93 1.8 boggin and buckin

[randall]

i have a 93 1.8 dohc 24 valve. it has 190000 and has been a great car for about a year. i dont think it was a fast as it should have been but still pretty peppy. just the other night it was running great and it left the key on and the battery drained. i pop started it in reverse and it started right up but i noticed it was boogy and it would buck at low rpms and sounded a little louder at high rmps and no where near as fast as it was. couldnt even get it over 75 mph. i thought maybe from pop starting it in reverse the timing belt might have skipped a couple teeth. but im not so sure. it has a lot of miles and could be alot but i need help figuring out what. the timing belt cover is a pain in the butt to get off with the motor still in the car and i dont want to do so if i dont need to. the valves have also ticked since i have owned it and i have been driving it with a exhaust leak for about 3 weeks. i need some advice and you guys are the experts. thanks randall

[93vtecklr]

Your alternator is grilled mang. That's my idea, every time I boosted my car to get it to the shop for diagnosis it ran like a bag of burning you-know-what. Your car is running on the battery power, and the alternator is barely pumping anything out to keep it running.

First thing's first though. Take the battery somewhere and get it slow charged, for about 24hrs. Then tested. Remove your alternator when you bring your battery in and have it checked as well. No use having extra downtime. Inspections and charges are usually free.

[randall]

could it possibly be the 02 censor. it have been running it with a bad exhaust leak after the cat for about 3 weeks now. its got bad idle and bucks and bogs at low rpms and has now power at high rpms and sounds funny at high rpms. but the battery lights flckering and has been now for a while

[93vtecklr]

An O2 sensor wouldn't limit your speed. There might be only enough of the brushes left on the alty to keep it running. Don't put it off dude.

[randall]

i took the alt off last night and tested it today and its ok.but i did notice the main plug was busted and not allowing it to snap into the terminal so i fixed that and put if back together and that eliminated me flickering charge light. the alt was a pain to remove by the way , i had to also remove the power steering to drop it out the bottem. but any way i took it for a 10 mile cruise and its still bucking and very boggy. im wondering if maybe i got some bad gas? im not sure what else to try. maybe a clogged fuel filter? i dont know how to tell if a 02 sensor is bad and theres 2 of them and i dont want to spend the money for a new one not knowing what ones bad. if any. i really dont have the money to bring it to someone and really dont want to sell it for 5 or 6 hundred bucks. if you have any other suggestions let me know. egr valve maybe? the check engine lights never come on so i cant get any codes pulled. could it possibly be the exhaust leak.

[projectzemx3]

do you have any CEL's on????

[randall]

whats that?

[mitmaks]

is your check engine light on?

[randall]

no but when its idleing and the rpms drop real low it will flicker

[93vtecklr]

When it flickers it's the ecu compensating for something, I'm thinking your TPS may need to be adjusted. Do you know how to put your car into diagnostic mode? Your IAC valve may be malfunctioning also.

On another note, when was the last time you had your plugs/wires replaced? You may be misfiring causing the bucking and power loss.

And don't worry about the valve ticking, it's the HLA's. It's a mazda engine, and unless you want to tear apart your top end to replace them, and relieve the ticking (for a week at best) you just gotta live with it. There are certain oil additives that will lessen the noise from sticky lifters and lubricate the seals. But that's something you'll have to do every.... single.... oil change

[randall]

yea im probly going to cough up some coin and buy some plugs and wires cuz today i checked to see if any plugs happen to loosened up, and there was one that the pulg wire bottem had broke off on so it was a pain in the a-- to get off cuz there was rubber covering the hex. so the wires are old and dried , but first im coing to give it some dry gas and a fresh tank of gas and see what that does. right before it starting acting up i filled the tank and might have got a bad batch of gas, as i do live in the sticks. i gave it some seafoam for the hlv;s and that dint do much. i also have done fresh plugs and oil recntly.

[93vtecklr]

PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T LEAVE THE SEAFOAM IN THE OIL WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING?!?!?!

[randall]

no i dint. whats the tpc. i cant figure this thing out. a gave it some dry gas and a fresh tank but nothing. when i get on it and bring the rpms up to like 4 or 5 in 3rd i can hear like a vibration noise comeing from the headers thats why i was thinking 02 sensor. still very doggy espeacially up hill.

[93vtecklr]

The TPS is the throttle position sensor.

[SuperK]

sounds like timing issues. Check your codes, that should tell you where to start.