Any advice would be so appreciated. This has been a month of troubleshooting now and getting reeeaaally old.

About 2 months ago I could hear coolant slosh when accelerating from a stop. I found a tiny leak in the turbo outlet hose and replaced it. No problems for a month until I gunned it merging onto a busy interstate and went into limp mode. Since then:

Problems:
- Hearing coolant swish a little while accelerating from a stop.
- Bouncy RPM needle during idle.
- Cylinder misfire codes.
- Slight hesitation or surge and slightly less overall performance.
- Basically every warning light on.**
- AC temp inconsistent.

Things I've done so far:
- Replaced spark plugs with OEM NGK plugs (previous owner had Autolite installed).
- Replaced a coil ignition pack that was found tapped up when pulled.
- Replaced PCV valve.
- Replaced expansion tank cap.
- Tested thermostat.
- Block test passed.
- Coolant pressure test passed.
- Oil isn't milky and floorboard is dry.

Thought car was fixed until the clamp connecting the intercooler hose to the throttle body let go. When fitting it back, I accidentally pulled the wires from the plug connecting into the ECT1 sensor. (** this is the beginning of all warning lights on) have Hooked the wires back and taped it and it ran find for a few days before every symptom above returned. Wires to the plug still seem secure but who knows. Wouldn't think that'd explain the coolant issue anyway. Also, the insert that bolts the PCV valve to the valve cover is stripped and spins. Maybe the PCV Valve is not getting bolted into the valve cover tight enough? It doesn't seem to be leaking, fwiw.

Also may be worth noting that the car does have a rebuilt title (driver corner impact). Bought it at 35K miles and haven't had any problems until now at 75K miles.

What else do I do?! Seriously, I don't know a ton about this stuff and am really at my wits end here.

 

Hello,

Is the coolant full and free of air? Double-check that, and make sure that the ECT sensor is connected properly and working right by looking at its reading on a scan tool. Not having a proper ECT input could cause a whole bunch of problems. I would also perform a compression test and/or leak-down test. Sometimes those block tests are inconclusive.

 

Thanks for reaching out! The coolant has gone down some since I filled it ~300 miles ago after having drained/filled it after testing the thermostat. When I last filled it, I tried burping the system but squeezing the radiator hoses and never did hear any coolant swish again until now.

As for the ECT sensor — that's my main suspicion right now considering things seemed to be fixed until the ECT plug wires got messed with. Would AutoZone (or the like) have a scan tool to check it specifically or simply only be able to tell me what all the warning codes are (or are we talking about the same thing?)? All my cluster warning lights didn't come on until the ECT plug wires were pulled.

Tomorrow I'll go rent a compression test as well. In addition to the block test, I did also extend a q-tip to swab the top of the pistons to see if there was coolant on them and didn't see anything.

I appreciate your help!

 

You might not have gotten all of the air out after the previous repairs. I typically use a vacuum fill tool to ensure all of the air is out of the system.

However, if the car is losing coolant and there aren't any external leaks, that hints at bigger problems. To be honest, the whole thing doesn't sound good. You might want to have the car checked out by a trusted mechanic so that you don't keep throwing money at a vehicle that has a serious engine problem.

To answer your other question, yes, parts stores that offer a free code scan should be able to tell you if any ECT codes are stored. You might also consider purchasing an inexpensive OBD reader that also does live data. Many are available now for under $20.

Good luck! Hopefully, I'm wrong, and it ends up being an inexpensive fix.