Bad idling, no power uphill, barely starts ....

[Cedric lauzon]

Hello everyone,

i have a 1991 itztaca motor home with a  

v6efi 3l that burns gas , it seems , more and more , the idle is barely keeping the truck running at red lights and yesterday could barely make it up the Hill to Taos , NM .

the exhausts sounds off and smells really strong and seems to make its way into the driver cab and we feel like gaging from fumes even with all windows open !!!!

it seems to run fine on flat road when engine is warm but as soon as any slope comes up we go real slow like 20 mph to 35mph depending on incline .

what would one do first as a primary diagnostic ? 

Thanks for any feedback

[Maineah]

Sure sounds like it's running rich there are several things that can cause that get it fixed it can trash your catalytic converter among other things. It  can also be a plugged cat too a vacuum gauge can determine that.

[darrel]

Do you have a lit up check engine light?

[Odyssey 4x4]

Let’s start simple.  When’s the last time you did a basic tune up?  Plugs, wires, distributor cap, etc 

[Maineah]

I would suggest fixing the problem first there is an running issue and the symptoms sound like a rich mix, high fuel pressure, dead O2 sensor MAF sensor, temp sensor etc. Putting in new plugs only to have them sooted up seems counterproductive. The later one's diagnostics were a bit better than the early ones it would be good to see if a code could be extracted.

[Cedric lauzon]

Thanks guys ,engine light is on all the time .

tune up was done in Mexico 10000 miles ago . New spark plugs still old distributor wires and distributor cap .

took one spark plug out looks unsooted .

i think you are right ,the o2 sensor could be the problem  , saw a guy on YouTube having the same huffing and puffing and weird engine run and say it was the sensor .

That would be the throttle position sensor as the o2 sensor I guess .

do you mean a plug catalytic converter ? Standing for plugged cat ?

it does feel like the car is running rich unlike me !!!!

may be should clean out sensor or unwise ?

thanks again for feedback .

[DanAatTheCape]

first thing to do is to read the code   (see attached pdf file)   the jumper is a small round wire

I would also carefully check all the vacuum hoses - that is free to do assuming you can follow the little rubber hoses.  

 

 

 

These 2 steps are speculative until you read the code:

Then I would check the MAF - easy to do a visual .  If you have a friend with a toy, changing the tops of the air cleaner can verify the MAF.

An O2 change is relatively easy - but might be beyond the average guy.

0459-470.pdf

[Cedric lauzon]

Thanks guys ,engine light is on all the time .

tune up was done in Mexico 10000 miles ago . New spark plugs still old distributor wires and distributor cap .

took one spark plug out looks unsooted .

i think you are right ,the o2 sensor could be the problem  , saw a guy on YouTube having the same huffing and puffing and weird engine run and say it was the sensor .

That would be the throttle position sensor as the o2 sensor I guess .

do you mean a plug catalytic converter ? Standing for plugged cat ?

it does feel like the car is running rich unlike me !!!!

may be should clean out sensor or unwise ?

thanks again for feedback .

[Cedric lauzon]

Thanks Dan .

will Try  to get code reader at o Reilly and start from there .

 

[Cedric lauzon]

The guy told me at o Reilly that one can check code with s paper clip , cheaper than the diagnostic machine . 

 

[linda s]

41 minutes ago, Cedric lauzon said:

Thanks Dan .

will Try  to get code reader at o Reilly and start from there .

 

Code readers are for OBD2. Not your vehicle. You simply count the flashes on the dash after you jump the connectors in the engine bay. Read the instructions Dan posted in the pdf file

Linda S

[Derek up North]

In general, the auto parts places will only check codes with an OBD2 port (1996+) that they can easily plug their scanner in to. You might get lucky to find someone there that remembers the 'old days' and knows where to jump to activate the 'flashes'. But unlikely.

[Cedric lauzon]

The guy told me at o Reilly that one can check code with s paper clip , cheaper than the diagnostic machine . 

 

[Cedric lauzon]

On more question , is this the normal position for the carb cable to be so loose ?

here is a picture of the one I am holding  .

car not running

 

[Cedric lauzon]

The guy told me at o Reilly that one can check code with s paper clip , cheaper than the diagnostic machine . 

Ok, update , started the engine again no check light anymore , weird , used to  be on all the time before .

