did this once last week too. Bog at idle came and then went away so I don't think the issue is gone, in the meantime I ordered new wires.

[fixkick]

my guess is it's not bogging , it's misfiring. (using pending mode in the scan tool?, you might see that, and the engine shake)
if you had propane ,down the snort (air intake) at bog, and the bog is not cured, its not a bog,its misfiring. it is possible to find which it is.. is my point, (bad spark or bad fueling)
if flooding (type 2 misfire) the sparks will show that. 1 or all. (but bad spark causes that too, no spark , nets you too much fuel "unburnt")
my guess is spark
get a set of real mag wires. the carbon wire , product is pure junk, (fragile too)

watch out for dirt under the cap, and if present, and it gets humid , that dirt will conduct. HV only works , in a dry and insulated environment , best, so it must be clean, the rotor, and cap.
some times the plastic parts carbon track where no man can see.... Bosch or NGK. wire set, MAG. the bosch are sold discounted everywhere.

the wire boots only keep out water and dust, the cap, must not conduction at all, it only insulates, and Distributes spark, (jumps)
The wires have many fail points, ever inch. end to end, an lay on GROUND, which invites, breakdown of the insulation as does engine washes, oil, dirt ,etc. wire sets can even snap inside with abuse.
PO. or last guy in store the played with them.

I do wish you luck and that the bad part is just 1 simple weak wire.

PS:
Are the spark wells dry , no oil? filled?
is there oil or grease on the spark plug , insulators?
are the cap/rotor and wires , a top brand? not china NONAME parts.? (i think you said before they are...) IIRC

[gorkyb]

I agree, misfiring is the word, not bog. I'll look for the good quality wires you recommend. No pending or stored codes just yet.

On a separate note. Tracker did not want to start again last night (after dinner with the wife-needless to say she wasn't too happy, haha)

No HL, dash lights, blinkers or even horn. Battery was reading nearly 13v. After seeing that I wasn't getting ANY power anywhere I took off battery terminals and reset them down. I had her start the car, the car would want to start cranking but it never did. Every time she turn the key to the start position a spark would show on the positive battery terminal. I tried securing it better and car started. I'm ruling this a corroded or bad terminal. Do you think it could be something else at the same time? Terminals are cheap so I am going to change that and clean the end of the wires with baking soda and water.

[fixkick]

HL is the clincher.
that means the Fender box is dead. or battery is not grounded to the body.
next time it happens (after your term cleans,) jumper (carefully) the battery minus to the body, if HL work now the body grounds are bad.
if not, the fender fuse box is totally dead.
pop hood meter to fuse box, bingo 12v, or 0v.

way 2,
HL dead, leave em on.
pop hood.
VM(voltmeter) black to battery center post neg. to meter black test lead
now
touch red test lead to any node on the fender box. get 12v?
no power to box dead.
yes, then touch red meter lead to body (yes, body metal) of car, 12vdc,? that means the body ground is gone.
that last condition is called a floating body, floating at 12v.

i wonder if the 2 are related.

i wonder if all 96 grounds are good, and the stater big wire is tight to the engine block.
here is the list of critical grounds.

see GND 96+ table column here.
http://www.fixkick.com/Good_Bad_Ugly/com...lures.html
good luck .

---

your very close to zero bugs,,, break a leg.!

[fixkick]

i had no reason to argue any word,
just that we need true evidence.
1: starvation (fuel) , shows as a power loss, ,slang, bog
2: misfire, usually shows as violence. can be extreme.

really starvation is lean misfire but is felt as, loss power, likc when you cut the throttle, it starves.

rich misfire, can be spark or too just to much fueling, only checking spark carefully can you discover which is the cause.

Im hoping for
gross grounds, and easy fix and accidentally fixes , the DIZZY.

if the engine shakes at idle. or the power is not smooth or shakes, this is an important clue to a fast solution.
so is is reading spark plugs, with it is bad running or not starting. and checking for loss of spark at failures.

btw if wires set is pretty new? , you can check continuity of them while flexing them . ive found many , go open when flexed. end to end.
if carbon core wires, id trash it. they love to go open, at drop of hat.

[gorkyb]

Great, I'll keep all these points in mind next time it happens and will record a small video of it. Since I opened up and swapped the distributor cap I have not had the issue again. Do you think my corroded battery terminals would cause such a symptom?

I can bend wires and check for continuity, I ordered a bosch set on rockauto, they were on discount. I will keep the old set as spare.

I put brand new terminals on battery, sanded off battery terminals, cleaned end of both wires with Permatex battery cleaner before installing new terminals, made sure I installed them tight but not over tight to the point where I would brake the terminals, I also got $1 felt washers in Autozone to sit under the terminals.

It's been two days (approximately 50 miles of driving) since I had the no starting problem and it's been around 4 days since the bog/misfire issue. Let's see what happens.

[fixkick]

im glad your running good,.
the HL fail , is and easy diagnosis. the HL are hot full time, from the fender box. so I think you found it.
must have been a bad cap, some can look ok are not, the carbon tracking can happen in very odd ways.
yes the ECU or the dizzy can drop out near 9v. if you get low 12v power, either stall you or misfire, on the cusp.

one thing about bad connections, they get worse, not better in time. some can be hair raising , random and illusive.
good luck to you.

[Dorian6363]

In according to me all the parts of that tracker has totally made of aluminium and In European countries mostly people have liked it due to its reliability...............So what do you say about it buddy???????and so If any body wants to share any information about it then please share me buddy???