Scoobie Syndrome

[MGM1979]

Sitting at a red light, idling like normal, when all of a sudden the car start sputtering...the computer's raising the idle up over 1300 to keep it alive, but it's still trying to die, so I give it a little more gas and the damn thing sounds like a freakin' Scoobie. Light goes green and I can't get her moving with any less than 1500 RPMs and she doesn't like it at all!

So, we're continuing on our journing and if I'm not accelerating, she's sputtering and sounding like shit. Limp it the rest of the way to work, and let her idle in the parking spot sounds ok...give it gas a little, and the sputters are back. Engine compartment looks normal (no oil anywhere) and sounds normal (aside from the clicking of the injectors and the can of marbles in my S/C).

So, I try turning it off for a few seconds and starting her up again...at first, it's the same gig, but after a few more seconds, everything seems normal again.

Is it possible I lost an injector temporarily? Am I losing a cylinder?


This is NOT good timing - as if there IS a good time, but with leaving town at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow...NOT good.

[FunkyStickman]

A failed injector would throw a code, right?

And what's with the blower chattering??? Mine started doing that a few months ago, and I don't like it! :(

[MGM1979]

A failed injector would throw a code, right?

And what's with the blower chattering??? Mine started doing that a few months ago, and I don't like it! :(

you would think - see, that's the other kicker...not ONE single code, the whole time...:shrug:


Could it have just been a hiccup from bad gas or something??? :ack:

[JayCizzo]

Wow man, I would hope it's just some bad gas. Just try not to think about it and enjoy your trip. They'll be plenty of time to tackle the issue when you get back.

If you can duplicate the issue can you hook it up to HPT and see if anything looks abnormal?

[MGM1979]

Wow man, I would hope it's just some bad gas. Just try not to think about it and enjoy your trip. They'll be plenty of time to tackle the issue when you get back.

If you can duplicate the issue can you hook it up to HPT and see if anything looks abnormal?

me too...I'll hook it up to HPT when I get a chance...debating leaving work today to deal with it, or just play with it when I get back early Monday. Either way, I'm not sure I want to try taking it out to the airport tomorrow morning...

[bc3tech]

kinda sounds like what mine was doing... if you give it gas it purrs just fine but at low idle it doesn't like it at all... mine was a blown piston ring, the higher pressure under high RPMs seals the ring up, but at low RPMs it gets loose and the compression in the cylinder goes to shit.

i'd to a compression check on it ASAP to be sure, though. mine showed a big ass hole when i tested it, sealing the theory.

[MGM1979]

/\ that's what I'm afraid of - got a buddy who will do the comp check for free at his shop, so I'm off...hoping for a bad plug, or even a bad injector...ring seals are NOT what I want to be dealing with.

ok, so took my baby to my friend's shop and did the compression test...160 ; 150 ; 155 ; 160 - so everything's good there.

We ran some B&G through the fuel rail to flush out the injectors some, in case one of those buggers was, in fact, stuck...probaby pick up some new plugs, just b/c they're cheap enough and the ones I'm running have enough miles on them to where I can justify it, to clean the slate.

I'm also thinking about picking up a new set of 60s, flow-matched, for when I do the return-line install, just to eliminate one more possible gremlin from the mix (assuming, of course, that things run well enough for the next couple weeks until the install actually takes place).


So, good news - but still some questions...