Questionhi my name is ramon! i have a 91 eagle talon tsi front wheel drive auto....i am having a lot of trouble! i put a fuel filter on my car drove it to work and it was idiling really rough. it is also sputtering on acceleration. the funny thing is i can't tell a difference when it is on the freeway or at high speeds. i thought it might be the plugs or wires. so i replaced them with ngks and a new set of wires gapped at .032. also cleaned the throttle body the intercooler and put a new air filter still not working. i decied to try to pull one wire at a time off of the car while it was running to see if anything would happen....when would pull a wire off of the #1,#3, or #4 cylinders the car would nearly die! but, when i would pull the one off of the #2 nothing would happen. their would be no difference like when i took the plug wires off of the other cylinders, do u thing i have no compression in the #2? my timing marks are still aligned! do u think i may need a head job? new valve seats, guides, etc.? any help is really appreciated!!! thanks alot!!!
AnswerRamon,
If you have an auto parts store in your area (like a AutoZone, pepBoys, Advanced Auto, NAPA, etc), they sell compression testing kits. They are real simple to use and will save you the time and money of bringing it to a mechanic to have it checked. If your compression is too low in your #2, then you may need a new head gasket, rebuilt head, or possibly new piston rings.
Check to be sure your ignition coil pack is providing a spark to the #2 spark plug. You may need to replace the coil if the #2 is not firing. Also, check that the fuel injector on the #2 cylinder is actually providing fuel. It may be clogged, which would prevent the piston from firing correctly.
If everything under the hood checks out, you should also check your car's computer. Read this article for further information:
http://90gsx.com/eclipse/cap/caps.htm
If your ECU is malfunctioning, it can cause starting and idling problems. Inspect the ECU for any damage.
Good luck!
