X90 friendly?

[High Arctic Si]

Well I have been using the fixkick pages for a while and iam finally getting somewhere with my '96 x90, automatic. made in japan, sold in canada. With OBD2!
Initial problems related to lack of maintenance and brutal conditions up here in the high arctic. the car is used as a commuter and travels 15kms 3 x per day minimum. no paved roads. and the car came from southern canada a huge amount of salt related corrosion.
Well the car started running poorly and i ignored the SEL light, which eventually started to flash, so i parked it and ordered parts. new exhaust (complete) except manifold. plugs, wires, cap and rotor. T-stat, ECT sensor. o2 sensors (not on yet) old still in place
the wires plugs, ECT sensor and stat made a huge difference in running. replacing the old falling off and broken exhaust also made the car quiet!
the only problem with the car now seems to be no fast idle on start up.
Only runs well when warm, on start up i just hold it at 1500rpms until its warm, if i dont do this it bogs and runs poorly and the SEL light will start to flash. the SEL light is on all the time due to a faulty neutral safety switch.
I think my IAC must be clogged or stuck closed. Is this a common failure?
I have read up on the IAC on the kickfix page and I will take it off tonight and see how it looks. I hope its just crudded up.
Any thoughts on this?

[fixkick]

100% X90 Friendly.. its has KICK power..... (editing my blunder,,,, i forgot to say pull all DTCs first, and report,))
my first 97, the IAC was totally stuck open, a real screamer....
the thermal IAC might stick closed, with the TB removed, it will be wide open cold.

make sure the ISC is not sticking too. ISC cleaned and EGR clean, the ISC will help add air at all times and help control idle speeds at all times.
no scan tool? if you have an old lap top(USB), a scan too can be had for $9
see the red words IAC INPUT port here.
http://www.fixkick.com/IDLE-AIR/16v-idle.html

edit 2:
missing. 50 causes of misfiring...
http://www.acksfaq.com/trackerfsm.htm

[High Arctic Si]

100% X90 Friendly.. its has KICK power.....
my first 97, the IAC was totally stuck open, a real screamer....
the thermal IAC might stick closed, with the TB removed, it will be wide open cold.

make sure the ISC is not sticking too. ISC cleaned and EGR clean, the ISC will help add air at all times and help control idle speeds at all times.
no scan tool? if you have an old lap top(USB), a scan too can be had for $9
see the red words IAC INPUT port here.
http://www.fixkick.com/IDLE-AIR/16v-idle.html

So i removed the air intake pipe and had a look into the throttle body, it is sooted up and grimy.
must the intake manifold be remove to get the throttle body off?
could i try and flush out the IAC with it in place?
ISC sucks air when i remove the pipe and will cause the engine to stall, i guess that means it is not affecting the cold idle rpms, in a bad way.
I guess i could test the iac by blowing through a hose going in the inlet, with engine cold, air should pass through freely. If clogged, it would not.
Or i could tape it and start engine cold and see if the RPMS are even lower at idle

I just ordered the autel you recommended, but have access to a decent obd2 scanner at a local shop. last time i hooked it up it had a hard time connecting and would not operate with engine running, could this be caused by the p0300, random multiple misfire. the other code indicated coolant temp sensor voltage too high. For the last couple of days i have been able to keep the flashing SEL lamp calm by warming up the car with foot on throttle till it reaches operating temps, takes about 10 or 15 minutes at -25c ambient temp. Now after inspecting the front fender fuse block, this little trick doesnt seem to work anymore. the SEL light flashes, iam wondering now if i have a bad wire somewhere causing poor running.

I will get the scan tool on the machine today and report back with the results.
thanks for the advice.

[fixkick]

no the TB comes right off, with cable off, and 4 nuts. (and water hoses to IAC)
the IAC is a real pistol, its has 6mm screws that love to seize in the body,
what i do is remove IAC from TB , TB off car. and try hard to get penerating oil down screw case junctures. hard to do but try.
then work the screw ccw/cw back and forth with screw driver or if cant use vise grips to the head to get the screw to jog just the smallest amount and use more PEN oil.

ill do red words now....
So i removed the air intake pipe and had a look into the throttle body, it is sooted up and grimy.
must the intake manifold be remove to get the throttle body off?
could i try and flush out the IAC with it in place? sure, but it is stuck closed, this can be hard fix .. but is a great first start idea, no lie.
ISC sucks air when i remove the pipe and will cause the engine to stall, i guess that means it is not affecting the cold idle rpms, in a bad way.
pinch it to see if it runs slow RPM like 500. removing the hose , causes AFR to vastly lean. (you lied to the MAF) all non metered mAF leaks
cause lean (if ecu can not correct it. via closed loop) and this is a gross air leak. but proves the ISC is not clogged.
If the IAC is blocked,stuck the ISC will open up wider but will not be able to hit you at 1500 rpm cold , as the IAC does. in fact the ISC will just stall or hunt.
The ISC is like good for plus or minus 400rpm (no spec) around 800 hot. what it can do cold ,i dont know. but is moot point if IAC is stuck closed.



