MX-3.com

Let me start from the beginning, I don't know whay information might help to work out the solution.

The Car: 92 MX-3, BPT (GTX) swap, custom intercooler, BPT ECU, everything running stock.

I had a hairline crack in the radiator, so we ordered a new one and had it installed. The connection for the fan was not making contact causing the car to run hot, we cleaned the connection and got that working. everything was checked, all fluids were ok, oil was good, filled the gas and took a road trip 40 or so miles to WI from IL. Getting there was no problem, car ran good, all sensors showed good running.

Right before I left WI to come back to IL, I gave a fellow MXer a ride to his car, I first noticed a "hiccup", the car for like a second stalled and then went back to normal, I took a turn and noted my steering was hard, like if it didnt hace power steering, just for a second again, but when I finished the turn the steering was fine. I moved the steering left and right, no problem. I pooped the hood but noted nothing out of the ordinary. There was no smoke and again, all the gauges were fine.

I got on the road. 20 miles down, the car start to hesitate, its got the whole "hicup" thing going, the Air/Fuel guage shows the car running rich, I check the turbo timer, which has reading for air/fuel and O2, the air/fuel reading is in the red, the O2 shows a jumping reading but low on air. I pop the hood and check the intercooler pipes, none are loose, all connections are good. I see that at the top of the engine, right a plug is not connected, I connect it and the engine stops shaking , but the mixture of air fuel is still not stoich, it's still running rich, in fact you can smell a hint of gas, I look under the car, no leaks, the engine shows nothing leaking or spilling. I check the exhaust, it's got black soot all over it, I touch it, there is no oil, just soot. I ride the car the rest of the way, it still hesitating, at times if given too much gas it seems to choke and she wont ride past 50mph. I get off the highway and she stops. She will turn over but dies if I give it gas.

Getting her on the tow truck bed, on the passenger side rim, I notice oil all over the inner part of the rim, but I show nothing dripping down. I have not had the mechanic over to look at her, this just happened last night.

Please help!!!

maybe the water temp sensor on the car is going, i had that issue on my 92 RS i had, made the car go full rich and sputter and sometimes stall out

if you give it gas slowly does it run fine, but sputter when u open the throttle up just a bit? if so, you may want to check ur plug wires, especially if you cant go past 50 mph, they will usually act up at higher RPM's when they're worn out....

This is just an idea. I don't own a turbocharged vehicle (yet), so that said, this is just a theory I came up with.

Turbocharged car means more fuel in the cyl, and you said a spark plug was undone. Maybe this cyl not firing was letting this fuel exit through the ex valve, all over your turbo fin and wastegate, over the O2 sensor (gumming it up maybe?) and then resting on your tailpipe where you found the soot. Again, just a theory, and if it was my car I would pull the O2 sensor.

When you did the BPT swap did you upgrade spark plugs and wires???

They had NGK wires and plugs in the car when I had the swap done.

The next year, I had the wires changed, the spark plugs, the cap, the rotor, oil change, fuel filter, air cone filter changed.

Sunday was the first time the car out this season, I plan of having all those things changed again. Are there different plugs and wires I should use?

I do plan on having the oxygen sensor changed this week, as well as the passenger side axel.

what do you have for engine management?

Just the BPT ECU

Maybe i'm mistaken, but I thought the point of engine management was in lieu of having the correct ECU? Or a highly modified engine like JWs. I would think running stock with the BPT ECU you wouldn't need a standalone.

That was my understanding. I do plan on running a SAFC once I upgrade the fuel pump, injectors and turbo.

BTW have you done a carbon build up removal yet? I was talking with a mechanic I know and he said with the turbo'd engine sitting all summer like that the carbon migth have built up or you might have a leaky injector that filled one of the cyclenders or maybe dirty injectors. But I only really rememberd the just using it, hiccups, and stalling so Those are what he said, but to maybe make friends with a good mechanic that can help you locally. The one friend that I have pretty much is a great guy. He asks for no $$ but I give him bout $20 an hour. Pretty much all my work has only ever been an hour long so its all good. Just remember $20 to learn something saves $100 down the line.

I guess I am lucky, my wife works at a dealership and so we get the dealer mechanic to come down and look at the car. Right now we are working with the O2 sensor and axle, so I will have those parts ready for him when he comes.

He can then see if there is a different problem. Once the car is up and running I will take it to my sponsor shop and let them do a once over as well as install of some of the performance parts I have built up already.

While I am there or even before when the dealer mechanic comes, I will check into the carbon build up, I will have to add that to my first of spring things to do list for the car.

What was the plug for that came undone?
If something came undone your ecu would notice that and try to work around it. When you get an error like that you HAVE to reset the ecu or you will still have problems. Reset it by disconnecting the battery and holding the brake petal for 5 seconds. This should clear all the codes in it.
Did you get the car checked out yet?

I noticed you said that is the first time you've had it out for this season....How long has it been sitting??? Your gas could be bad and since you've ran the car with it, there could be some varnish...etc.. in the lines, filter, injectors, and around the valves. I'd drain the gas tank, add a bottle of Red Line, or Lucas fuel injector cleaner, fill it back up with 93 octane gas, clean the throttle body and intake manifold out with some Sea Foam Deep Creep Spray. You just open the butterfly, spray it and then all around in the IM Plenum. Let it sit for a few minutes, repeat, then start the car up n watch it smoke like a freight train (it isn't hurting the car). Another item for you to check is the cat, it could be cloging as well. Also a compression and vac. test would be a good thing to do just to see what kind of condition the motor is in while your at it.

Well, the car went into hibernation in November of 04, it was turned on once a week for 20 minutes each time. During the time it was off the battery was disconnected and the car was sitting with quarter tank of gas, which was at an 8th when she was taken out the first time so the first thing I did was go get gas, and she always gets 93 octane.