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Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.

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Offline Lindenmooch

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Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« on: March 06, 2009, 02:32:09 AM »
Which one of those silly little sensors must I replace??   :P   

It's getting a pretty bad stumble on the first start of the day...for a good 5 or so minutes while the engine is still cold.  Once it gets up to temp, it vanishes completely and idles smooth as silk.   But I've had to use the throttle to keep it running lately...or it just sits there like it's choking to death.

Runs like a charm when it's warm.....runs like poop when ice cold on the first start of the day.

How shall I go about troubleshooting this before it gets any worse? 

-Mooch.   
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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2009, 09:14:07 AM »
I'd start with the temp sending gauge (the one that goes to your dash is different than the one that goes to your ECU). This link isn't working right now, not sure if it's a temporary thing or not, but...
http://carfix.stufftoread.com/sensors/testing-the-sensors.html

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'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6
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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2009, 03:24:32 PM »
Awesome link! where the hail did you find that? 

Anyway....It will try to idle high while it's cold...but it stumbles even when I touch the throttle.  I wouldn't think it has to do with the temp sending gauge...more like a fuel or air related issue, just not sure where to start.  I'll look into that though, thanks.
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Offline fuzzy1

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2009, 04:43:12 PM »
That's jtgh's page over at suziki-forums.com. Few modders over there but A+ oem stuff. That guy knows his stuff on oem repair/troubleshooting. Electrical probs? GG jtgh got it covered. Here's his full page:

http://carfix.stufftoread.com/

With all credit & kudos ofc to jtgh!!

I forget the history on yours. Didn't you recently tune-up? If I remember you do a bit of wet/muddy running? Have you rechecked your dizzy cap/rotor make sure it hasn't arched & made sure plugs haven't loosened up? I'd check that stuff 1st, but he could be right about the ECT, if its sending bum signal, your ECU could think the car is warm when it's not & v/v. HTH

Fuzz
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'97 Sidekick Sport 1" spacer lift 225/75R16 Cooper AT's. Pioneer Sound, 14" Grant Steering Wheel.Otherwise mostly stock
'96 Tracker 1.6l 16v 3spd Auto 4x4 85k - 1 1/2" OME Lift BFG 235/75 AT's on Ion Alloy 15x7's - Pioneer Sound - Custom Installed Hydraulic Drivers Seat (Sold)

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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2009, 05:43:23 PM »
Quote from: Lindenmooch on March 06, 2009, 03:24:32 PM
Awesome link! where the hail did you find that? 

Anyway....It will try to idle high while it's cold...but it stumbles even when I touch the throttle.  I wouldn't think it has to do with the temp sending gauge...more like a fuel or air related issue, just not sure where to start.  I'll look into that though, thanks.

A temp sending thing would be a fuel thing if the ECM isn't being told the engine is cold, and therefore run a richer mixture  ;) If your engine's running too lean for a cold engine, it will stall, studder and do all kinds of nasty things when your right foot tells the engine to go. It's basically the fuel injection equivalent of trying to run a cold engine without the choke on... for those of us old enough to remember chokes...
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'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6
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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2009, 06:10:54 PM »
Hey!  I know what a choke is!!  I used to own a 73 Pontiac LeMans with a small block, 2 barrel carb'd motor.  I still regret selling that beast.


Thanks for the in depth about the temp sending unit.  I didn't fully understand it.  I think I'm in good shape now though.   Once I figure this illness out, I'll probably do something with my intake...and I'm following your intake thread about resetting the ECM.  I have a short ram that needs a new filter...and I am in the process of building a custom snorkel.  Fun times!
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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2009, 06:56:42 PM »
Soo.....if the tracker is running too rich while cold....am I potentially causing any harm to the engine??

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Offline fuzzy1

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2009, 07:48:31 PM »
He's saying it's running too lean when cold (if the ECT is the problem). Running to rich hot could cause cat clogs & fouled plugs etc. But your prob may be the opposite.
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'97 Sidekick Sport 1" spacer lift 225/75R16 Cooper AT's. Pioneer Sound, 14" Grant Steering Wheel.Otherwise mostly stock
'96 Tracker 1.6l 16v 3spd Auto 4x4 85k - 1 1/2" OME Lift BFG 235/75 AT's on Ion Alloy 15x7's - Pioneer Sound - Custom Installed Hydraulic Drivers Seat (Sold)

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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2009, 07:55:43 PM »
Hmmm....well ok.   So it's the opposite then.  Still...what am I destroying in the engine while I diagnose/fix the problem??
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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #9 on: March 07, 2009, 08:39:51 AM »
Running too rich or too lean causes premature wear. How pre-mature depends on what the problem really is... and we don't know that bit yet  :-\
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'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6
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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2009, 11:20:40 AM »
 :o


Well I'll pick up a multimeter and start testing some sensors next week.
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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2009, 08:06:10 AM »
I had a similar issue with my 90 tbi 8V engine.
When it was cold it would idle real high then low and run rough.
I cleaned out the egr (2 bolts some carb cleaner) and made a big difference.
Now I start it cold it idles about 1500?~~rpm, then slowly goes down to about 800-900rpm when it gets warm.
However I put a 180 thermostat in it too so the temp gauge on the dash rarely goes over 1/4/
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Offline Lindenmooch

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Re: Oh noes!! Tracker is ill.....developed a slight cough while engine cold.
« Reply #12 on: March 23, 2009, 03:28:48 PM »
I can't get my Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor off to put the new one on....even got the temp gauge sensor out of the way...and the IAT is stuck too!  I was gonna pull that out to make some more room....Nothing will budge...well...except for the temp gauge sensor...but that doesn't even matter.



I was doing some reading...and I even bought a multimeter and tested the ECT...and it reads sort of decent when cold.  I'm starting to think it's not the ECT that's causing me problems.   It's supposed to have a high resistance when cold(2400-ish), and fall to zero when the coolant is hot.  I couldn't get a good connection due to cramped space...but it read near 2000 a couple times.    If the ECT was the problem on my cold starts....wouldn't it read zero???  You know...and give the false reading that the tracker is already warmed up, and it isn't...which would make it run too lean or rich???

Am I getting this right yet?  What else could give me such a hard time when cold....but disappear completely when warm?  Oh...and I can start to hear the lifters over my obnoxiously loud exhaust....but that's for another "help me" thread later.  =)
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