[vega]

ive posted this a few places, was hoping to get an answer sometime soon...

the car is an '89 hf, ive swapped in a '91 si motor with an '89 si ecu. we used the hf wiring harness... heres the problems

1- before the car warms up the idle is unstable, ranging from 300ish to 1500 rpms.

2- when going down the road, it seems to buck, as though misfiring. but after a while the check engine light comes on and motor begins to buck much worse.

3- ecu gives a code 1 (o2 sensor) twice, then a code 20 (electrical load)

originally, to get the motor running, we poured a tablespoon of oil directly into the cylinders as the valves we sticking (the motor had sat 6+ months). tonight i replaced the spark plugs, and noticed the tips were white, which if i remember means gas isnt burning in the cylinder(?). and i have the smell of gas. if anyone can help me at all with one or all of these problems, id greatly appriciate it.

the elecetrical load code is stumping me, i dont know where to start. im also not sure exactly as to where the vacuum lines are supposed to be placed, i know i will plug one, but the others i have no idea.

TIA
beau

 

[stick]

Possibly a distributor problem? If you're getting an unstable idle and a rough ride right off the bat, that would be the first place I'd check. Did you replace the rotor and cap when you installed the new engine? How are the spark plug wires?

 

[vega]

Possibly a distributor problem? If you're getting an unstable idle and a rough ride right off the bat, that would be the first place I'd check. Did you replace the rotor and cap when you installed the new engine? How are the spark plug wires?

ok, funny you should ask about the distributor... we didnt replace the distributor, and we used the one from the hf motor, we didnt see a difference. which brings to my attention that the hf motor was doing this same sort of problem :roll: . but the idle is definately not 'strong' expecially when the car is cold. the plug wires are fairly new. we didnt replace the rotor and cap when we installed the motor either. the swap was largely unplanned because the hf motor ignition wiring went bad on me.

is there a difference between the hf distributor and the si? what about the injectors? plug wires?

thanks for the response, this is killing me :evil:

 

[stick]

The distributor should be the same between the HF and the Si. It should be stamped "TD-02U" on the distributor. If you were getting the same problem on the HF with the same distributor, then you may have isolated the problem. Check the cap and rotor first, they may need replacing.

 

[Krix]

i was going to suggest a vacuum line problem, but if you had the problem before and your using the same distributor, ill have to lean that way.

 

[vega]

i was going to suggest a vacuum line problem, but if you had the problem before and your using the same distributor, ill have to lean that way.

the vacuum lines are a little confusing too, i think i have them hooked up right, but im not certain, we had to plug one, but for some reason we had two that didnt seem to go anywhere, is there anywhere i can find a diagram for this or is it just a trial and error deal? the hf motor didnt do this nearly as bad as the si has.

beau

 

[stick]

Ohhhh boy. There may be a couple of things going on then. I think you need to look at some of the vacuum line drawings in the factory service manual. Does someone have a link to one online?

 

[vega]

yeah, i could sure use a diagram. theres 4 of them, but only two of them are hooked up. from what i understand, one will have to be plugged because the hf had something the si motor doesnt, i cant think of its name right now, but its a round cylinder. maybe theres a diagram in the haynes or chilton's manual? i pulled the black cover on the vacuum lines, but cant really tell what im doing, so i didnt fool with it too much.

either way, im not driving the car. this sucks cause its supposed to go in the shop to have the body work done (insurance finally decided to pay up).
beau

 

[vega]

ok, ive decided to start by replacing the cap and rotor, as im fairly certain thats a problem, as the other motor was acting up. going to advanceautoparts.com ive come across a few kits..Here.
my *new* question is what is the difference in these kits? they have different numbers after them, such as 8104, 8120,8122,8123,8131 etc.

beau

 

[stick]

I don't know...nothing shows up with the link that you provided. I would just give them a call and ask...

 

[vega]

i just went in to oreilly's and got one, they hooked me up, but it didnt help anything. do you think maybe it could be the fpr? we replaced the fuel filter when we swapped

beau

 

[stick]

How's the air filter? Did you check your spark plug wires?

 

[vega]

i added a CAI when i swapped it. as far as the plugs go, they are pretty new, but im not sure how to "check" them. id guess to check the connectors, they all look ok.

 

[stick]

You have to check the resistance of each wire with an ohmmeter or multi-meter. The tolerance specs are listed in the service manual. If they are out of spec, you should replace them.