General internal combustion engine questions.
4
votes
1answer
62 views
When I remove a spark plug is it bad news if dirt or grime falls into the engine
Despite my best effort to clean up a corroded spark plug and blowing the area with an airline before removing would it be bad news if dirt or grime falls into the engine in the process of removing it?
...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
What would cause a car to lose power a few seconds after starting, then run normally?
I start my 2003 Honda Civic each morning and drive to work. A few hundred feet down the road, the engine will sometimes behave as though it is running out of gas and lose power momentarily. It ...
4
votes
2answers
515 views
does a car normally continue moving at a constant speed when in gear and the foot is taken off the accelerator pedal?
I remember when driving a passenger car, when I took my foot off the accelerator pedal completely, but remained in gear, the car would normally continue to move at some low speed, different for each ...
4
votes
2answers
308 views
engine underpowered in idle - what can be done to improve a diesel engine power at low RPM just a bit?
There is an engine which is a bit underpowered when idling, it can not even keep the car moving on a flat road when in gear and idling at 700..800 RPM - see link.
What can be done to improve its ...
4
votes
2answers
26 views
'93 Ford Ranger 3.0L V6 Engine Only Runs Without Fan
I've recently replaced the belt tension pulley and a little after a week the engine had trouble running. The next day I tried to start it it wouldn't run without constantly pressing on the gas while ...
4
votes
1answer
338 views
Polo TDI 2004 - intermittent power, smoke, turbo issue
Car: Polo TDI 2004 1.4 with 190,000 km (118,060 miles) on the clock. While
Issue: driving it intermittently (distance/time are not factors it seems) it starts to spew black/dark grey smoke and all ...
4
votes
2answers
225 views
Low power, bad gas mileage, smelly exhaust after engine work
My 92 Civic has had low power (need to use at least one gear lower than usual to get the same power) and has been getting bad gas mileage (15-25mpg vs 32-42 mpg usual) since I replaced the head ...
4
votes
1answer
215 views
'98 Camry has occasional rough running / low speed idle problem
My '98 Camry (with the four-cylinder engine) usually starts, idles and drives like a dream. About a year ago I had the entire exhaust system replaced (including cat) due to corrosion. Since then it's ...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
Misfiring Engine Hyundai Accent Executive
My Hyundai Accent Executive is 2001 model. Recently the engine started misfiring badly during idling with Air conditioner on. It is almost like the engine is going to turn off any moment. The ...
4
votes
1answer
101 views
Fast idle when engine is hot
I have a 2001 Buick Century. Lately, after driving around long enough for the engine to get hot, the idle speed will sometimes race. The car will want to surge forward even when I'm not giving it ...
4
votes
1answer
890 views
How to clean the MAF sensor on a 1997 Nissan Altima?
I have a 1997 Nissan Altima sedan. I’ve been told the issues I’m having with my car is from the mass air flow sensor. I was wondering how to clean/repair this sensor and contact points the best? What ...
4
votes
0answers
50 views
Really high idle after tightening spark plugs
I had a very nasty tick in my engine after doing a bunch of work to it, I just redid my chain tensioner which went a long way to fixing it, then I found that spark plugs could cause a tick, so I ...
3
votes
3answers
152 views
why do engines have so much unused horsepower?
I've looked at the power rating of an engine used in a Humvee (5500 lbs) and was surprised it's only ~190 horsepower, which is exceeded by many 4 door sedans.
So an obvious question is why doesn't my ...
3
votes
4answers
142 views
Why can some cars go through water while others can't?
Why can some cars (mostly old Russian cars on YouTube) seemingly go through water while others can't? I'm talking about situations when the water level is at half the height of the car, so the engine ...
3
votes
2answers
63 views
Top Dead Centre
I replaced a cylinder head gasket on my 1993 Holden Apollo (Same engine as the toyota camry 5S-FE). However when I went to get TDC I think I may have forgotten to put the car in Neutral. Could this ...
3
votes
2answers
6k views
Oil in coolant - how much trouble am I in?
I have oil in my coolant reservoir. Could it just be the head gasket or is it almost certainly the entire engine or might it be something else entirely?
Thanks in advance...
3
votes
2answers
896 views
BMW E30 M20 oil warning light goes on on hot days but the motor sounds and performs fine
The car: BMW '90 E30 320i Cabrio with the six-cylinder M20 engine.
