krmiller07

If you live in AL, chances are it hasn't gotten below freezing correct? That white smoke your describing. Does it hang in the air? Or is it just vapor coming out your exhaust pipe? If it's hanging in the air, more than likely, it's burning antifreeze. Which means you've got a coolant leak somewhere, either a head gasket or possibly a cracked block or cylinder head. If theres coolant leaking down into the combustion chamber or into your cylinder heads, it has probably fouled the spark plugs. Like I mentioned before, I'd pull the plugs and see what condition they're in? As far as the injectors. I would refer back to the fuel system cleaner, as it will also clean any injectors that are not closing all the way, and causing the truck to run rich. You can also test the fuel pressure regulator with a fuel pressure gauge. The factory setting should be 36.2 lbs psi. Hope this helps.

Hi, What you just described sounds so similar to the problem I had with my 89. I'm guessing here, but I'll bet you fouled the plugs while it was rough idling? Have you pulled a wire to check spark, or pulled the cap to check th rotor and cap for moisture? When you do get it running, try putting some Techron fuel system cleaner in the fuel tank, and then drive it around for a few days to soften up the carbon deposits on the valves and intake ports etc... From what i read in an old TSB. These engines were notorious for carbon build up and deposits. The TSB recommended media blasting the intake runners and valves, with walnut shells to clean off the carbon deposits. (I'm guessing walnut shells can be easily 'digested' by the engine) since t it didn't say anything about removing the heads. After running the fuel system cleaner, pull the plugs and replace them. After I pulled my hair out, and finally doing this, my truck went back to idling like it should and the fuel mileage,power improved. BTW, you shouldn't need to add 'heet' to your fuel, as theres already ethanol alcohol in the fuel from the pump. Let me know if this helps. krmiller07

Air Adjustment Control !

What year and model engine is this for ?

I know it may sound silly, but have you checked the Tire Pressures ? Most alignment shops don't do this before or after an alignment. km@frozenrotors.com

No offense was taken. I was just pointing out a coincidental instance, where that problem seems to be elevated due to flushing. And, I'm quite aware that some manufacturers are much more problematic than others. If it was a perfect world, all cars would last a lot longer than they do! As it turns out, the friends F 150 I mentioned was made with a Ford Crown Victoria transmission. The build sheet specifies that it has a 'Towing Package', most Ford techs will point out that the 'Towing Package' only includes an under engineered transmission cooler! Half way through the model year, Ford started building the truck with a application specific 'Truck' transmission ! Unfortunately, his truck has 125 k miles on it, and is out of warranty. But hey, whats $3800.00 for a re-built tranny ! lol.

Well, in your 'professional' opinion, what do you attribute it to ? Bad karma !

I've heard this stuff works really well. Read the testimony and decide for yourselves. http://www.auto-rx.comMy link

I wouldn't think this should do additional damage. As long as your not subjecting it too alot of heat and FRICTION. Those are the 2 major killers of tranny's and probably the reason yours is acting up. I just had 2 friends of mine get there trannys flushed. 1 has a 2006 Ford F150, and the other has a 07 Dodge Magnum AWD. Both trannys failed within 1 week of each other. The shop said more than likely that, during the flush, something was dislodged from the valve body or pump. It may have been caught in the filter and starved the pump and rest of the clutches and gears from proper lubrication, burning out 3 rd gears in both transmissions. I was told along time ago by some very experienced tranny techs, too NEVER flush a auto tranny. Rather drain all the fluid,change the filter. Drive it a few hundred miles, and drain and replace it again.

I just solved this 'rough running, gas sucking' problem, a couple of months ago. After talking to several 'techs', who all said I had everything from bent valves to a vacuum leak (intake gasket) because it seemed to run better after it warmed up). I decided to try an 'intake cleaning'. Rather than try the misting procedure, which I have done before ( I recommend the BG Products). I decided to try using a product made by Chevron. There are 2 types available. Since I've used 'TECH-RON', which is made by them, in the past with great results. I used 2 bottles to about a 1/4-1/8th a tank off fuel. Initially, the truck will run like crap. But bear with it. As the fuel level gets lower, it's running a higher concentration of cleaner through the system. Let it do the work, many times the carbon build up, is heavy and hard. Caked to the valves, intake runners etc. Once it softens up it will burn off. Now when your nearly running on empty, fill up the tank and drive the thing hard. Making a point to keep the revs up, and the air/fuel mixture rushing through the system. After a couple of days, you should notice an improvement in idle, mileage and overall performance. I read a TSB on here, that addressed this problem quite a while ago. However they were recommending that as a fix, the techs were suppose to remove the heads and remove the carbon with walnut media blasting.