I guess i could test the iac by blowing through a hose going in the inlet, with engine cold, air should pass through freely. a very great idea that.
But fitting square to round hose will take a mind twister........???? but yes, a brilliant idea. thanks.
If clogged, it would not. (true for sure if 100% closed, as it seems it is)
Or i could tape it and start engine cold and see if the RPMS are even lower at idle (that too is brilliant, sum of all leaks test, brilliant)
i see you undersand the vacuum and flow issues, you will win.

ON mine car, the IAC was jammed open but fund a whole throttle body for $25 a new IAC was over $200 (so took a chance and won) YMMV

I just ordered the autel you recommended, but have access to a decent obd2 scanner at a local shop. last time i hooked it up it had a hard time connecting and would not operate with engine running, (usual cause is 1: no 12v on DLC pin 16 or your scanned has no comm support for early OBD2(very rare).
It said COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE?
could this (dead ecu:?) be caused by the p0300 (NO), random multiple misfire. no the ECU will log 300s all day , it will keep reporting them or clear them.
the other code indicated coolant temp sensor voltage too high.
ECT too high is just that, or wires cut to it or was stored from pulling wires key on, reset the ECU and see if ECT codes return , if not all is well..

For the last couple of days i have been able to keep the flashing SEL lamp calm by warming up the car with foot on throttle till it reaches operating temps,
yes, the DEAD IAC will in fact confuse the H3LL out of the ECU. it thinks gee , im cold, and the IAC is open, so tries to mix air to match that.
Keep in mind the MAF works at low rpm but is very inaccurate, then. but a cold started engine, there is no closed loop. just IAC and fuel mixed crudely for
about 10 to 30 seconds,dead cold, the closed loop happens, if not the ECU is confused. The IAC is part of the math at cold start.
my guess, is it is a cold IAC air table (ROM). the ECU looks at ECT sees the real temperature and then looks up cold air flow of the IAC in the table and mixes
fuel based on that , dead cold and for sure cranking, : in fact cranking will be way too rich with a stuck closed IAC< no air = rich. it might food too.
so that is why adding 10% throttle helps. you are a virtual IAC< (not fun for sure)
As you can see the ECT is very key here too. reading to low temp, flooding, to high starving.

takes about 10 or 15 minutes at -25c ambient temp.
Now after inspecting the front fender fuse block, this little trick doesn't seem to work anymore. what trick? there is no jumper on 1996 + cars.
the SEL light flashes, iam wondering now if i have a bad wire somewhere causing poor running. (watch all DTCs , any and all)
fender block? the SEL flashes for 1 reason, that reason is gross 300s, P0300s ,it only means the CAT is burning to a crisp,( gross misifre load vast fuel and oxygen to the CAT,it then glows red not and can in fact melt or go DOA. ) all 96 cars in USA do that, most Canada cars do not, its masked,
if you look in the FSM under code 300 there are 2 column on the right side, called A and b, one is USA, other is Canada, true E28 cars.
may errors in canada cars are not reported with CEL glowing. oddly as that is ,its true. but yours I bet is a USA car in Canada.
the sticker under the hold will say USA standards compliant USA< if Canada, it will stated that fact.

I will get the scan tool on the machine today and report back with the results.
thanks for the advice.

if you get Scan tool comm fails, that means the ECU has lost power. or pin 16 fuse is blown.
every time, 96 ECU never go bad, ever. (unless an injector shorts, that is).....


if you put a voltmeter on the CIG lighter you can see loss of DC power there, if that drops out running car, you do have a DC power distribution failures. we can find that easy.