The problem: the red engine oil warning light inside the instrument cluster (not the check control) lights up after some driving. ...
3
votes
1answer
77 views
Which engine part is this?
I own a speedboat that is powered by a 5 liter V8 Mercruiser with 200bhp.
Yesterday when trying it out for the 1st time this season, 2 things happened:
1 - the boat was always trying to turn left ...
3
votes
3answers
90 views
How reliable is a second-hand Subaru 2.5 RS 04-05?
Basically, I've been a Subaru enthusiast for a few years but never been able to purchase one because I'm still a student. However, this summer I will be able to.
The issue is that I need a reliable ...
3
votes
2answers
338 views
Ford Taurus common oil leak area?
On my last oil change, the technician noted some oil around top and side of the engine block and said there is a small leak.
The only way to find where it is coming from is doing the whole dye test, ...
3
votes
2answers
187 views
Blue smoke on engine start
I got my 2002 Camry when it had 86K and now it has 97K on it. In the morning when I start the engine, I see blue-ish smoke coming out of the exhaust for a while. I don't know if I had it before, but ...
3
votes
3answers
440 views
What is the purpose of plastic engine covers?
What is the purpose of the large plastic cover that stretches over my valve cover? Does it have a particular function? Are they just for looks? Or are they designed by the engineers to protect ...
3
votes
1answer
965 views
2009 Toyota Camry 2AZFE idle vibration remains after new motor mounts
My wife's Camry went in to the shop 2 months ago for a rough idle. We bought the car used in February with 72K miles. We've put on 10K and decided to have a mechanic look it over and tell us what it ...
3
votes
2answers
383 views
Motorcycle popping on acceleration
I have a 1975 Honda XL250 that I bought earlier this summer. Up until recently its been running great. It was leaking a little gas, but nothing too serious. When it started to get worse, I opened up ...
3
votes
1answer
143 views
2001 Audi A4 corroded part… What is it?
I noticed under my hood that a piece looks corroded through. My car hasn't given any warnings or check engine lights and no liquid is coming through. No one I ask knows what it is. Please help!
...
3
votes
3answers
177 views
Dying car, at random intervals
So my 1996 Jaguar XJR is just stopping at random. It happens when the car is doing low RPM, like when I am coming/stading at a stop light.
Any ideas on where to start to troubleshoot this problem?
...
3
votes
1answer
31 views
Is there a place where I can buy new stock GM Engines?
I am looking into a new project, and one idea that was tossed around is to replace the motor on the truck with a FlexFuel model. I looked around and see gmperformanceparts website, but they don't have ...
3
votes
1answer
188 views
Add 2 stroke oil to a 4 stroke petrol engine during burn-in period
I'm planning to get a new petrol (gasoline) car soon.
A friend of mine, who worked as a motorbike mechanic when he was young, told me he puts a small quantity (125 ml / 4 oz) of 2 stroke oil in the ...
3
votes
2answers
577 views
BMW 330D 2001 E46 Turbo Charger not working as expected after changing
I have a problem with my car.
My car:
BMW 330D, 135kw, 2001 year, E46.
A week ago my turbo charger got broken when I was driving. There was a lot of white smoke going out of exhaust and there was ...
3
votes
1answer
836 views
Car dying at low RPM only after filling up with gas
My question is closely related to one about a Jag dying at low RPM, but is slightly different because it only occurs after refueling and because the problem persists after cleaning the throttle body, ...
3
votes
2answers
211 views
How is the clanging sound produced in the engine?
Imagine riding your motor bike from plain ground to an uphill path, initially it climbs the road in top gear. Then gradually the bike begins to slow down and the sound from the 100cc petrol engine ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
How can I do a cheap but safe and good tuning which will improve the cars performance?
I have a Skoda Octavia 5 1.6 MPI and I want to make a good cheap safe tuning that will increase the cars performance above 100 hp it already has. How can I do that?
3
votes
2answers
192 views
Why does a car's engine vibrate at start, despite the circular geometry of its component's dynamics
If a well balanced system starts moving, it should not vibrate ! Or if it does, it should vibrate even more at high speeds !
But a car clearly vibrates hard during the startup, to then stabilize.
