Parked it last night won't start this morning

[rthomas9]

Ok this is not a great running car. Two qts of oil a week, change # 2 plug ever other week or so, surges real bad. I changed the plugs, all of them, yesterday. Drove to school, 52 miles, ran great, as great as possible. Left school would hardly get to running RPM's, died at every stop light, no power at all, had to down shift on the smallest hills. Died pulling into the yard.

This morning it turned over a lot and almost started, but did not. I seem to have spark at the coil and at the plugs. Took the fuel line off on the motor side of the filter and looks like enough fuel. Cleaned dist. Cap and rotor, there were replaced about three months ago. I shot ether into it with no luck. It is trying to start like I have the coil un hooked.

Any thoughts? Looking for a quick and cheep fix.
I am a full time student that hasn't worked since I was laid off in Dec. 2008.

[perucho]

If you were closer I'd give you a free B3. Your plugs must be completely fouled. Your engine needs to be rebuilt but try hotter plugs and see if that helps keeping them clean. I doubt you would get any pre-ignition with that engine.

But first, do what's free and just pull the plugs (take some pictures and post them here), clean them and put them back. See if the car starts then.

[Pu241]

Need more info.
EFI or carbie
Perucho is right and as he said its free.
Do you burn or leak or a combo of both, 2 quarts a week?

Might be bad plug wires, was it raining or high humidity in your area yesterday?
In any case try the free options first before buying and swapping parts.
Better and cheaper to diagnose then replace.

[rthomas9]

The plugs are new as of 9:30 yesterday morning.
The one that burns oil was black, but the others were white with some kind of deposits.
There was fog this morning, but it is 80 and sunny now.
I cleaned the dist.cap and rotor.
I know I need to rebuild. That was the plan, drive my bike to school, and use the festiva as needed. I blew the bike so the festiva became the number 1 choice of transportation.
The oil is 99% burned, proof is in the beautiful blue cloud that follows me.

[rthomas9]

O sorry,
It is a 93 model with 130,000. 5 speed with EFI.

It also has a sun? roof. Any idea who does these for Festivas?
Would love to get it in working order. Must get it running first though.

What is a B3?

(There is only one truth, no matter what you believe!)

[perucho]

Your oil control piston ring on the cylinder that burn oil may just be stuck. Pull the plug, put some ATF through the plug hole and let it sit over night (if it holds the ATF). I would do the for a couple of days (drive it if it starts). The ATF may break it loose and save you some $$. You could also use Seafoam. Don't drive it too much and when you are done, replace the motor oil with 15w-40 or 20w-50.

[batstiva]

B3 is the model number (for lack of a better word) of the engines in these cars. So, you've got spark, and you've got fuel, that leaves me with compression questions. Any chance you have the ability to compression check the cylinders? Humor me, check your oil for antifreeze, and your antifreeze for oil.

[perucho]

...
What is a B3?

It's the engine in your car

[Pu241]

I wonder if a slipped timing belt might be the issue.
Just to make sure your timing belt isn't broke, take off the dist cap and disconnect the primary wire from the coil. Then crank it over and make sure the rotor moves when you crank it.

That's a lot of oil if only a single cylinders oil control rings are involved.

If the other plugs are clean and have decent compression, you can go a long while "limping" on 3 and 1//2 cylinders if your careful.
Would buy time for a rebuild or replacement.

[perucho]

I've never done this but what if you remove the plug from the bad cylinder and just run on 3 cylinders? I would imagine that having that cylinder just push and pull air would minimize burning the oil. You would have to find a way to filter that air though. Any thoughts?

[wybnrml]

You would have to find a way to filter that air though. Any thoughts?

Get a crankcase vent filter, attach that to a threaded fitting and screw it into the sparkplug hole.:p

[perucho]

I guess you would also have to unplug the fuel injector.

[JoDan]

Could be a valve seal on the intake valve of that cylinder also. The 90 LX i bought was burning a quart after I left it running for about an hour pulled the engine out since I was going to change the clutch anyways and pulled the intake manifold off to see 3 shiny intake ports and one black as night.

[fastivaca]

Just a thought... did the rotor go back on correctly? Some rotors will fit three different ways in the distributor; a lesson learned through experience.

[TominMO]

I've never done this but what if you remove the plug from the bad cylinder and just run on 3 cylinders? I would imagine that having that cylinder just push and pull air would minimize burning the oil. You would have to find a way to filter that air though. Any thoughts?

If that cylinder is leaking oil due to a bad oil-control ring, he'd just get oil all over the engine bay.