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Total noob needing help; '98 manual 3-cyl
Topic Started: Jul 11 2011, 02:55 PM (5,140 Views)
bogs
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Duct tape heals all wounds

Old Man
Jul 15 2011, 05:49 PM
scan gauge gives you more and immediate information.
vacuum guage makes you wait for gas fill up and calculations
is it worth the extra $$$ to you
Or you might like this just as much for a whole lot less -> UltraGauge <-

As well, there is the Mpguino, which has less information but is also slightly less expensive.
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GoCanucksGo
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bogs
Jul 15 2011, 09:28 PM
Old Man
Jul 15 2011, 05:49 PM
scan gauge gives you more and immediate information.
vacuum guage makes you wait for gas fill up and calculations
is it worth the extra $$$ to you
Or you might like this just as much for a whole lot less -> UltraGauge <-

As well, there is the Mpguino, which has less information but is also slightly less expensive.
That ultra gauge definitely has my interest. I'm looking at the site and with so many options I'm wondering how user friendly is it? I'm working off of a mac so I couldn't access the overview video as it used Windows Media Player
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starscream5000
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Got 70 MPG?

I'll never end up buying anything else for MPG readout than the current vacuum gauge I have. I will not recouperate my cost of that gauge in MPG gains and money savings because I've got my driving style almost tacked down perfectly for my comute already. The only things I can really do now to increase my FE are aerodynamic modifications and putting in my eco motor.
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bogs
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Duct tape heals all wounds

starscream5000
Jul 16 2011, 09:29 PM
I'll never end up buying anything else for MPG readout than the current vacuum gauge I have.
Um, the gauges listed do a little more than just help you improve mileage ;) although you might be surprised, it could probably do that for you as well a bit.
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GoCanucksGo
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ok so it's been a week and I managed to make some time to clean out the EGR and the rubber hoses that connect to it. I saw on youtube that once everything's been cleaned out, if you push up on the on the inner ring the engine should stumble and then stall. Well once I did this the engine did stumble initially but it didn't stall. So I tried it again and same thing, engine stuttered but it didn't stall. I tried this a third time and held the ring up longer and then engine didn't stutter at all this time so does this mean my EGR valve is trashed?

Also, and much more importantly, my car isn't lurching in higher gears anymore, it's lurching across ALL gears. I literally can barely drive up hills in 2nd gear, and it's really making me nervous. After cleaning the EGR I took it for a test run and when I tried popping it in 4th uphill, as I was "lurching", I would hear this "ping" that sounded like someone throwing a rock against my engine. It's pretty obvious I'm needing a re-build asap and piston rings seem to be the most common problem. I read the "piston ring" thread and it looks like he's using brand new pistons so should I buy brand new pistons as well as rings? What about valves?

I've fixed most of the leaks in the car but there seems to be a slight drip coming from the distributor but I've already changed the o-ring so I'm not sure if it's coming from the distributor or something else... I'm also finding oil puddling in my air filter but I think that's because of the problems with my engine. Any ideas or suggestions?
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GoCanucksGo
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also what size pistons should I get? I'm looking at rockauto.com and they have .0020" DNJ for $57.12 or Beck/Arnley for $38.84. Any reason why there's nearly a $20 difference? They both appear to be stainless steel:
rockauto.com
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starscream5000
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Got 70 MPG?

That "ping" you heard was the engine knocking from detonation. Keep that down to a minimum. Lurching leads me to think bad MAP sensor or a vacuum leak going to it.
Edited by starscream5000, Jul 25 2011, 09:35 AM.
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GoCanucksGo
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starscream5000
Jul 25 2011, 09:34 AM
That "ping" you heard was the engine knocking from detonation. Keep that down to a minimum. Lurching leads me to think bad MAP sensor or a vacuum leak going to it.
ok, so how do I determine if it is the map sensor? Is there a how to on the forum that I've missed? What would cause the vacuum leaks and how do I fix it?
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

GoCanucksGo
Jul 25 2011, 12:43 PM
What would cause the vacuum leaks and how do I fix it?
The 13 year old rubber vacuum lines can leak even though they look good. :shake

Only way, IMO, to eliminate the rubbers lines is to replace them. :gamerz Pretty cheap to do.

I even went so far as to put spring hose clamps where ever possible. That way I knew they were snug. :thumb
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starscream5000
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Got 70 MPG?

GoCanucksGo
Jul 25 2011, 12:43 PM
starscream5000
Jul 25 2011, 09:34 AM
That "ping" you heard was the engine knocking from detonation. Keep that down to a minimum. Lurching leads me to think bad MAP sensor or a vacuum leak going to it.
ok, so how do I determine if it is the map sensor? Is there a how to on the forum that I've missed? What would cause the vacuum leaks and how do I fix it?
Maybe Mwebb will chime in with a long winded explanation will pictures, but I honestly don't know how to diagnose the MAP sensor short of trying out a different one.

I can say this though, I've never heard of a MAP sensor in these cars going bad, the rotten vacuum hoses are much more common, especially as the car ages. Replace the vacuum hoses and get back with us.
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GoCanucksGo
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Ok I just took a quick look and is there only the one vacuum hose that connects to the MAP sensor? Are there other vacuum hoses that I should replace?
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kblv247
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replace all of the vacuum hoses
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GoCanucksGo
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ok so I ran a compression test and I'm thinking that either I'm doing this wrong or the compression gauge I just bought is crappy, here's what I have:

1) 150 psi dry / 40 psi wet?
2) 135 psi dry / 60 psi wet (it only momentarily spiked to 60 before holding steady at 40)
3) 65 psi dry / 120 wet

I ran the second one twice because the numbers didn't make sense but both times these numbers showed up so I don't know what's going on. Also, when I pulled out my spark plugs they looked like this:
spark plugs

I can't remember if this was #2 or #3 but all three of them looked identical. Click on the link and you can scroll through the other pics that show the corrosion from different angles. I should also point out that these spark plugs are barely a month old...
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Coche Blanco
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You need a rebuild.
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GoCanucksGo
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Coche Blanco
Jul 26 2011, 01:04 AM
You need a rebuild.
that is a massive understatement! When I did the compression test I basically put on a smoke show for the neighbours, is that normal? I've been e-mailing partsdinosaur.com the last two days to try and put together a rebuild kit. Other than pistons, rings, rod bearings and a gasket set, what else would I need? How many intake and exhaust valves should I get?
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