MX-3.com

i cant get my car running(b6 sohc)
ever since i tried installing my millenia alternator.
i was taking my old one out and the ground caught a part of the body shorting the main fuse in the engine bay (im stupid for not disconnecting battery first i know).
i installed the millenia alternator n replaced the fuse but i cant seem to get my car running again.
it cranks and turns on and sputters like crazy then dies down after 10 secs even if u pump the gas.
searched the forum n followed sum suggestions like
replacing the spark plugs, disty n coil, main fuse, throttle body, checking all sensors n fuel pump, ive used injector cleaners... ahh the list goes on..
could it be the ecu?
plz help me

Could be a loose or cracked vacuum hose or especially a hairline crack in between ribs of the large intake hose. Symptoms fit anyway (as did on 2 of my rides) and you musta been working around those parts or maybe bending the intake hose when replacing the throttle body. I remember suspecting fuel and elec probs and going nuts over it til finally finding a rubber intake hose hairline crack that was flexing open when the motor started = excess unmetered air entering and engine stalling after extremely rough idle for 3-10 secs and only getting that much while furiously pumping the gas pedal. Worth checking anyways...

Did you have problems before the alt swap?

i did tear the intake hose
covered it in duct tape for a quick fix
ill pick up a new one just incase
i was having problems before with the engine but i managed to get it running perfectly
i had cracked the bolt holding the camshaft gear in place due to hitting the gas on a very very cold day on startup
but replaced it and reset the timing
it took a while to start but when i did it ran fine for a couple of days till i decided to do the alt swap
ive rechecked the bolt and the timing so i dont think thats the problem
thanks for the help! hope the hose idea works

okay no luck i replaced the intake hose
it lasts out about 30 secs now then dies down again
ive looked at all possible causes
the only thing left to replace is the fuel injectors
do injectors just stop working like that?

check all your ground wires are in good shape!

are you getting a codes?

s1zzl3 wrote:i was taking my old one out and the ground caught a part of the body shorting the main fuse in the engine bay (im stupid for not disconnecting battery first i know).

What wire touched the body? Because it wasn't a ground wire like posted. Might do a complete ECU restart by taking the positive wire off the battery and holding it on the negative terminal for a few seconds.

lost_mx3 wrote:

s1zzl3 wrote:i was taking my old one out and the ground caught a part of the body shorting the main fuse in the engine bay (im stupid for not disconnecting battery first i know).

What wire touched the body? Because it wasn't a ground wire like posted. Might do a complete ECU restart by taking the positive wire off the battery and holding it on the negative terminal for a few seconds.

i thought u reset the ecu by disconnecting the positive terminal and depressing the brake
btw i made a mistake i meant the +ive cable from the alternator
and im not getting any codes at all

i also noticed something weird with the distributor timing
when i reset the timing on the timing gear/timing belt
and install the the new disty(without cap) the rotor or arm points downward to #3 instead of slightly upwards like it should no?
the old one slips in fine and points upward towards the #1 like it should
i readjust the timing to fit the new disty but i cant help but think its wrong
but thats the only way it will fit

You need to make sure that the rotor button is on right. With my sohc the disty had been removed and someone had put the rotor button on wrong. If I am remembering correctly the shaft that the rotor fits on is 3 sided, you may want to check before you do anything major. Hopefully it is something as simple as that.

OldMan

ok i installed the disty right
and it still doesnt start
i pulled codes and im getting two quick flashes
so its code 2 right? the crankshaft position sensor?
does the 4 cyl even have that sensor? n where is it located?

inside the distributor i believe. check your wiring to your distributor, the online manual has the diagram for the disty. lots of people including me have had alot of bad distributors.

ive pretty much had it with the car
i have gotten no codes
when i go start the car i need to have the gas floored for it to even stay on
and even like that the car idles rough
rpm needle goes crazy
as soon as i let off the gas it dies
any clues???
i have a short ram intake and ive checked and rechecked for vacuum leaks but i cant find any!!
also ive read it could be my tps but my car doesnt idle long enough to adjust...

You said you have a short intake of some sort - Did you mess with
the MAF at all?

This is the MAF:




and its essential it not be unplugged or removed from the intake, that
would cause some insane engine behavior followed by a stall on
startup without it.

s1zzl3 wrote:i have a short ram intake and ive checked and rechecked for vacuum leaks but i cant find any!!
also ive read it could be my tps but my car doesnt idle long enough to adjust...

The car doesn't have to be running to adjust the TPS. In fact, you can calibrate it more precisely when the car is off. The step-by-step procedure is in the online shop manual, I believe in the fuel and emissions chapter.

The just of it is that you use a multimeter to test for continuity between a certain two pins on the TPS. You loosen the TPS screws, and move it until you just get continuity, or something to that effect. Best to look it up.