RPM Drops .. please help

[lokuayya]

I m posting this hoping someone would give me an idea on whats wrong and where to look for in My MX3 ...

Current problem
If I stop the car for a red light, The RPM would drop below 1 ( X 1000) and when I try to relese the clutch the car will jump As if I didn't balance the clutch and gas. I really have o rev up to 3 X 1000 before releasing the clutch to get a smooth start. this happens even if I slow down for trafic . On the 2nd gear I ll have to hold the cluth in a middle position to run it smoothly. or else every time I accelarate or take my foot off from the gas padle the car will jump.

Ongoing problem

This only happens at times. The engine oil indicator start to blink as I am driving how ever everytime there is enough oil in the engine. if I Rav up the indicator will turn off but it will come up when RPM return so normal. If I stop the car for few hours and run the problem will be solved for the next few drives.

Im not sure of these problems have anyting to do with each other. Please let me know guyz where do you think I should start looking for the problem .. ??

[mikeinaus]

are you getting any codes? http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=34787" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sounds like your clutch may be wearing out so it slipps until it suddenly grabs and sends the car flying.

[Mnemonic]

Ok so what does your car idle at? if you are stopped and in neutral the rpms should be below 1k, (average 600-800rpm)

I'm confused when you say it jumps, what do you mean it jumps, if you drop the clutch at 3k rpm of course its going to jump, thats the rpm range you launch at when you drag race. You shouldn't have to rev up to 3k rpm to go into any gears (unless you are trying to go into the higher gears). So from what it sounds like you have a clutch going out, time to replace.

[h3xt0r]

I had a similar problem in my car a long time back. Ended up being the clutch just like Mikeinaus suggested.

[lokuayya]

First, Thanks for your replies and sorry to confuse you guyz.

When I say jump I ment .. Like hopping.. as in the car tries to get the speed but slows down constantly . Like when you release the clutch at once when you are on 1st gear or second gear. I didnt mean Jump as in a drag. When you release the clutch, it will jump once and slows right down then try to regain the speed and down again. ( there might be a technical term but I am not sure what it is )

The reason I have to rev up is if I relese the clutch when its on a lower RPM the car will "hop" and then stop !! no matter how careful I am with releasing the clutch.

I agree with you guyz, it might be the clutch.. However Its been only 30000 Km s since its been replaced ( by the previous owner , I got a detailed receipt )

1. Do you think If there is low engine oil levels in the engine this can happen ??
2. and /Or wornout drive Belts can cause this kind of problem??

Thanks for your replies again guyz. appriciate it . tc

[davmac]

How many miles?
Is the idle good - steady 600 - 800 in neutral, engine warm?
Any loud or unusual noises when the car is running?
I believe you're describing clutch chatter and it happens when the clutch is worn out or the flywheel is glazed or contaminated. If you have a rear main engine seal leak you could be leaking oil into the transmission housing and contaminating the clutch - but that is just a guess. You'll have to remove the transmission to confirm whatever is going on. You can burn out a clutch in a day. Riding the clutch like you are in 2 gear will do that. Every time you press the clutch pedal you're wearing out the clutch.

The oil light is more troubling. Remember that the oil light is attached to a pressure switch - related to oil level but is not telling you the level is low only the pressure is low. It is possible that the oil pressure sender is bad, but you've got to confirm because it could also mean your engine is about to throw a rod due to no lubrication.

[Ryan]

Does the car lack power in all gears? Does it rev up fine in neutral? Where does it idle? its the idle steady?

[lokuayya]

RPM on idle is not stable !!! Whats the reason for it ??
the normal for my car is like 900 to 1000 RPM, but now some times it drops to 500 or lower which makes the engine "wheep". when this happens, If I rev up, the RPM will stay between 1000 to 1100 RPM for like 20 to 30 secs and it will drop down again.
I can't understand why .... Some how I gotta feeling that some sensors are gone wrong somewhere.

The engine got a wired noice on startup . Its like a tap nocie not that loud. it will last few minutes until engine warms up and stops. Some times I turn the ignition off and start the engine again. that also stops the noice.

I just checked today and it looks like my engine got more engine oil than it should. Wonder if this related to the problem at all
This happend because I ve been filling it up everytime the oil indicator came up, as I explained at the begining. ( I sounds dumb I know, but I was afraid I might be running low on oil while I was like 100 Kms out of home . so I put in like 1L of oil jst to be sure I won't be over heating the engine ) .

Thanks for all your replies and concern guys ..

[davmac]

lokuayya:
Take your car to someone who can confirm you have low oil pressure by temporarily installing a pressure gauge where the oil sender is installed. If they confirm you do have low oil pressure they can also check the condition of your motor to determine if you have oil sludging or the motor is just worn out.

You also are likely to need a new clutch, but if the engine is on its way out then you need to make some big decisions.

I may have made a lucky guess that you have a rear main oil seal leak that has contaminated your clutch disk and is causing low oil pressure. You should see some oil leaking under center left of the engine - but if it is a small leak the oil may be staying inside the transmission housing. To confirm you have to remove the transmission - necessary to change the clutch anyway.

Note the ticking on startup is normal for these cars. If it goes away in 5 minutes that is OK.

[lokuayya]

I guess its time to take it to someone who knows things. ...

Without the guage I can say the pressure is low for some reason ...

Yap . I m gonna take it to somebody, within next couple of weeks. I ll get back to you guyz on updates.
Thanks everyone for ur posts tc

[h3xt0r]

Check your vacuum hoses, look for cracks etc. See if it falls apart in your hands. Check the end of the spark Plug wires and look for oil on the end. My old K8 had a bad seal and it caused all sorts of wicked stuff.

[lokuayya]

Check your vacuum hoses, look for cracks etc. See if it falls apart in your hands. Check the end of the spark Plug wires and look for oil on the end. My old K8 had a bad seal and it caused all sorts of wicked stuff.

Hey mate, you should have post this earlier. You are correct . I loged in to tell everyone what was wrong with it and here you are telling me exactly whats wrong Thanks mate

.. I just took it to one of my mate we were going to look for bad idle motor or something like that but then we found this crack under the air intake near the throtlle body...
I put some tape on it for now but I ll look for a replacement tomorrow when I get some time

I don't know how to upload this bloody pic so anyway its just near the throttle body where the hose ends.

Big Thank you to all of you guyz for all your posts tc

[h3xt0r]

That would have been my first suggestion but I thought you were talking about the car jumping when releasing the clutch.