QuestionQUESTION: my car runs fine at idle once i give it gas to 3000rpms check engine light come on and i lose alot of power. I got the codes 14 and 52.I dont understand code 14. Is there a way to test the knock sensor cause the book says nothing about it.
ANSWER: The code 14 means that there is no IGF signal from the igniter to the computer, this means that the computer does not see that the engine has spark and will shut the injectors off, I believe this is why the power loss, I would at this time ignore the 52 code, it may go away after fixing the 14, there are two possible solutions, either the distributor has the problem or the igniter, I have seen distributors fail a lot more than igniters, distributors are not repairable, you can probably pick up a used one either online or at a local salvage yard and install it and see if it improves.This is a relatively inexpensive way to eliminate it as the cause.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: i ohmed out the coil and the distributor and they both where in spec is there a way to test the ignitor. And if code 52 doesnt go away is there a way to test the knock sensor. thank you very much for your help it saved me a lot of thinking
AnswerThere is a way to test the knk sensor but you will have to remove it from the engine which requires removing the intake manifold, the knk sensor is located underneath it, I don't think it's your problem because I have never seen one cause the problem you are describing, even if the sensor failed it would not affect driveability to this degree. The distributor pickup coils may check out good with an ohm meter but keep in mind that resitances change with temperature and the distributor may fail under actual operating conditions, I do not think the ignition coil is the problem, igniters will normally fail completely and are very seldom intermittent, I still believe the problem is the distributor. There is no reliable way to test the igniter other than substitution.
