For the past two weeks I have been having the engine light come on for no apparent reason with the codes 71 72 73 beeing displayed each time. The CEL only comes on during idle. Yesterday I got tired of it and started checking everything I could following the Helm recommendations: compression is good, gas pressure is good, injectors seem to work fine, ignition wires are within spec reistance wise (well below 25 kohm). However when I was checking the ignition timing, I noticed that the strob light would jump a beat once in a while. This only happens on #1 piston. I switch spark plugs between #1 and #2 piston to see if the problem would switch to #2 piston but it didn't.
The only possibilities left is that the #1 ignition wire is no good, the distributor has an intermitent problem occuring only when feeding #1 piston or, considering that I am getting three error code when I found only one piston with ignition problem, the sensor is defective.
Am I missing something ? Before I go an buy a new set of ignition wires or a new distributor (rotor,cap or complete assembly) Is there an avenue that I did not explore?
BTW wires, dist. cap and rotors and plugs have no more then 4000 miles on them.
Also the problem seemed to have started when I installed a lightweight flywheel (which could have increased the detectability of the misfires)

Thanks for any help.

 

My guess, is that if you installed a flywheel, which is right underneath the distro, that somehow the distro cap got damaged in installation. Try checking the wires and wiggle them as well. I'd say a new distro is the solution.

 

its the lope from your cams causing the misifire codes.

 

Would an increased idle speed via the throttle body bypass valve solve the problem?

 

I was so carefull no to damage anything when I reinstalled the FW, clutch and tranny, I looked like one of those bomb squad expert in the movie trying to disable a nuclear weapon : "be carefull !!! don't touch the armature, don't touch the armature..."

 

nope. its just one of those things. ecu is very sensitive for some reason.
those codes will come and go

 

Dang !!! I hate that yellow light !!! I'm gone have to find a way to reset the ECU from inside the car then

Thanks for your help





[Modified by JPP, 4:28 PM 10/9/2002]

 

OBD I ECU!!!

damned caps lock editor...

 

I had the chip reprogrammed on the dyno and I don't know if it would "work" in a OBD I ecu. Plus I like having codes telling me if something is wrong with the car but it is kind of annoying when it is a false alarm (like a radar detector that is too sensitive)

 

i had the code and it was because my plugs were bad.