[High Arctic Si]

no the TB comes right off, with cable off, and 4 nuts. (and water hoses to IAC)
the IAC is a real pistol, its has 6mm screws that love to seize in the body,
what i do is remove IAC from TB , TB off car. and try hard to get penerating oil down screw case junctures. hard to do but try.
then work the screw ccw/cw back and forth with screw driver or if cant use vise grips to the head to get the screw to jog just the smallest amount and use more PEN oil.

ill do red words now....
So i removed the air intake pipe and had a look into the throttle body, it is sooted up and grimy.
must the intake manifold be remove to get the throttle body off?
could i try and flush out the IAC with it in place? sure, but it is stuck closed, this can be hard fix .. but is a great first start idea, no lie.
ISC sucks air when i remove the pipe and will cause the engine to stall, i guess that means it is not affecting the cold idle rpms, in a bad way.
pinch it to see if it runs slow RPM like 500. removing the hose , causes AFR to vastly lean. (you lied to the MAF) all non metered mAF leaks
cause lean (if ecu can not correct it. via closed loop) and this is a gross air leak. but proves the ISC is not clogged.
If the IAC is blocked,stuck the ISC will open up wider but will not be able to hit you at 1500 rpm cold , as the IAC does. in fact the ISC will just stall or hunt.
The ISC is like good for plus or minus 400rpm (no spec) around 800 hot. what it can do cold ,i dont know. but is moot point if IAC is stuck closed.



I guess i could test the iac by blowing through a hose going in the inlet, with engine cold, air should pass through freely. a very great idea that.
But fitting square to round hose will take a mind twister........???? but yes, a brilliant idea. thanks.
If clogged, it would not. (true for sure if 100% closed, as it seems it is)
Or i could tape it and start engine cold and see if the RPMS are even lower at idle (that too is brilliant, sum of all leaks test, brilliant)
i see you undersand the vacuum and flow issues, you will win.

ON mine car, the IAC was jammed open but fund a whole throttle body for $25 a new IAC was over $200 (so took a chance and won) YMMV

I just ordered the autel you recommended, but have access to a decent obd2 scanner at a local shop. last time i hooked it up it had a hard time connecting and would not operate with engine running, (usual cause is 1: no 12v on DLC pin 16 or your scanned has no comm support for early OBD2(very rare).
It said COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE?
could this (dead ecu:?) be caused by the p0300 (NO), random multiple misfire. no the ECU will log 300s all day , it will keep reporting them or clear them.
the other code indicated coolant temp sensor voltage too high.
ECT too high is just that, or wires cut to it or was stored from pulling wires key on, reset the ECU and see if ECT codes return , if not all is well..

For the last couple of days i have been able to keep the flashing SEL lamp calm by warming up the car with foot on throttle till it reaches operating temps,
yes, the DEAD IAC will in fact confuse the H3LL out of the ECU. it thinks gee , im cold, and the IAC is open, so tries to mix air to match that.
Keep in mind the MAF works at low rpm but is very inaccurate, then. but a cold started engine, there is no closed loop. just IAC and fuel mixed crudely for
about 10 to 30 seconds,dead cold, the closed loop happens, if not the ECU is confused. The IAC is part of the math at cold start.
my guess, is it is a cold IAC air table (ROM). the ECU looks at ECT sees the real temperature and then looks up cold air flow of the IAC in the table and mixes
fuel based on that , dead cold and for sure cranking, : in fact cranking will be way too rich with a stuck closed IAC< no air = rich. it might food too.
so that is why adding 10% throttle helps. you are a virtual IAC< (not fun for sure)
As you can see the ECT is very key here too. reading to low temp, flooding, to high starving.

takes about 10 or 15 minutes at -25c ambient temp.
Now after inspecting the front fender fuse block, this little trick doesn't seem to work anymore. what trick? there is no jumper on 1996 + cars.
the SEL light flashes, iam wondering now if i have a bad wire somewhere causing poor running. (watch all DTCs , any and all)
fender block? the SEL flashes for 1 reason, that reason is gross 300s, P0300s ,it only means the CAT is burning to a crisp,( gross misifre load vast fuel and oxygen to the CAT,it then glows red not and can in fact melt or go DOA. ) all 96 cars in USA do that, most Canada cars do not, its masked,
if you look in the FSM under code 300 there are 2 column on the right side, called A and b, one is USA, other is Canada, true E28 cars.
may errors in canada cars are not reported with CEL glowing. oddly as that is ,its true. but yours I bet is a USA car in Canada.
the sticker under the hold will say USA standards compliant USA< if Canada, it will stated that fact.

I will get the scan tool on the machine today and report back with the results.
thanks for the advice.

if you get Scan tool comm fails, that means the ECU has lost power. or pin 16 fuse is blown.
every time, 96 ECU never go bad, ever. (unless an injector shorts, that is).....


if you put a voltmeter on the CIG lighter you can see loss of DC power there, if that drops out running car, you do have a DC power distribution failures. we can find that easy.

