AT my wits now! I think i have tested everything!!

[ber55ber55]

Symptoms: Car has a 400 or < idle. When throttle is given and held (lets say to 3k rpms) the car drops back to 400 rpms after about 1 to 2 seconds and then recovers back to 3000 rpms (when i hold the throttle manually in place when it drops it recovers basically but it cant hold it). Engine seems to be running on all 6 cylinders. The second i let go of the clutch when its in gear, she almost dies and I need to give more gas (about 3-4000rpms to just roll a little bit.

Fuel pressure 3 bar. I even hooked it to the fuel pump directly - 5 bar. Had fuel pump out too to check filter...it was clean. Fuel filter was replaced about 200 miles ago

New spark plugs - no difference

All belts seemed intacked

Dont think its leaking injectors since the car starts fine each time, and leaking injectors would cause the cylinders to flood and not start, right?

Cam sensor.....i dont think so either because the engine runs, just not right, and if the came sensor wasnt working then car wouldnt start at all, right?

Checked valve cover gasket, looked fine

Took out distributor and rotor - everything looked okay - nothing stood out. Had the cables out and they all looked healthy. Brush and contacts all looked good.

Car is no starting problems as well...cranks twice and starts

I unplugged the O2 to see if it made a difference...nothing

Compression test was fine also, so the engine itself is healthy

By the way, the cat has been replaced, and the intake manifold gasket as well, so no vaccum leaks.

A few question:
When the ICV is uplugged, is there suppost to be a difference in how the car runs? Since i have had the car, when you uplug the icv is makes absolutely no difference in how the car runs

TPS is adjusted properly as far as I know, but could this really be the problem for my symptoms?

AFM when i dont have it on or its unplugged, the car still started, but when i hit the gas, the car died? What does this mean? by the way could someone read the resistance values of there AFM when its open and closed, so that I could compare my number that i measured?

My code reading tool read a "intake air temp sensor" code. This is the AFM correct? What does this mean?

THE ONLY THINGS LEFT IT COULD BE:

AFM
DEM or computer system in some way
ICV
Engine temp sensor (the car ran fine the day before this happened, other then some slight idle problems, and later that day when the car was cold, it would run was like it is now. Maybe the engine temp sensor is stuck on the temp it was when the engine was warm?????)
Any other ideas you people have would be greatly appreciated

Thanks to everyone that has given me support and input thus far. When this is fixed, we should all go out for a beer or something haha. =)

[DaveVoorhis]

Have you tested the TPS? I suspect that, the ICV, the AFM, or a vacuum leak.

The fact that the idle doesn't change when you unplug the ICV makes me suspicious of the TPS or the ICV.

The car dying when you accelerate with the AFM disconnected is normal. However, the intake air temp sensor code could be suspicious. There is an air temperature thermistor inside the AFM, but the code might have been set when you disconnected the AFM.

[Derek A.]

sounds like the crank trigger is off. Does the car have good WOT power ?

[ber55ber55]

How would I exactly test the TPS? ICV? AFM?

Yes, I agree the code probably came when I unplugged the AFM....hmmm

[ber55ber55]

Crank trigger?
WOT power?
Excuse my ignorance, but I have no idea what those mean, could you elaborate please?
The car has no type of power whatsoever in anyway shape or form

[genphreak]

sounds like the crank trigger is off. Does the car have good WOT power ?

The crank sensor needs to be 1mm above the 60 metal teeth on the crank wheel. It's allen-headed grub-screw commonly gets loose so they fall off or move. Oil sludge can buildup due to the wel-known leaky chain tensioner problem but I think it still works no matter what (unless it has moved that is). This is perhaps the most reliable way ever devised to measure crank position on engines, that said, some people report VR sensor failures.

The IAT sensor is easy to replace, but you have to open the sealed plastic AFM cover. All you need is a worn out Bosch AFM, I don't think it matters what kind- they all seem to have the same IAT in them and I've used IATs from older ones on the newer AFMs with no apparent trouble.

Easiest thing to do is to remove the ICV and run 5 volts DC through it, this should be enough to open and close it smoothly. 12V can be used but the car drives the ICV with 5V so it is a better test.

ie
it has 3 pins; one is ground, one closes the valve, the other opens it.

nick

[DaveVoorhis]

How would I exactly test the TPS? ICV? AFM?

The Bentley manual gives various instructions for testing engine sensors, including the CPS (Crank Position Sensor.) and the Throttle Position Switch (TPS).

[DaveVoorhis]

The car has no type of power whatsoever in anyway shape or form

Ah, then it's less likely to be the TPS or ICV. Is it missing severely when you try to accelerate? Or is it running smoothly but not producing power?

[DaveVoorhis]

... leaky chain tensioner problem ...

It's an M20, so it doesn't have one. That does make me wonder, however, if the belt might be so old and flappy that it's slipped a cog.

[ber55ber55]

Idle: low at 400 and very very rough and unsmooth (still after replacing the plugs)

In gear and slowly letting off clutch: Basically dies unless I floor it. Feels like the engine cant take any transfered power from the clutch. When it does move, take seconds to get power then moves...then dies again...and comes back and so forth. Basically missing severly when I try to accelerate. It had power when it ran, not 100% but it moved.