Sorry for the length but I want to explain exactly what the car is doing.
Bought the car last Friday... (late 92 MGM, AODE Trans) drove it all week no problem, gassed it up last night... (I should mention, the gas in the tank when I bought it had been there a while, perhaps months)
Drove the 15 miles to work, no problem. on the way home, it threw a CEL every time it coasted down hill. Step on the gas CEL goes out.
Stopped at a traffic light and it bogged down big time... no power.
after a minute it came back to what felt like full power. long coast down a 4 mile downslope and it barely moved when I hit the gas to make the corner. Also CEL is on down hill, goes out after I step on it again. (it's also raining and about 90% humidity)
Get it home. it sits for about an hour and I drive it to a buddy's shop who has a code reader that will read an OBD1.. he's busy and can's read the codes, drive home... or attempt to. car could barely pull out of the driveway, top speed was like 10 mph just bogged out. after a minute, it starts to clear out and after a mile or so it's back to about 80%. up a long hill, floored it, and it smoothed out some.
down the other side, CEL light on. almost to the driveway, without warning, one of the Cat heat shields departs the car, I heard it thump against the floorboards and then see it in the mirror.
I immediately think, plugged and overheated cats. Drive it to the shop where I bought it, and shut down. talk to the owner a bit, go out, start the car and in park, it revs easily. He's thinking fuel filter.
I go to start the car again and nothing.... no solenoid.. nada.
Push it into the shop, on the lift. Underneath, the wires on the starter are loose, the heatshield that came off is the right front, next to the starter.
Reseat the plug and it fires right up. pull out of the yard and I can squeal the tires. drive the mile an a half home. CEL comes on just as I pull in the driveway.
Ten minutes later, have to run to the store. runs fine, good power and everything. It's about 5 miles to the store, just before I get there as I slow for a light, I get a hard downshift out of OD. get the CEL and then it goes out.
On the drive back from the store, it's idling a little rough and acting like it's dropping a cylinder... but randomly.
I also have to say that earlier in the week, it felt like I had some TC shudder at partial throttle. as of now, it's gone away. Also, I have the digital dash and when coasting, the instant MPG would go up to 80-90 mpg and down to 5 at WOT. average over the week around town has been 18.9
Now, the mpg when coasting is about 28 and on the throttle (moderately, normal driving) it's about 12-14.
I haven't pulled the codes (Can't find my damn test light) and I did fine a slightly chafed plug wire where two were rubbing together. I put some dielectric grease on the thin spot.
One second, it's acting like cats, the next, a plugged fuel filter and the next it's fine.. then it shifts weird. Next step , I'm gonna disconnect the battery and clear the codes to see what it does.
Any other suggestions other then changing the fuel filter?
Could it have been the loose wires on the starter solenoid.. not getting enough voltage to the PCM? I'll report back in the morning after I've done the battery disconnect.
Also bought a can of seafoam but haven't put it in the car yet because I want to wait till I'm ready to change the oil. Would it be okay to throw a third of the can in the gas tank in the meantime?
Sorry again about the long post.
Brian
Bought the car last Friday... (late 92 MGM, AODE Trans) drove it all week no problem, gassed it up last night... (I should mention, the gas in the tank when I bought it had been there a while, perhaps months)
Drove the 15 miles to work, no problem. on the way home, it threw a CEL every time it coasted down hill. Step on the gas CEL goes out.
Stopped at a traffic light and it bogged down big time... no power.
after a minute it came back to what felt like full power. long coast down a 4 mile downslope and it barely moved when I hit the gas to make the corner. Also CEL is on down hill, goes out after I step on it again. (it's also raining and about 90% humidity)
Get it home. it sits for about an hour and I drive it to a buddy's shop who has a code reader that will read an OBD1.. he's busy and can's read the codes, drive home... or attempt to. car could barely pull out of the driveway, top speed was like 10 mph just bogged out. after a minute, it starts to clear out and after a mile or so it's back to about 80%. up a long hill, floored it, and it smoothed out some.
down the other side, CEL light on. almost to the driveway, without warning, one of the Cat heat shields departs the car, I heard it thump against the floorboards and then see it in the mirror.
I immediately think, plugged and overheated cats. Drive it to the shop where I bought it, and shut down. talk to the owner a bit, go out, start the car and in park, it revs easily. He's thinking fuel filter.
I go to start the car again and nothing.... no solenoid.. nada.
Push it into the shop, on the lift. Underneath, the wires on the starter are loose, the heatshield that came off is the right front, next to the starter.
Reseat the plug and it fires right up. pull out of the yard and I can squeal the tires. drive the mile an a half home. CEL comes on just as I pull in the driveway.
Ten minutes later, have to run to the store. runs fine, good power and everything. It's about 5 miles to the store, just before I get there as I slow for a light, I get a hard downshift out of OD. get the CEL and then it goes out.
On the drive back from the store, it's idling a little rough and acting like it's dropping a cylinder... but randomly.
I also have to say that earlier in the week, it felt like I had some TC shudder at partial throttle. as of now, it's gone away. Also, I have the digital dash and when coasting, the instant MPG would go up to 80-90 mpg and down to 5 at WOT. average over the week around town has been 18.9
Now, the mpg when coasting is about 28 and on the throttle (moderately, normal driving) it's about 12-14.
I haven't pulled the codes (Can't find my damn test light) and I did fine a slightly chafed plug wire where two were rubbing together. I put some dielectric grease on the thin spot.
One second, it's acting like cats, the next, a plugged fuel filter and the next it's fine.. then it shifts weird. Next step , I'm gonna disconnect the battery and clear the codes to see what it does.
Any other suggestions other then changing the fuel filter?
Could it have been the loose wires on the starter solenoid.. not getting enough voltage to the PCM? I'll report back in the morning after I've done the battery disconnect.
Also bought a can of seafoam but haven't put it in the car yet because I want to wait till I'm ready to change the oil. Would it be okay to throw a third of the can in the gas tank in the meantime?
Sorry again about the long post.
Brian
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