Hi Everyone,

Has anyone had this problem or something similar? I drive a 1987 TN 2.6L EFI Manual sedan, Car has covered approx 274,000K's Rear muffler has had it.

It starts OK. When it fires (cold) it starts off at a shaky (almost stalling) 800 rpm then after about 10-15 secs will slowly climb to 1200rpm. When warm it usually settles around 900-1000 but it still sometimes wants to drop down to 800 when coming to a stop before again slowly settling on 900-1000

If I exceed 4000 in second gear (and sometimes you need to be able to) it breaks down and feels as if it is misfiring or a fuel problem or possibly both!! Putting your foot on the accelerator it feels either it is not getting enough fuel or there is something wrong with the spark. It is not back firing but just revs very shakily to a certain point and cannot rev any further. After a couple of minutes with very early up shifts it settles down and powers away. Again If I rev it pass 4000 it just breaks down and even with my foot flat on the accelerator it will not rev pass about 3000. I have replaced battery, dizzy cap, rotor button, fuel filter, plugs, leads and cleaned terminals around dizzy cap and coil. The problem is gradually getting worse. Now it is much more noticeable. I am trying to eliminate everything else before I have to look at injectors. If I remove the air snorkel it stalls immediately which makes me think that the AFM is working properly and there are no splits. To save me a whole lot of trial and error does anyone know whats wrong with it or what it might be so that I can narrow it down? Any help greatly appreciated.

Bradford
Hobart TAS

Although someone may be able to give more insight, has the timing been checked? few degree's out will make a heap of difference.

Maate,
it's worth checking the following:
engine bay electrical connection plugs for moisture ingress & corroded connections;
perished / holed vacuum hoses on the engine & to the dizzy (if fitted with a vacuum advance unit);
perished / holed distributor vacuum advance diaphram (if fitted);
ignition coil as I have have seen / had coils that break down under load; and
the power transistor unit (if fitted is adjacent to the coil unit & has a 3 pin connector) which connects to the negative side of the ignition coil


Cheers

Rear muffler has had it, you say. Fix that first and give the cat a shake to see if it has collapsed. Also pull the plugs out and see if it is running lean or rich. Gap them correctly and check the distributor cap and leads. Seeing you have already done the latter check the ignition timing as per the manual. (Timing light needed) Does it have an ignition cut that needs to be earthed before you do the timing? If you need to do so, but don't, the timing ends up retarded by 8 degrees. Check that the timing advances when you rev the engine.

Another possibility is that the cam chain is so worn that it has skipped a tooth and cam timing is retarded. This has happened to me and give those symptoms. Lift the rocker cover and see if everything lines up, once again as per the manual.

Plugs too (type, gap and age)!

I was having this exact problem in my 2nd gen recently, and it turned out to be a very very dodgy throttle position sensor due to corroded connector from water ingress.

My recommendation is to go see a mechanic with proper electrical knowledge and diagnostic machine. He sorted it out quick smart.

welcome, from my line of jim beam thinking these had the same engines basicly as the 2nd gen with the same ecu. the first step imho would be to check for any error codes on the ecu ( behind the drivers kick panel is the plug you need to bridge) if you are uncertain as to how to bridge this then check in with a local mechanic. i see you have tried quite alot to fix the problem however getting any error codes that may be displayed would help in diagnosing any problem. timing as mentioned could be a problem however i see you knew there was a problem with your exhaust but you failed to fix this before progressing to changing out any parts and that would be a costly error for future referance. any codes, and pst them here and more help will be available

Thank you TUFFTR,Magna diver,MadMax,Stinky_Pinky,lathiat and 95ts for all your suggestions.

I have decided to get the rear muffler replaced. My first quote to supply and fit was 250 another place 195 and yet another place 155. After I get this fixed I will see if it is better worse or still the same.

Bradford

Hi Everyone,
Just thought I would update everyone with the latest. I have not as yet replaced the rear muffler. Someone suggested disconnecting the battery so that the ECU has to reset itself. I did this and travelled 1,000k's in one day and it did not miss a beat.

Bradford

thats a first gen for you.... 1000 ks in a day
and no problem

Thanks Magna Buff,

I told a bit of a fib there. It was 1,000k's but over two days Oops!! Disconnecting the battery to reset the ECU seems to have worked. Bit like rebooting a PC!!