Well I have removed the throttle body and replaced with a known good complete throttle body from my other x90, not much improvement. Then i tore off the old cold start air valve and found that it was clean and seems to let air through quite well, i havent cooked it yet to see if will stop air but its cold start function seems to be OK.

Trouble codes are the persistent P1715, P0340, P0300, the flashing SEL lamp is intermittent. It is dumping loads of fuel and i fear i may have already burned up my new CAT, car still runs though. Would the camshaft position sensor failure cause the random misfire? I thought it was just there to help out the crank position sensor.

Next step will be changing out the distributor with the one from my other car, wondering if the P0340 is the root of the misfire.

Or if my issue is high fuel pressure, no adaptor to check pressure at the rail.

My headlights do get brighter when i apply throttle also the automatic windows only work well when i have the RPMS up. Battery is good. Maybe i have a bad ground or electrical isssue causing the P0340. I fear that all the work I have done will be a big circle of unnecessary repairs right around the real issue which is going to be a real simple one that I could have discovered in minutes of thoughtful, methodical testing with a good multimeter.

I do have the FSM for the X90 and Iam going to run through the the volt and ohms test at the ECM.
I need to solve this problem before I go broke on fuel and fry my CAT!!

Your thoughts are appreciated,

Si

[fixkick]

the cause for bad idle cold are many.... (trouble codes?, and stuck open EGR are first. )
my previous comments were only for checking that the air source was good. at start, and cold idle. i check it and if ok, move on...
300 is random misfire. 340 is bad CMP and for sure causes 300s CMP is the hall sensor in the base of the dizzy, it creates all spark and timed injections.
DTCs, and bad electrical power 12v to the EFI system (dizzy too) are #1 always.... no DC power, no joy.
1715 is PRNDL tranny switch failure ( is this A/T car a 3sp or 4sp?) "sets for cranking in gear, i think"
http://www.fixkick.com/CEL/96_ALL_CEL/96_all_dtcs1.pdf

1: low compression, below 170psi?
2: spark ( quality and timing)
3: fueling. (bad air supply can in fact cause bad fueling or air leaks, causing lean,
yes, 340 is root. (totally unacceptable this...)
the fuel rail port of fuel filter port are both good for fuel pressure.
the harbor fright stores here (USA) are the cheapest, fuel gauge has the Suzuki hose inside for the filter. $15?
here is the rail fix. (many) all ways, to do it page ( i use the summit adapter by Autometer co.) this makes injector balance tests possible.
http://www.fixkick.com/INJECTORS/Schrader-vales.html

hints, the crank sensor CKP,if unplugged the car runs ok , but it makes 300s even possible , the CKP fine trims spark to allow 300s to be even possible.
the car runs off the CMP sensor. (cams sensor in dizzy) other cars this is not true. most cars die with CKP dead., not the G16B
the CKP was added in 1996, (missing in 1995) it's the OBD2 magic.

on all new VIT/Kick Tracker G16 engines, it's best to be sure the cam timing belt are ok, and fresh. for max future life.

300s tell you the engine is misfiring randomly and so does the rough idle, shaking motor and felt in seat of pants.

more hints , dizzy timing
http://www.fixkick.com/IGN_timing/16v-procedure.html

ok, that 340 might be false,???,,, ive never tried it but, it might be possible to have the ECU report bad CMP timing if the cam belt slipped.
we already know it reports, dead CMP as 340s or 1 pulse missing every 8 , as 340s but consider this.?
what if it sees a gross error between the crank sensor and cam sensor. ??? what will it do then. "SLIPPED", my (really a contributor) sneak-a -peek test. or the acid test. is here... below.
on all G16s, im all over the crank pulley day one, that 17mm bolt, set at 94 ft/lbs, nothing more counts. just this, it kills good engines (crankshafts)
http://www.fixkick.com/t-belt/sneak-a-peek.html
if the Tbelt slipped all hope is lost, all words on this page, are tears in the rain.


here is a new car to barn (garage list)
1: 17mm crank bolt torque, (front) if at 50? set to 94, if below 50 worry, if even lower,,,cry. (many look and it wobbles....ouch)
2: sneak-a-peak. day. very very easy to do. (timed right ,shredded or both wrong)
(i really do warm to hot compression tests , x4 to see if engine has a future.... most do 180PSI WOT easy. wide open throttle or near.
3: EGR cleaned. (snaps shut now, easy) it only needs to close easy to make engine run well. (but does make exhaust valves last longer if at 100%)
4: ISC cleaned. (electric idle air valve)
5: a tune up (filter fuel is top check ) may be pressure test. to see if REG works.
6: as symptoms direct you. (and DTCs)

this list, is G16 focused.
Good luck to you, and it seems you have lots of spare parts, you are lucky and will win, and have a great car. to drive soon.