I wouldn't bother re-builing the MC. It's easier and probably about the same cost to buy a rebuilt unit. And there is NO seal or gasket between the MC and the brake booster.

My best guess, is that you have a piston in your brake caliper that isn't retracting all the way (causing the pad to drag on the rotor). I thought that you replaced the calipers with re-manufactured ones? Even if you did, you could still have a bad caliper. My other suggestion was, and still is. MAKE sure you don't have one of, or both brake pads cocked in the caliper! I know this sounds impossible, since it's mounted on the truck. But believe me, I've seen some pretty amazing things when people try to 'strong arm' parts into fitting. I'm not saying you are like that, however from my own experince! I've managed to bung things up unintentionally! lol. My link Keith km@frozenrotors.com

You may have tightened the wheel bearings too tight on one side. Or the pads are hanging up in the caliper. Did you clean the part of the caliper that the pads rest in, and apply HI TEMP brake grease to the contact points of the pads?

I think your missing my point. If I'm not mistaken, the dist. gear is driven by the drivers side cam (there's a gear cast right into the cam)Not the gears on the end of the cam's. So my thought was, if your crank pulley and cam timing are off( crank position in relation to cam's, when the belt is installed. The cam is going to be in the wrong place, when you think it's lined up (by the marks on the crank pulley)so there fore when you drop this dist in the whole, the rotor is never going to line up exactly with the #1 plug terminal. I've had this happen so many times, that when everything is lined up properly, it all LOOKS right and is obvious. I would not mess with moving the gear on the dist shaft and trying to loc-tite it or put another roll pin in it. Think about it. It worked before, and NO dist cap is going to be molded that far off, and switching the plug wire will not work for the reason you stated and others! You've got a problem some where else.

I would HIGHLY recommend that before you light the engine up, 'Prime' everything with oil and make sure you have oil pressure. Leave the spark plugs out, disconnect the fuel pump relay(so you're not pumping fuel through the injectors), disconnect the coil wire (no spark) and crank over the engine to pump oil to and through the lifters, oil galley's etc. Do this 1 or 2 times. Leave a valve cover off, to ensure your getting oil to the top end and in the filter. Then put the plugs in, reconnect the FP relay, reconnect the coil wire, make sure everything is in place and tight, and fire it up. Make sure to check for coolant and oil leaks.****CHEAP INSURANCE from COLD SEIZURE****. I've also re-torque the head bolts after about 500 miles, especially if you use new washers and or bolts. The washers will collapse and NEW head bolts will stretch after they've been heat cycled a few times. KM

Your welcome ! Someone must of really tightened that side up! It should never have been that tight. Your lucky it didn't burn up the wheel bearings. Was the end of the axle rusty or filled with dirt ?

At one time someone had posted a FSM on here, I think it was 88path? Any ways I need a diagram of the vacum lines for emissions and all of the TBI system. I am trying to figure out what order and place the vacum lines from under the air cleaner canister (stock) go to. Specificaly the one coming up from the engine near the EGR valve to the bottom of the air cleaner. There are 2 nipples under the canister. One line goes to the vacum modulator for the warm air valve in the air cleaner snorkel, and the other line is suppose to hook up to a vacum port near the EGR valve. I am trying to determine what vacum line goes where on the air cleaner canister, and if it makes all that much difference in the way it runs during the warm up cycle? Right now, after sitting over night and cold. As soon as the engine lights off, it idles at about 15-1800 rpm. But then it soon idles down to around 12-1300 rpm's and starts to stummble and idle rough. It acts like it's struggling or clear out, by idleing up to 1800, and then back down to 1200 rpms. If I hold the throttle steady at 2000 rpms with the pedal it runs fine with no missing. Once it's warm it idles so smooth, it's hard to tell it's running! I've cleand all the connections and MAF sensor as well as all the things mentioned on here in relation to the TBI system. : (. It has been doing this intermittently for several months. I've chased vacum leaks and just about everything else I've read here, including cleaning connections etc... Pics would be appreciated also, if possible! Thanks, krmiller07

Can you post a picture of it? I have an 89 pathy, and I know theres a retaining ring that has holes around the circumferance of it, with one philips head screw securing it in place. That ring is used to adjust the bearing preload. When I converted over to manual locking hubs, I also remember there being a circlip on the end of the axle shaft(CV) that circlip is suppose to hold the axle in place. Once all of those have been removed, take the philips crew out of the preload ring(which is threaded on to the axle)and use a drift punch to stick into the holes of the preload retaining ring and tap it loose. Make sure your tapping counter clockwise (lefty loosey- righty tighty!)the pre-load ring should thread off of the end of the axle, allowing you to remove the rotor and bearings. Hope that helps Keith

