Urgent Help Needed- Engine Problem

[paper1122]

Hey guys, so I know my way around cars but I had a new one come up this evening.

I had the wife take the car in for new tires and an oil change this afternoon. When I got home I did my typical post-mechanic inspection. On my way back I was at a stop light and the car studdered really bad and nearly died, twice. When I pulled in the driveway I noticed an intermittent knocking coming from the motor. I let it run for a bit longer and noticed that there was not pattern to the knocking. Only that sometimes the car would shudder badly. It almost sounded like something was rattling around in the motor.

I pulled off the valve cover and did an inspection, my first thought was maybe a bad valve spring, but I couldn't see much. I pulled the spark plugs and noticed that the plug in the cylinder closest to the driver side had a very small gap. I also observed that the top of the plug looked very "beat up". I fixed the gap and put the valve cover back on. I started the car up and the same thing happened. So then I decided what the hell and gave it some gas to see if that had any affect on it. As luck would have it, it did. The rattling got louder/faster and then all the sudden went away.

I let the car idle back down and noticed it was idling poorly. I pulled the plug again to find that the gap and gotten smaller. Again I regapped it and the car seemed to run "ok". I took it for another test drive and when I got back it was surging again at idle. I suspect the plug has taken too much abuse and I'll replace it tomorrow evening.

The question is, what the heck happened? I am supposed to take this car from FL to VA in under two weeks and need to get a level of confidence back.

ANY help is appreciated!

 

[cvsyn]

re: help

hello, I had the same thing happen to me(surging at idle). This was after I had just bought the car! I had a misfire. I replaced plugs. It still surged and misfired, ran like crap as you described. So I replaced both coils and it went away. Did u get any codes? Hope this helps.

 

[paper1122]

The CEL has been on for a while, just laziness on my part by not resetting it. I'm going to have to reset it and see if it comes back.
After doing some research I am wondering if one of the screws as a part of the VICS system has come loose. My question is, what is the remedy for this? Can I remove the VICS completly or do I just have to torque everything down?
Keep it coming!

 

[bigpturgeon]

sounds like you just need new wires and coil packs and while your at it get some new spark plugs. And some one correct me if im wrong but i believe they fixed the VICS problem in the 03's.

 

[tweety2300]

Shouldn't knock if it's just missing...

Did you check the oil level to make sure they put oil in it?

 

[paper1122]

First thing I checked was the oil. It was less of a knock and more of a rattling. It was more like the sound you get when a nut is rattling around inside the dryer. Again, it was intermittent. I am really leaning towards something got into the cylinder, which would explain the beat up spark plug. My biggest worry is what was it, where did it come from, and is there more.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

Ok well if the plug is beat up, then you neally need to look in the cylinder as much as you can and inspect it.

The intake manifold has a habit of launching silver dollar sized chunks of metal into the valvetrain.

You may have to remove the intake manifold, you should not have to remove anyhing from it.

Normally I use a piece of wire to suspend it to the firewall (Just to act like a second pair of hands)

If there is a part inside and it is small you can use a magnet (Mechanics Probe) to pull it out of the spark plug hole.

If it is too big, you need to remove the head.

Get a new gasket and you will need new Main Bolts (They are not reusable)

 

[paper1122]

Well, I wish I wasn't right, but I was.

Before I pulled the intake I did a compression test and got 180psi across the board so it looks like I escaped any major damage other than the spark plug.

As you can see from the picture it looks like the two screws came out on the one VICS flapper. I am going to have to hunt tomorrow to locate two screws.

I assume I need to replace both gaskets. I was also going to try and soak everything in carb cleaner while I had it open to remove the carb deposits. Anything else I should do since I have it apart?

Based on the fact that I have no noise I think it is safe to assume the screws have passed but I am going to stick a magnet in each cylinder and feel around.

Now that I think about it, I remember hearing a "tink, tink, tink" sound a while back, I bet that was the loose flapper tapping away.

 

[paper1122]

sounds like you just need new wires and coil packs and while your at it get some new spark plugs. And some one correct me if im wrong but i believe they fixed the VICS problem in the 03's.

Digging around trying to find information on the screws I came across a document that shows that some late 03's were also subject to a recall. My vin falls right before the recall range.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

The screws would be stopped in the first cat if they were passed out.

The Flap is Steel so it may have done some damage to the cylinder wall etc..

I can not stress this enough. If you are unable to get it out past the plug hole, you will need to remove the head to get it out.

Might as well change the timing belt at the same time.

 

[paper1122]

I have the flap, it was sitting in the intake runner.

 

[paper1122]

I spent some time with a magnet in the cylinder and found nothing. I agree that the screws are probably sitting inside the first cat.

 

[paper1122]

Just a further update. Everything is back together and the car runs great. Much better than before. I think the combination of the new plugs and coil packs. Plus the VICS is now working correctly.

 

[Tekk]

god damn. id probably flip s***.

engines dont like om nomin crap in the combustion chambers

reminds me my cars due for an oil change and plugs

 

[EviLMaN]

this same thing happened to me also. only good thing is it happened when i was parking my car at my apartment complex. but my engine didn't make it. the cyl walls were damaged. i had to replace then engine. glad to hear your car made it. i also used red lock tight on screws and also on the back side of the screws i used a small punch and hit the screws so they will never come out lol

 

[paper1122]

I am very lucky. At first I feared a new engine and at that point I'd probably just have bought the wife a new car. I'm glad it didn't come to that though. With brake parts I was $310 for the day. I am going to take the car up to the shop to have them properly bleed the brakes, I can never seem to get the last little bit of air out.