Successful (fingers crossed) night of repairs.

[douglas vincent]

I have had frustrating luck in the past few weeks finding and fixing the causes of horrible hesitation plauging the wagon. I would repair/replace one thing and the wagon would run better. Then bang, it would come back with a vengence.

I replaced plugs (NGK) and plug wires (Magnecor),
cleaned the MAF and air filter,
checked and fixed some funky wiring,
Installed a MSD DIS-4 (only using it as a DIS-2 obviously)
Found and fixed about 2-3 vacumn/boost leaks.
Modified the exhaust a little.

This was over the past few weeks. Was running OK but not great and so I drove to Lincoln City for the weekend on Saturday morning. Under boost I heard a few detonations so I took it easy. The engine sound was slightly different but I put that down to the final exaust mod I had done on Friday.

After a day on the beach yesterday, I futz with the various futzable parts and now the wagon really ran bad. I suspect more vacumn leak and I find it (or so I think) and it is a small leak connecting the AWIC and the throttle body. I reclamp this (I REALLLY need to get a new silicone connection and the car runs better but now it sound weird. ???? and suddenly it doesnt run that well. But I give up for the day.

Today, I look over the engine again before bringing the kids home from the beach and FINALLY find that smell of gas that had been haunting me. Leaking injector. It only really leaks after you turn the car off so I wait to deal with it when I get back to the shop. On the drive home the engine sound is really rough but runs OK but under boost it is detting like a mother. Bad gas?

Finally home and give the kids to my wife and down to the shop I go. Yank the AWIC off and "fix" the connection between it and the throttle body. It will work for now.

Yank out the leaking injector. Bad/cut O-ring. Easy fix and back it goes in. Everything should be fine now.

Wagon will hardly run. I check spark. Two plug wires show spark. One shows spark sometimes. One is dead. These are NEW Magnecor wires. Pull a plug and check it. Its fine and sparks. check the ends of the Magnecors. They are different than the plug wires we actually need. If you are using Magnecor wires, you may need differnt (ie longer) spark plugs.

I ran out to a 24 hour auto store and picked up some NGK plugs for a 1989 Nissan Turbo 300Z and stuck them in.

Wow, the car runs like is should have starting about a month ago. I still had a little det I think but this could be due to a few reasons so I will let the wagon ECU recalibrate and stick in a gallon of tolulen.

But man, it purrs now. knock on wood. I am bushed. good night.

[vrg3]

These are NEW Magnecor wires. Pull a plug and check it. Its fine and sparks. check the ends of the Magnecors. They are different than the plug wires we actually need. If you are using Magnecor wires, you may need differnt (ie longer) spark plugs.

Is this the same phenomenon I described in this early thread?

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=263

[douglas vincent]

Exactly. I hate it when the search function doesnt find stuff.

I am going to try pulling the metal down now.

Thanks

[vrg3]

The search function does exactly what you tell it to do.

Good luck.