Kingman, I've been looking fpr the thread on the Z31 intake and injection swap. Under what section did this get posted? Thanks

This is turning out to be a very interesting thread! I also replace my O2 sensor, and the coolant temp sensor (the one behind the AC bracket)with no notable changes. It still ran rich, and rough (like a carbed vehicle with a sticking choke) then I had the exhaust system ( from where the cat used to be),muffler and tail pipe replaced (because it was rusted out). Within 25 miles I noticed it started running better. Then the next day, after it sat overnight I went to start it cold. Much to my suprise, it started and ran normally until it was up to operating temp. No it runs like a champ, with the exeption of the fuel milage being really poor. No I cant say if it was the exhaust system made the difference (odd) or it was all the techron I dumped in the tank. I suppose it's possible the carbon started disolving in the injectors that may of been not closing all the way, or the carbon was so bad on the intake valves that it was saturated with fuel and dripping into the combustion chambers? Any way I think I should be getting better milage than I am. Like you stated, I should not be seeing the fuel gauge drop like a rock while cruising at 65-75 mph! Feel free to call me when the Titan needs pads and rotors! I work for Frozenrotors. My link.I can set you up with a much better solution to brakes than what your dealing with (and not break your bank account) no pun intended! Let me know what you find out with this fuel milage issue. Keith krmiller07

Kingman, You mentioned earlier that your rig doesn't have TBI any more. Did you opt to go with the 2 barrel carb set up? I was reading bout that, and haven't heard from anyone who's actually tried it. Aside from having more options for jetting what are the benefits? And is it worth the trouble and expence? I heard you have to convert the distributor over to one with vacum advance to make this work. Or you can modify a dist out of an earlier model Z car at about $400.00 a pop!

Thanks man, Where did you find the posting with the guy and the analyzer? I'd be interested in reading it. I know these rigs never got great milage when they came out. i bought an 88 SE new in 89 as a carry over. And suck fuel pretty bad then, but mine seems worse than i can ever remember. the sad part is, I just replaced the engine a year ago, with a unit out of a 2wd P/U with 42k documented miles. So I know for the most part, that it in good shape. Compression was recently tested @ 190-196 lbs. The only thig we didn't do was pull the heads and freshen them up. Now that the earlier posted carbon issue was taken care of, it runs smoother that it ever has. I ran a BG Intake Systen Cleaning through the whole intake system just after the motor was installed, and you wouldn't believe the crap that came out of the 'cat' less exhaust! I left a black circle on the wall of the gararge 10" in dia.! I got about 450-500 miles to a tank of gas after that on the hi-way. have you ever tried that system? Seems to work pretty good. Theey spray the cleanr directly down the throat of the TBI, while it idles at around 1500 rpm, then you ad the "44k" fuel addative to your tank of fuel. I had my cat on then, butafter you drive the thing long enough to get the cat good and hot, it all burns through and won't srew up the O2 sensor(s). krmiller07

I'm gonna play devils advocate here. Wouldn't turning the idle mixture screw counter clockwise (or out) lean out the mixture? Allowing more air in (giving it more air per given unit of fuel)effectively leaning it out? Sorry about that! I'm quick on the keyboard this morning! This problem has been haunting me and making me nuts. it's been getting colder here in MN and my rig spend more time "warming up" in the morning! And costing me more $$$ doing so! krmiller07

Kingman, I think I read a post a few moths ago about this "mystry" screw. Is your truck a V-6? and are you sure the direction you turn it (as you wrote) leans and richens the mixture? What is "AFR"? Do you mean Air Flow Richness or Air Flow Regulator? Thanks, krmiller07

If your truck is an 87 through 89 with TBI, all you need to do is disconnect the fuel line feed coming out of the regulator into the TBI and put your regulator in there and turn the key on to the last position before the starter engages. You should get a reading of at least 36 psi. I think the factory spec is 36.5 psi. Leave the gauge hooked up and see if it bleeds down. Mine read 36.2 and stayed around 32-34 psi after about 20 mins. As far as I know, the only reading you can take is a "static" reading, unless your trying to find out the fuel preassure while it's running? I know what you mean about wtching the gauge drop rather "quickly" mine does that from the full mark until it gets down to around 1/4- 1/2 mark. I'd be extremely happy to get 17 mpg on the hi-way! I posted in "my garage" about a month ago with my symptoms. After digging further and on othe Pathy sites, I came across the threa and TSB about the premature carbon bvuild up problem. The factory engineer who was on the design team for the TBI system wrote the fix on "walnut" blasting the intake and valves to get rid of the fuel saturation problem from carbon build up, as well as poor milage and erratic fuel mixtures and rough idle issues. Have you checked your 'cat' if your still running one? Maybe it's plugged or plugging up? krmiller07