Anyways I decided to do the code test with the paper clip connecting TE1 to E1 on diagnosis box , turned key on without starting engine and the check light blinked at 0. 26 sec interval uninterrupted, which means  no malfunctioning code . So all is well I guess .

I did take the throttle position sensor out  before the code test and put it back the way it was thinking that could have been the issue .so when I moved the sensor connection part on air intake main body , it felt like a lot of mechanical resistance for little position sensor .is this normal ?

Do I have to take the whole thing appart and clean it up with carb cleaner ?

 

 

 

[linda s]

Did you at any time have the battery disconnected for a while before you checked the code. No battery will clear your codes and stop the check engine light until you drive it again for a while. Computer has to relearn what's messed up

Linda S

[Maineah]

8 hours ago, Cedric lauzon said:

Thanks Dan .

will Try  to get code reader at o Reilly and start from there .

 

Won't read it. It  is not an OBD code.

[Cedric lauzon]

Yes , the car had the ground terminal disconnected for a month and then I drove from Albuquerque to Taos about 4 hours . 

Did the check code this afternoon , continuous engine light blinking , tried it again after the car ran for 10mn ,same continuous blinking , so I guess all codes are good .

looked at MAf electronics looks good , here is the pic . Even ran engine while electronics on visual ,it responds to throttle .And a tube of silicone later tovregasket it .air filter changed 

vacuum hoses is next but so far look ok , may be need to look further. 

Thank you Linda for your feed back

 

[Maineah]

1 hour ago, Cedric lauzon said:

The guy told me at o Reilly that one can check code with s paper clip , cheaper than the diagnostic machine . 

Ok, update , started the engine again no check light anymore , weird , used to  be on all the time before .

Anyways I decided to do the code test with the paper clip connecting TE1 to E1 on diagnosis box , turned key on without starting engine and the check light blinked at 0. 26 sec interval uninterrupted, which means  no malfunctioning code . So all is well I guess .

I did take the throttle position sensor out  before the code test and put it back the way it was thinking that could have been the issue .so when I moved the sensor connection part on air intake main body , it felt like a lot of mechanical resistance for little position sensor .is this normal ?

Do I have to take the whole thing appart and clean it up with carb cleaner ?

 

 

 

Do not assume anything there are multiple codes if you start messing with stuff it will slew the results do the code test then deal with the results. If it's not on and still runs poorly it will come back. If you disconnect the battery the code will go away if there is something wrong it will come back one step at a time. Bottom line assume nothing it's hard to hit a moving target concentrate on one thing at a time. The door in the air flow sensor is spring loaded the TPS is not in there that is a MAF sensor. Usually in order to throw a code something has to fail "X " number of times so it may not come on for a bit. You need to get to the bottom of the issue throwing parts at it by guess work can get expensive fast.

[Cedric lauzon]

Thank you ! 

This is what I understand you said , because I disconnected the batterie for a month and then drove the car 4 hours from low altitude Albuquerque to Taos high altitude ... it only failed once ..(no power up the hill) and no codes thrown at me this afternoon .

 

You mentioned vaccum hoses . , 20000 miles ago a new number 6 injector was put in  , the charcoal canister was probably in the way and removed .may be some hoses were put back on incorrectly.

Looking at the quantity of hoses in this area  , I feel totally overwhelmed .

what to do next ... I don’t know ,need to sleep on it.

What I am supposed to concentrate on !?

thanks , good night 

[Cedric lauzon]

Thank you ! 

This is what I understand you said , because I disconnected the battery for a month and then drove the car 4 hours from low altitude Albuquerque to Taos high altitude ... it only failed once ..(no power up the hill) and no codes thrown at me this afternoon .

 

You mentioned vacuum hoses . , 20000 miles ago a new number 6 injector was put in  , the charcoal canister was probably in the way and removed .may be some hoses were put back on incorrectly.

Looking at the quantity of hoses in this area  , I feel totally overwhelmed .

what to do next ... I don’t know ,need to sleep on it.

What I am supposed to concentrate on !?

thanks , good night 

0k , another day another go at it .pulled out 02 sensor ( broke the plug ) on tail pipe and did a code check and pulled it off as number 21 ! That s good  .

now just have to fix wiring !