PS: the full fsm on YOUR engine, is here.
http://www.acksfaq.com/trackerfsm.htm

---

if any G16, is running bad. and not fiddled (molested) with yet, say , the PO spun the dizzy bad and forth. willy nilly?
the timing light, will do the sneak-a-peek test fastest of
all if the cam timing is way off, the belt has in fact slipped, a one minute test.

i here pro mechs, on newer cars,say, gee, my COP fitted, I-4 has no IGN timing at all "quote FSM", but does have a belt, and the 1 minute timing, check , does show you the belt did slip.
usually it retards big time!. (a big 1min clue that)

this works, like this, i drove for 5 years, then one day, lost all power, and misfires, , low rpm, etc..... bingo the 1minute test. (engine not touched yet)
good luck !

[High Arctic Si]

Off to swap the distributor.

Should do the trick.

Misfire is real. Timing is good.

Thanks

the cause for bad idle cold are many.... (trouble codes?, and stuck open EGR are first. )
my previous comments were only for checking that the air source was good. at start, and cold idle. i check it and if ok, move on...
300 is random misfire. 340 is bad CMP and for sure causes 300s CMP is the hall sensor in the base of the dizzy, it creates all spark and timed injections.
DTCs, and bad electrical power 12v to the EFI system (dizzy too) are #1 always.... no DC power, no joy.
1715 is PRNDL tranny switch failure ( is this A/T car a 3sp or 4sp?) "sets for cranking in gear, i think"
http://www.fixkick.com/CEL/96_ALL_CEL/96_all_dtcs1.pdf

1: low compression, below 170psi?
2: spark ( quality and timing)
3: fueling. (bad air supply can in fact cause bad fueling or air leaks, causing lean,
yes, 340 is root. (totally unacceptable this...)
the fuel rail port of fuel filter port are both good for fuel pressure.
the harbor fright stores here (USA) are the cheapest, fuel gauge has the Suzuki hose inside for the filter. $15?
here is the rail fix. (many) all ways, to do it page ( i use the summit adapter by Autometer co.) this makes injector balance tests possible.
http://www.fixkick.com/INJECTORS/Schrader-vales.html

hints, the crank sensor CKP,if unplugged the car runs ok , but it makes 300s even possible , the CKP fine trims spark to allow 300s to be even possible.
the car runs off the CMP sensor. (cams sensor in dizzy) other cars this is not true. most cars die with CKP dead., not the G16B
the CKP was added in 1996, (missing in 1995) it's the OBD2 magic.

on all new VIT/Kick Tracker G16 engines, it's best to be sure the cam timing belt are ok, and fresh. for max future life.

300s tell you the engine is misfiring randomly and so does the rough idle, shaking motor and felt in seat of pants.

more hints , dizzy timing
http://www.fixkick.com/IGN_timing/16v-procedure.html

ok, that 340 might be false,???,,, ive never tried it but, it might be possible to have the ECU report bad CMP timing if the cam belt slipped.
we already know it reports, dead CMP as 340s or 1 pulse missing every 8 , as 340s but consider this.?
what if it sees a gross error between the crank sensor and cam sensor. ??? what will it do then. "SLIPPED", my (really a contributor) sneak-a -peek test. or the acid test. is here... below.
on all G16s, im all over the crank pulley day one, that 17mm bolt, set at 94 ft/lbs, nothing more counts. just this, it kills good engines (crankshafts)
http://www.fixkick.com/t-belt/sneak-a-peek.html
if the Tbelt slipped all hope is lost, all words on this page, are tears in the rain.


here is a new car to barn (garage list)
1: 17mm crank bolt torque, (front) if at 50? set to 94, if below 50 worry, if even lower,,,cry. (many look and it wobbles....ouch)
2: sneak-a-peak. day. very very easy to do. (timed right ,shredded or both wrong)
(i really do warm to hot compression tests , x4 to see if engine has a future.... most do 180PSI WOT easy. wide open throttle or near.
3: EGR cleaned. (snaps shut now, easy) it only needs to close easy to make engine run well. (but does make exhaust valves last longer if at 100%)
4: ISC cleaned. (electric idle air valve)
5: a tune up (filter fuel is top check ) may be pressure test. to see if REG works.
6: as symptoms direct you. (and DTCs)

this list, is G16 focused.
Good luck to you, and it seems you have lots of spare parts, you are lucky and will win, and have a great car. to drive soon.

