I Need Serious Help

[ber55ber55]

Recently my car was lossing power and having a rough idle...

So i replaced the cat, and the fuel filter...

And Everything was fine.....

I even took a trip to San Bernardino recently for the Inland Invasion Tour

Well this morning, I tried to start the car and it died. I told myself its because its cold out.Well i tried again....died again....tried again and gave some gas. The car moved but felt like it was being chocked. It intermitedly gave power and went away...

I havint had a CEL or any othermajor issues. The car has been smoking black for a while now...figured its just cuz its 16 years old....

Yesterday though....the cars idle was slightly rougher then normal, but i thought it was because the car was cold. And the car has been idling around 1k since i readjusted the idle control switch...

Just hit the 126k mile mark....

I havint changed the oil for a while....about 10k miles.....but i put slick 50 engine protector and whatnot and that high mileage oil last time i changed it....

WHAT COULD IT BE......PLEASE TELL ME ITS SOMETHING EASY.....i have a huge evolutionary biology midterm thurday and i need a damn car.

[DaveVoorhis]

The car has been smoking black for a while now...figured its just cuz its 16 years old....

Nope. It's running too rich.

And the car has been idling around 1k since i readjusted the idle control switch...

I assume you mean the Throttle Position Sensor. Did you adjust it properly, or just piss about with it until it idled faster?

I havint changed the oil for a while....about 10k miles.....but i put slick 50 engine protector and whatnot

Slick 50 is not a good idea. See http://skepdic.com/slick50.html I would recommend more frequent oil changes, too, but failure to do so is not likely to cause this problem unless your engine is completely worn out.

WHAT COULD IT BE......PLEASE TELL ME ITS SOMETHING EASY.....i have a huge evolutionary biology midterm thurday and i need a damn car.

Check the usual suspects: Plugs, distributor cap & rotor, spark plug leads, clogged air filter, oxygen sensor, vacuum leaks in the intake, sticky AFM, sticky ICV, failing crank position sensor, overly-rich condition has turned the cat into an obstructed cinder block, etc.

[ber55ber55]

on the m20 the TPS is more of a switch. I adjusted it so that it clicks right when you move the throttle a little bit. Crank position sensor.....were is that located....another name for it perhaps.....i cant find it on realoem.com. Thank you very much though for your quick input

[ber55ber55]

also...how could i check the o2 sensor.....i did just replace it recently......the cat was also replaced recently....as in......3 weeks ago

[ber55ber55]

also how could i check the distributor cap....is there anything in particular to look for???

[632 Regal]

running rich caused the first cat to clog, still running rich clogged the new one.

Start with a complete tune up.

[ber55ber55]

in 3 weeks?

[ber55ber55]

is there actually a break in period or something of that sort when installing a new catalytic converter? also, if it was the cat again....would I have not noticed it a little earlier as with the last cat which lasted 16 years? symptoms such as lose of power, rough idle...but not overnight type ****...right? i dont know...im just freaking out, because i need this damn car right now, and i aint got thousand of dollars to spend on new parts. How much would a tune up cost and where woudl you suggest going? I am in Agoura Hills California. Thanks

[Jon K]

The cat should not fail like that. Be sure to read peoples responses carefully - you car is running rich/improperly which caused the first catalytic converter to fail. There is no such thing as a break in period for a catalytic converter. I would venture to say you have an AFM problem or something. If you see black smoke out of the exhaust, that is UNBURN fuel. You only see unburnt fuel if the car has too much fuel in the combustion chamber and its not all igniting. I have NO catalytic converter on my car and I never see black smoke at idle.

FIRST:

Check your spark plugs!!! really fouled/old plugs will not ignite fuel. This will cause a rough idle and unburnt fuel to exit the exhaust like you have indicated. SPARK PLUGS ARE $10 for 6! CHECK THEM FIRST!

THEN
You need to check things:
Crank position sensor
AFM
Idle Control Valve
Throttle body gap
Vacuum Leaks...

THEN

Leaking injector(s)
Fuel rail pressure
O2 reading (when you did a catalytic converter you didn't repplace the O2?)
Fuel pump

[ber55ber55]

I dont have black smoke at idle....only when i floor the car....
the spark plugs are still relatively new, about 8k miles on them

where is the crank position sensor?
how do i check it?

i DID replace the 02 sensor when i replaced the cat.

I replaced the intake manifold gasket a while ago - 5k miles ago

I adjusted the TPS or switch (whatever you wanna call it)

I cleaned the AFM a while back also when i fixed my overheating problem (about2k miles ago)

The ICV is fine, i can hear it vibrating and ive cleaned it with wd40 and the lil valve inside opens.

Thanks again