QuestionTim, Yeah your spoiled.What does fully warm up mean? Heat comes out the vent, seems temp gauge works. So your saying a stuck open or closed thermostat would cause poor mpg, rough idle? also If an injector is stuck open would a fuel injector serice cleaning be worth a try? Remember, even though the Celica only has 75k it's still 16 yrs old. I should just change the stat, $20 and 45 min might change my life on this delima.
have an orange on me, John
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Tim, I did change the wires. I did the o2 check. With the engine warmed up it read a constant .86 , no fluctuation. I would say that is really rich!Also I believe the cat is incorporated with the exhaust mani. I trace the exhaust system from the egine outlet and I think it goes like this, exhaust mani., cat (i really can't see it, even though I think it's in the front under a heat shield but the componet appears to be iron not what a cat would be made out of), pipe, resonator,pipe,muffler. Anyways, If I was to take it in again and only have so much $ I would ask the tech to do specific tests not to waste his time and my $. What should I ask for? I was thinking a compression test? Listen for each injector opening and closing? Fuel pressure test? I'm running out of "working garage weather"(live in Wisconsin)
Thx again, John
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Tim, I'm sorry I sent you the same question again, you will see in your in box.Anyways what do mean by front exhaust pipe? The cat is located in the front of the engine compartment at the exhaust manifold. How can I take the cat out of play and drive? Direct,loud,hot exhaust under the hood? I can't see it but I would try. I bet it's an injector not firing and raw fuel is being dumped in. How can I check which injector it is? and can i clean it and replace 0 rings? or do you have to spend big $ to replace it? I did inspect air intake hose, there is no air flow meter(I called 2 different Toy parts dept). Thanks for your help and service to us amatuers.
John
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Howdy Tim, Can a cat converter disintegrate over time(16yrs) even if low miles? can it have a huge effect on mpg? fuel-air mixture? Just bought a 90 Celica GT 2.2 eng with 75k on it. It's getting 15mpg cty. The exhaust smell is extremely rich. It's runs pretty good but idles rough 750rpm in gear. It accelerates with little hesitation, bunny hops then pans out. No check engine light. Took it to Toy. dealer for diag. Said nothing wrong. B.S. wasted $80. I'm a back yard mech. I put in new plugs,cap,cleaned throttle body, new air filter,o2 sensor, adjusted idle screw to specs, checked throttle postion to spec. ran fuel injector cleaner through it( i know it's not as good as having injectors serviced) well? I'm tired of huntin and peckin.
Thx,John
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John,
If the engine is running correctly the catalytic converter should last a long time. What usually kills them is raw fuel being pumped into the exhaust from a cylinder not firing. Try disconnecting the front exhaust pipe and drive the car to notice if there is any change without the converter.
Also, be sure to check the air intake tube between the air flow meter and throttle body. They are famous for getting a crack and sucking in un metered air when the engine torques up.
Last, find your grey diagnostic connector under the hood. Use a multimeter either old analog style or digital with a bar graph on the display. Hook it to the OX1 and E1. This will allow you to watch the O2 sensor. If the engine is running correctly after it warms up, you will see the O2 swing from 1 volt to .2volts about once a second. If it is running rich it will stay around 1 volt. Also, remember if you have a cylinder misfire this pumps air into the exhaust causing your O2 to stay lean around .2volts.
I hope I described all that so it makes sense. Write me back if you find anything or need more help.
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John,
No problem on the resent email. I marked as a duplicate.
On the catalytic converter unless it is one incorporated with the exhaust manifold I disconnect the down pipe from the exhaust manifold. Yes, it is loud but you will know right away if that was your problem.
It is possible to have a bad injector, but not likely. The best way to clean them is pay for an injector flush. They get around $80 for this service, but it works. They shut off the fuel pump and feed a strong gas/cleaner mixture directly into the fuel rail and run the engine until it uses up all the cleaner.
Question, have you replaced the spark plug wires? I saw you had done plugs and cap, rotor etc just wasn't sure about the wires.
Let me know what you find.
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John,
I am so spoiled working here in sunny Florida. The early catalytic converters were made of cast iron and are under a heat shield so my guess is your correct in finding the converter. .86 volts is a little on the rich side. Does the engine fully warm up? Is your thermostat stuck open? If the engine doesn't warm up it will not go into closed loop. Likewise a bad coolant temp sensor can cause the same problem even if the engine is warmed up.
AnswerJohn,
If the engine is not fully warmed up the computer keeps the mixture rich until it reaches operating temp. Yes, it is worth the $20 in parts to know it is working.
Yes, sometimes the injector cleaning will help a stuck injector. It cleans all the debris off the pintle seat inside the injectors. You will know if it made a difference as the injectors get a bit more noisy when they are clean. You will notice the "clicking" sound as it idles.