3
votes
3answers
275 views
Looking for suggestions about what to try and fix on my tecumseh snow blower engine that stalls after you stop putting load on it
I have a troy bilt snow blower with a tecumseh engine and it starts great and runs great. Most of the time, anyway. It will scoop up snow and throw it just fine, and then for no obvious reason it ...
3
votes
1answer
816 views
Engine stalls in hot weather
I have this strange problem with my Nissan Sentra 2002(80K miles). When it is about 90 deg F outside and driven more than about 10 miles the engine seems to miss badly(like for e.g. when you run out ...
3
votes
2answers
456 views
What is the potential damage of a temporarily partially submerged front end?
I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra (base model, FWD, 1.8L 4-cyl engine) and I took some bad advice from the Maps app on my iPhone and I ended up driving on a very, very bad road. At one point, I drove into a ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
2000 Nissan Maxima Service engine light
The dealer diagnosed it and says it got tripped by catalytic converter and rear oxygen sensor. The total estimate was around $2000. The blue book value on his car is around that amount. Is there a way ...
3
votes
2answers
180 views
Advice needed - My car has burn mark on hood and seems to be leaking oil
I have a 4 year old, well loved Honda civic with only about 25K. It has been serviced nearly every 6 months. I just took it for a service a few weeks ago and today I noticed that it seemed to be ...
3
votes
3answers
274 views
Is it feasible to Turbo a NA engine while maintaining 87 AKI octane fuel use?
I initially thought there should be a way to bolt on a small aftermarket turbo onto my naturally-aspirated Honda D17A2 (9.9:1 compression ratio) engine in my EM2 Civic EX without having to switch from ...
3
votes
1answer
626 views
Car Stalls When Coming to a Stop
Make: Chevy
Model: Cavalier (4 cyl.) Automatic
Year: 1993
Miles: 230K
Normally my Cavalier drives just fine without problems. However, if I drive for 45+ minutes then it will sputter and stall out ...
3
votes
1answer
128 views
What is a gasket head kit?
I am looking at buying a used car, many listed have had "gasket head kit" installed?
What is a gasket head kit?
Should i be wary about buying a car with one installed?
Will the "gasket head kit" ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
How often should spark plug wires be replaced?
I last replaced them with the plugs about 4 years/60-70k miles ago. I bought platinum plugs I if I remember correctly, so I still got some life on those. The car (2001 Buick Regal) is still in good ...
3
votes
1answer
64 views
Honda Accord 2004 V6 Australian, Can stopped in the middle of the road
Recently, when I was driving and had to stop at a set of light the car all of a sudden stopped. All the lights on the spedometer came up, but the A/C, radio all was working fine. I turned it off and ...
3
votes
2answers
155 views
01 sentra running hot
I have an 01 nissan sentra which had been running hot. If i start the car in the morning and turn temp control to hot and fan on and let the car warm up, i will have no heat and the car runs hot. Just ...
3
votes
3answers
218 views
Cylinder 1 and 4 has low compresion, after engine has been redone
I have a Opel Corsa 1999 B type. We had a mechanic redo the engine about 4 months ago, but this week it just does not want to start.
Today had other mechanic look at the engine, and did a quick ...
3
votes
1answer
274 views
1994 Ford Escort won't start
I have a 1994 Ford Escort that was bought used 2 years ago. When we bought it, it would barely run, and we had to replace the engine head. As a result of that and other repairs, it has been losing ...
3
votes
1answer
939 views
How to attach PCV breather hose on MkIII Golf?
The old "breather hose" on my Mk3 VW Golf became cracked and fell off. I bought a replacement tube, which connects to part of the PCV apparatus on top of the engine via a hose clamp, but it is not ...
3
votes
1answer
228 views
Engine Code P1312 on 2001 Saab 9-3
I have replaced to brand new spark plugs.
After some research, it seems that the problem might be the direct ignition cassette.
Could there be other possibilities?
Thanks
3
votes
1answer
154 views
Rough noise while accelerating
My car is a 2002 Nissan Altima with 106,873 miles. After 95K miles, my car has been giving a rough noise from the engine. After shifting into second gear, it's smooth until I hit the gas pedal hard.
...
3
votes
1answer
104 views
2004 Buick Rainier Ignition Coil Replacement
I have a 2004 Buick Rainier (6 cyllinder). I just found out the 4th bank ignition coil is bad. Seems easy enough just looking at it (I just replaced a few of the spark plugs a few nights ago with no ...
