Its been a long cold Winter, So I just assumed that it was taking its toll on the old girl. That being said, I have done a ton of reading on here for almost 4 hours and I have found people with similar issues but all the Recommendations that are posted I have tried or the thread turns out to not be quite like my problems. Originally the car would take 2 or 3 turns of the key to start and it would miss and idle poor unless I gave it a little pedal on and off to pick it up and "sometimes making it worse", but it would smooth out. Other times It would start right up and idle relatively low for being a cold start at like 700rpms but as soon as I touched the pedal it would suck air but it kills the car. I just had to start letting it warm up for 5 mins and then it would work fine for a while.

Now I'm at the point where I couldn't get it to turn over at all, (I made the mistake of trying to back it up and not waiting 5 mins like my golden rule and killed it). I immediately turn the key over and over but I ended up burning up the starter. I though to myself, well maybe that was the issue because the wires on the starter it's self we pretty old and corroded. I Replaced it and it didn't solve the problem. After about 20 attempts of almost turning over I pushed the pedal slightly and it finally grabbed but it was MISSING hard, like 1......1.1.....1 lol. Im sorry for the long story but Its got me staying up all night reading and I have so many variables to question.

I have had past issues with Ignition coils going bad and the car not wanting to start but this seems to be some kind of Timing issue perhaps? Not at all like when I had those problems, the plugs wouldn't even spark.

I mean it is a pain to start if it does and once it starts it can be killed with the pedal? I also read about the TPS and the IVAc or something like that on the throttle body can be cleaned out but this just doesnt seem to be a vacume or air problem since the car can run fine warm and it starts hard. Ill attempt to post a video of the whole deal and hopefully it does everything discribed as to give someone here a better idea of what to shoot for. I know that injectors and such can go bad and not spray right and the spark can be two weak but i pulled out on of the plugs and was seeing a blue ish white spark so I dont know for sure.

Side note, i checked all the body grounds and they show some of the usual copper build up but they were all pretty intact, and I made sure to clean them with sand paper as well. Lol oh and I noticed that the old starter i pulled also had oil on it so maybe the main seal "definitly" is bad? But that wouldnt cause this unless maybe the crank is bent which means it will be junked!?@^$(@ But also I was wondering if a bad pcv valve or leaking hose to the valve could cause pressure build and push the oil through seals since its a thin film inside the bell housing and not like gunk, enough to make the clutch slip i guess/.

Thanks to anyone that can help in advance, and hopefully I wont leave the forum with no ending like 70% of the post i read EDIT As where people come on and ask for help and never come back to say if and what fixed the issue

 

Start by posting the CEL codes and telling when the last full ignition system tune up was done.

 

Alrighty, Ill have to get it running again, all the CEL codes were cleared because I had to disconnect the battery to change the starter the other day. THe last time I changed the spark plugs was god, for ever ago, whats the gap on the plugs like .65 or no

 

Replace the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. Crank the engine for 25 seconds, and check whether the engine fires up or whether any CEL codes are set.

 

Al right, btw the CEL codes came back up I finally got it to start again, this morning, I have 2 codes, one is for Oxygen sensor 2 Heat Circut bank 1 sensor 2 and the other is for the Evap purge valve Canister? Not sure if the oxy sensor would cause problems but the purge valve could mess with fuel right? BTW my cat is hollow I knocked out the comb inside so I know why the code comes up for that, the heat doesnt build for the cat....

 

None of the codes you mention should cause a no-start or hard start problem. Proceed to tune up.

 

okay i installed a new fuel filter, new plugs and the wires were all good to go so i kept them, it starts better now and it idles fine on cold start, but after driving it home and stopping in the driveway it started making this weird hum, so i bumped the throttle a few times and again it dropped to very low idle like 100 rpm, the oil light and battery light flicked on and it was barely running, I think the new plugs were the only reason it stayed alive. I got out and popped the hood and bumped the throttle with my hand and again hum hum and it sounded like it was coming through the intake, I could hear it like a vacume cleaner was clogging lol. Im going to get the CEL checked again but I cleaned the throttle body and plate, the IACV and i also pulled out the injectors and checked them, I guess the CEL is the only thing left to check but its starting to get on my nerves that Cleaning all that stuff and replacing it didn't help, I'm running out of money lol Any ideas on what might cause this loud hum noise

 

Alrighty, got the codes from autozone, p0131 oxygen sensor 1 circut low, doesnt really explain it, p0420 cat below threshold which makes sense because the cat is hollow, and finally this code which could be the problem I think, p0118, coolant temp sensor, now this can cause random shut offs and fuel cuts correct? there is 2 or three on this car right? and I should be able to test them with a Ohms meter right? can anyone give me the resistance of the sensor and or tell me all the locations of them.

Im making progress

 

Best to fix both the O2 sensor and ECT sensor codes. Then go from there.

 

Are you sure, the o2 sensors wont shut my car off they wont really cause that big of a problem and as far as that goes the car throws random codes for the o2 all the time. It was tthrowing them for the back sensor in the cat even after i replaced it and now its throwing them for the front one. The coolant temp sensor is more likely to cause shut offs so i will fix that first. I have been a mechanic for 5 years which isnt a whole lot of time concidering but I think recommending i start fixing a car with its exhaust problems first is not the way to go

 

is there any way to test the sensor its self, the ect. I have a Ohm meter but i dont know the resistance of the circut, but i do have voltage to it so its not the circut and i have resistance in the sensor but its 103.20 and then i noticed the top of the sensor was able to twist and i dnt think it should but i twisted it and got 128 ohms

 

My car was throwing codes for primary o2 sensor and ect and there was never any trouble with the car running...but maybe things are different for different ecus. I am not home but when I get there I will ohm out my o2 sensor and post the readings.

Sorry wrong sensor...

 

Not an expert, but I believe there is a thermistor in the ECT that changes in resistance based on temperature.

You need to find this graph in the appropriate service manual if you want to be exact.

 

I think Ron is telling you; "Best to fix both the O2 sensor and ECT sensor codes. Then go from there." because a car shouldn't have any CEL codes if it's operating properly. If your o2 sensor is an issue it cause any or all of these symptoms: Auto Repair, Check Engine Light ,Brakes| San Jose, CA

As a mechanic you should know it's a federal offense to operate your car with a hollowed out catalytic convertor. If you insist on running a hollowed cat you could do the double spark plug defouler trick to stop the the secondary o2 sensor code... but that will not make you any less of an air-polluting A-hole..lol. (As if multi-billion dollar revenue industrial plants don't pollute 1000 times more without federal consequences)

New ECT sensors are a bit pricey but, junkyard parts are not.. if testing isn't definitive.

I recommend you watch this and see if it helps: