QuestionIgnition problems: My 88 fuel injected 240 is reluctant to start and has to crank several times before all cylinders begin to fire. As of late, the idle is getting rough as well. It doesn't make a difference if the car is cold, or has been running for some time. I have replaced the plugs, wires, distributer and rotor, in the hopes that the problem will go away, but to no avail. A friend at work noticed a burnt fuel smell, and offered that the catalytic converter may be clogged, but I have not inspected/replaced as yet. I want to make sure that what I try will correct the problem without spending extra money. Once the car is started, it seems to run pretty smoothly. I have also noticed that when driving on the freeway, that if I let off the accelerator slightly, I sometimes feel a hesitation/surge, as if one of the cylinders missed. Any ideas?
Also, my engine temperature gauge sometimes falls, and I notice that the heater gets cooler. This seems to happen after I've been driving at least a 1/2 hour, but doesn't happen every time.
Will a new thermostat correct this problem?
I would appreciate any help that you might suggest.
Sincerely,
Tim Chamberlain
AnswerThe failure could be AIR, FUEL, or IGNITION. You could have a poor air inlet theought the idle air control, too much fuel during startup, or too little. (injector problem, fuel pump, fuel leak, poor pressure regulator, etc.) Ignition could be missing (bad plugs, plug gap, wires, plugs fouled, etc.) or poorly timed. If it smells funny than most likely its a poor AIR/FUEL mixture or poor timing. The heater could be one of two things. The temperature in your cars is dropping due to a poorly running engine (rich mixtures run cooler than lean mixtures), or you're low on collant and you've got air bubbles in the passages. The heater core only gets heat in the cabin when there is coolant in it. Air doesn't transfer enough heat. Likewise if an air bubble settles near the temp sensor your temp guage will register incorrectly cool. Hope that helps.
James
