More Engine Trouble. Kill me now.

[4Running Daily]

A little more then a thousand miles after having the top end rebuilt, including one new head, and now I'm having more issues.

So today I was looking under my car for possible rock damage. I found oil on the steering rack, driver's side boot. Popped the hood. Valve covers appear to be leaking oil. Typical, that stupid shop which will be receiving a phone call tomorrow morning, didn't tighten the valve covers to spec. The drivers side is leaking, not the passenger, just to clarify things. Simple enough, spray engine degreaser on that valve, come back an hour later and hose it off. I go to start the engine, and it sounds like it's firing on 5 cylinders. Great. Look under the hood, the middle cylinder spark plug wire had popped out of the hole. Snap it back on, and the engine is running great again. I tighten the valves to spec and then go inside. A few hours later I go to start the truck and it sounds fine. I get to the top of my street and it sounds terrible and loses power slightly. Pull over and pop the hood, a little smoke comes from the back of the engine. I kill the engine and restart it. Everything sounds fine.

WTH is wrong with my POS engine!

 

[LittleCaesar]

Well for starters it didn't want you to get a job.

Any CELs? How about the age of the wires and plugs? Given that your s$%t is old, I'd be leery spraying water around the engine. You may have gotten water around the wire boot or injector connector. Once the engine heated up enough, the ill effects of the water were gone.

As far as the valve covers go, it may be the half moons leaking (the toyota FIPG that holds them in there is not immune to age). But if it is indeed the VC, then the mechanics need some good verbal scolding.

 

[4Running Daily]

No codes. Plugs and wires are about 10k miles old. I agree with the water, maybe.

Valves covers aren't leaking anymore after tightening to spec.

 

[4Running Daily]

Alright. I don't think it's water. I think it's a fuel injector gone bad, again. No codes though.

Just now, turned the car on, idle was normal. Let it warm up. Then I drove it. Max speed was about 50mph. Never went above 2500 rpm. Then 3rd gear at 2500 rpm, gave it gas and then nothing, car is bucking like crazy, no power. NO CODES though! It is running like absolute crap.


HELP!

 

[t4r4life]

Little oil burning after top end rebuild is normal, how ever not having power is not, go to that shop and do a leak down test.

 

[t4r4life]

Get a Mechanic's Engine Sonarscope and listen on each cylinder to see if the injectors are firing.

 

[4Running Daily]

Get a Mechanic's Engine Sonarscope and listen on each cylinder to see if the injectors are firing.

Diagnostic & Testing Tools - Auto Mechanic Sonarscope

This thing?

 

[t4r4life]

Diagnostic & Testing Tools - Auto Mechanic Sonarscope

This thing?

yeah, you can hear spark plugs, injectors used it when i diagnosed my injector trouble.

 

[KidVermicious]

This isn't ever going to get old:

I wanna see how his motor runs at 30 years old.

Challenge Accepted.

Are you sure the valve cover was loose? Or could it have been too tight? If one bolt is overtightened it can warp the valve cover and cause little leaks that way too. I don't tighten my valve cover any more than finger snug plus half a turn.

Sorry about the motor troubles. My truck did the same thing to me today - I went to start it up and it was stumbling like crazy, wouldn't stay running w/o throttle. I popped the hood and scared it straight, then it bucked several times on the drive home. No trouble at all on the way into work though, so I dunno what it's doing. Good luck!

 

[Ol'Blue]

Do I have to find you a motor this time?

 

[eatmorechickenx]

Sounds like its gotta be a loose ground, connector, or vacuum leak somewhere overlooked by the shop that did vcgs.

 

[audiness]

are you sure you didnt spray water into the spark plug recesses when cleaning off the oil?

 

[LittleCaesar]

How old Connor is the kitty? On YT members have had their cat go bad with the infamous PO420.

 

[4Running Daily]

This isn't ever going to get old:







Are you sure the valve cover was loose? Or could it have been too tight? If one bolt is overtightened it can warp the valve cover and cause little leaks that way too. I don't tighten my valve cover any more than finger snug plus half a turn.

Sorry about the motor troubles. My truck did the same thing to me today - I went to start it up and it was stumbling like crazy, wouldn't stay running w/o throttle. I popped the hood and scared it straight, then it bucked several times on the drive home. No trouble at all on the way into work though, so I dunno what it's doing. Good luck!

It was definitely loose, I could see the oil dripping. I made sure not to over tighten them, didn't want to crack the valve cover.

Do I have to find you a motor this time?

Considering I can barely afford to fill this thing up with gas, I won't be buying a motor any time soon.

Sounds like its gotta be a loose ground, connector, or vacuum leak somewhere overlooked by the shop that did vcgs.

I didn't have enough time to do this. I'm going to check tonight.

are you sure you didnt spray water into the spark plug recesses when cleaning off the oil?

Could you explain to me where the spark plug recesses is? And if this is the case would it cause it not to start and lose power when it does start?

How old Connor is the kitty? On YT members have had their cat go bad with the infamous PO420.

Cat is going out, it is 17 years old, but I don't have an engine code.

 

[shootmymime]

the plug recess is the spark plug wells. the holes that the spark plug wires go in and the plug is down there in the middle of the head. i did that once, hosed off my engine and got quite a bit of water down there to mess up 2 cylinders. just pull all 3 of the wires off the plugs and check for water. if so dry it out and spray a bit if wd40 in the spark plug wire to get the water off.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Didn't the place you had you truck repaired provide a warranty?

Have them diagnose the issue. If you start messing with things they may tell you the warranty is void. I'm just being overly cautious. Shops are often like that.

BTW sorry to hear about your woes. It is frustrating I know.

 

[4Running Daily]

the plug recess is the spark plug wells. the holes that the spark plug wires go in and the plug is down there in the middle of the head. i did that once, hosed off my engine and got quite a bit of water down there to mess up 2 cylinders. just pull all 3 of the wires off the plugs and check for water. if so dry it out and spray a bit if wd40 in the spark plug wire to get the water off.

The middle cylinder on the drivers side was full of water, but I got it out yesterday.

 

[4Running Daily]

Didn't the place you had you truck repaired provide a warranty?

Have them diagnose the issue. If you start messing with things they may tell you the warranty is void. I'm just being overly cautious. Shops are often like that.

BTW sorry to hear about your woes. It is frustrating I know.

I thought about that, I just don't want to take it back there, have them say it's something they didn't do and then charge me for it. If I can figure out that it is a fuel injector or it is something else, I'll fix it myself.

 

[02SE]

The middle cylinder on the drivers side was full of water, but I got it out yesterday.

Pull the coils on the passenger side, to also check for water. It's far more likely that you have water around the sparkplugs there too, than it is that an injector just happened to start failing at this exact point in time.

Water can definitely cause a misfire and poor running.

 

[4Running Daily]

Pull the coils on the passenger side, to also check for water. It's far more likely that you have water around the sparkplugs there too, than it is that an injector just happened to start failing at this exact point in time.

Water can definitely cause a misfire and poor running.

Will try after school, thanks for the tip