PS: the full fsm on YOUR engine, is here.
http://www.acksfaq.com/trackerfsm.htm

---

if any G16, is running bad. and not fiddled (molested) with yet, say , the PO spun the dizzy bad and forth. willy nilly?
the timing light, will do the sneak-a-peek test fastest of
all if the cam timing is way off, the belt has in fact slipped, a one minute test.

i here pro mechs, on newer cars,say, gee, my COP fitted, I-4 has no IGN timing at all "quote FSM", but does have a belt, and the 1 minute timing, check , does show you the belt did slip.
usually it retards big time!. (a big 1min clue that)

this works, like this, i drove for 5 years, then one day, lost all power, and misfires, , low rpm, etc..... bingo the 1minute test. (engine not touched yet)
good luck !

[High Arctic Si]

fitted good used distributor, ran great, no flashing CEL. After 15 minutes idling, light is flashing again. Now i will grab the DTC codes again and fine tune the timing with a timing light. Car in general is running much better, but it always does when fresh out of the heated garage. If the P0340 code is back, its gotta be in the wiring. Should have checked that first.


Back to the shop checked the DTC's no chance to get into details with the code reader the P0340 and P0300 were back. cleared the codes and drove the car for about 30 minutes, let it idle for anther 20 minutes or so, went for gas and all is well. So far. After a fast run to the gas station my CAT was hot, good orange glow on it. Still no trouble code with that condition really makes me wonder.

grabbed a timing light and tuned it up to 5degrees advance, it was at 10 after the distributor swap.

I'am going to let it sit for a while, start it up and go for a run and see what happens. It is -30c here now so it shouldn't take long to cool off.


I let it cool for a while and on start up it ran very poorly, same pattern as always. do a little work, in a heated shop take it out on the road in the cold, runs fine till its time to cool down and start over, thats when the trouble codes return.

engine dies when i pull the electircal connection on the distributor,
still have not checked the crank bolt, interesting theory on the slipping, and no synch between the cam and crank. I wonder.

Perhaps my new coolant temp sensor is or was never good, I did give a check of resistance, didnt seem quite right. tricky getting the probes situated correctly for quick accurate readings.

Engine timed at 5 degrees,
new good distributor, wires and plugs
wnet through the fender fuse block and found the ABS fuse lead wire to be totally corroded, came apart in my fingers. not sure what to do with that, i jimmied it with a paperclip for now doesnt seem to work well as my parking brake light is stuck on now.

was getting all set to do the big ECM electrical check but had a hard time getting good sharp tools for backprobing, if i were to grab some sewing needles how would i fix them to the existing probes on the multi meter?

also what a pain to work under that dash, under there with the big FSM working overhead from the floor of the car.

thats about it for today, i think iam going to pull out a good used ECT sensor and give that a shot next.

[High Arctic Si]

OK I have been reading and reading and finally I have realized that the cam and distributor timing could be fine but the crankshaft may not be in sync with the cam. ( timed only by estimating TDC by dropping a stick down plug 1 hole and guessing at it)

Is this correct?

Could the P0340 code be caused by something like this?
If so would it be an intermittent problem like the one I'am experiencing.


I dont want to pull any more parts off a good running car only to find that I didnt have to to that.

My frustration is mounting but my resolve to confirm and repair this issue is becoming stronger by the hour.

[gorkyb]

Hello High Arctic Si, did you ever have a chance to check the crank key to see if it is not shredded? if the key is intact, re-install crank snout at 94 ft/lbs and if the marks line up then your timing should be fine. If the car runs, it cannot be off by too much, like fixkick says on his pages, the best way to investigate timing being off is by using the timing light, I marked the crank pulley on all 4 firing points and watched it as it cranked, only then I found out I was timing my distributor wrong, but in my case my Tracker would not even start.

I also found spark issues with hesitation, P0300's, bogging, etc. I bought an used distributor (matching code numbers and everything) installed it but it never landed in the same position when I dropped it in like the one in my car did, I always wondered if the small gear at the bottom of the distributor slipped off its original position.

Did you carefully check all your wiring leading up to the distributor? no loose wires at the base of the plug that connects to the distributor base? wiring in our cars SUCK!

Sorry just rambling my thoughts here, I never had P0340 before (knock on wood) I wish I could be of more help.