Feels like a rev limiter at about 2500... sometimes

[FestYboy]

ok, cycling the key clears the issue for aprox 5 min? only when cold or also at opperating temp? under heavy load or any load at all?

[Damkid]

Ok, maybe i should clarify my post :lol: once i fired up my festiva (with no coolant temp sensor) and started driving, it would act like a rev limiter, i'd let it idle down (at a stop sign etc.) and do this a couple times to clear out the "rev limiter" crap

[JoDan]

Now that this topic has got me thinking, do festivas run off of Ford's ECC IV or similar?

[FestYboy]

JIM!!!! help!

[nitrofarm]

IT IS NOT THE COIL. PERIOD. I've had tried two known good coils and no change.

That settled, could be the wires maybe, I'll try to pick some up tomorrow if they are in stock (plugs are new, as is disty cap and rotor). But no, doesn't matter if its damp, hot, cold rainy, just happened to be raining this morning which kept me from getting the ignition module to swap. Hopefully will do that in the morning. I'll keep posted on the problem and ultimate solution.

Sorry that was your second sentance ! :eeeeeek: Anyway got any used plug wires in the garage? Save you from having to buy some,just to find out it was the o2 sens. And what about that coil? Just kidding

[htchbck]

Lol, I do have a used set of wires that are currently off of Green Car while its torn down for rings. But I'm going to buy a new set for Chuck anyway, since that was supposed to be on his to-do list for a good tune-up anyway and just never got around to it (same with the O2). And to answer the question about hot/cold/load/no load. Doesn't matter, it does it whenever it feels like it lol. I can be climbing a hill when its doing it, under heavy load, and then cycle the key and it comes back to life and will wind up fast with plenty of power.

[htchbck]

Ok, went to AZ at lunchtime to pick up the O2 (only $13.99 this time! last one was $18.99). I was going to do it right there in their parking lot so I started messing with it and ended up breaking the wire. Couldn't get the old one out so I ended up bringing the car back up to work where I could get a 1/2" ratchet and a 2' breaker bar. Got it out, put the new one in, but didn't have a chance to drive it since lunchtime was over. However, on the three mile drive back to work with the wire ripped off the sensor, the car felt a little better than it had, and for what its worth didn't do the rev limiter thing (though it might not have anyway on such a short trip). Didn't have the plug wires in stock, so I ordered some. We'll see how it does tonight with the new Denso O2 in and hooked up.

[htchbck]

Ok, put almost 100 miles on it with the new O2 last night. No more rev limiter thing going on. It is, however, now doing the bouncy idle that the old hondas are known for. I'm guessing that may just be a dirty IAC that is just now actually trying to do its job. It bounces about 4 times usually, then settles down to a nice steady idle. Still only got 26.4MPG last night, which is pretty bad, I want to consistently hit at least mid 30s doing pizza (not expecting 40+ on the pizza circuit, due to nature of job and terrain). I need to locate and paint the crank pulley timing mark and redo the ignition timing because I have a feeling the base timing is still off, and I probably need an air filter as well. But for now I'm happy that its at least running/driveable, and at least equaling the mileage I was getting out of the MX6, better than the Miata But still not as good as the carb'd automatic (been hitting mid 28s with it, still haven't rebuilt the carb yet either). Thats pretty sad for an EFI 5 speed.

[JoDan]

Well I'm glad to see that you got the major problem fixed. Now just do some little tuning up and she'll be a lean, mean, fuel sipping machine.

[nitrofarm]

Well it sounds like your making progress. But its odd that the MPG is low? So the o2 sense does a little more than "Trim" the fuel map?

[htchbck]

This thing is still being a turd. The rev limiter thing reappeared yesterday. I set the ignition timing yesterday after work before I headed to the pizza job. It was set at about 18*BTC so I reset it to 10*BTC with the single wire plug grounded (after setting base idle to 750). It seemed to run a bit smoother over the whole range, but now I'm smelling a lot more gas. Gas mileage hasn't improved. I'm wondering if I'm dealing with a stuck injector and/or bad FPR. My temp sensor for the manifold should be here this morning, so maybe that would help a little too, but I don't see how it being faulty would throw so much fuel into it that I can smell it while driving down the road.

[FestYboy]

if the coolent temp sensor is bad it can send a -20* signal to the ECU and the injectors could be running wide open thinking that it's that cold...

[htchbck]

Thats what I was thinking, but wouldn't that throw a code of a faulty temp sensor? I know on domestic cars it will throw a code for it if the ECU doesn't read anything from the temp sensor. I will throw the new one on today and drive it a bit. Should be able to smell the difference lol. I think the reason I smell more gas now with timing set right is because with it retarded as far as it was, even though it wasn't running very efficiently, it was at least burning more of the gas off maybe?

[getnpsi]

How old are your spark plug wires? I just dealt with that on my dodge, i was getting a miss around 2000rpm and I do admit i have an exhaust leak that goes away when the engine is warmed up. The raw gas coming thru the exhaust leak on startup was ridiculous, and fumes didn't go away once the engine was warm either. New plug w/wires and the car smells like a new car again (no smell of course) Do you have a cat on your car still? Even with no cat your car shouldn't be watery eyes stinky

[getnpsi]

'Cap, rotor and plugs are new (haven't done wires yet, they weren't in stock).

C'mon man! by the way you can buy any custom make them yourself wire kit if you want, they dont have DOHC boots on them. I used my SVO wires before to trouble shoot, and any old v8 set works, and you get twice as many wires.