hello everyone . ive been lately having issues with my idle and puttering/hesitation issues. car used to fire right up during cold starts, now it takes around 3-4 seconds to start the car. now when it does start, it holds the idle, drops down then, dies. i would have to start it, hold the throttle at 2k rpm for about 10 seconds then it'll manage to hold idle. hot starting has no issues, car fires right up and holds idle. tps issue maybe? having trouble receiving fuel? ignition issue? aside from that, i also have a hesitation issue. sounds like the "3k hesitation" cept ill be cruising and its not getting a steady flow of fuel. im guessing its my grounds.

car is a "87 TII FC

recent work was replacing the spark plugs and spark plug wires. and yes the

wires and plugs are in the right place. i double-checked. any advice is appreciated!

 

Hesitation issues not related to the 3800rpm hesitation could include worn out spark plugs, spark plug wires (feels like "fishbites" under light acceleration), MAP sensor with dead spots, bad AFM, dirty fuel pump sock, clogged fuel filter, clogged/leaky/generally not-spraying-right injectors, etc. There's a lot it could be, make sure the maintenance is taken care of first, then get down on some diagnostics if it's not fixed after that.

The thermowax keeps the throttle open a little on cold engine starts. If it's not working anymore, it will most likely die without some tricky footwork until the engine warms up. You can also check things like the BAC (apply 12v and ground to it, watch it fully open, clean if necessary), dirty throttle body, etc. It's really hard to pinpoint your exact issue, all anyone can give you is suggestions. Any questions on how to do any of the checks, refer to the fuel/emissions section of the FSM.

 

hmm sounds like the thermowax/fuel related issue. least i know what to check. time for the elimination process

 

That's the spirit

 

Water Thermo Sensor?

 

Thermosensor, if bad, will revert the ECU to a standard temperature (somewhere around 77F I believe). Mine went south and made hot starts very interesting!

 

Are you sure that isn't closer to 77 Celsius, which is about 175 Fahrenheit...how often does a car run at the same temp as a nice day

 

Not sure really. All I remember was that when mine took a ****, it started easily when the engine was stone cold, and it flooded badly when I tried starting it hot. I had to push start it hot. If I didn't have someone with me, I would take off my shoe and hit the clutch switch with my toe and crank the car in gear. After a few yards it would start

 

you sir, are a smart man lol

 

yeah, mine was a hard start in the am/cold and once warmed up it ran/started just fine. Doubled checked, it is 80C as default.

 

adjusted the throttle body and the idle seems to be more stable. but im still experiencing hesitation during acceleration. i had an '86 that had a smiliar issue and turns out the grounds just needed cleaning. does the tii suffer from the same issue?

 

Poor grounds related to the ECU/sensors will affect all models.

 

any older car can/will suffer from bad grounds/corrosion

 

o yea duh...long day of working in the morning so im a bit slow ugh

 

I stumbled across that one day when I was at a very busy gas station. People were getting pissed at me for holding up the line, so I had to get the car out of the way some how. I wasn't going to push it, so I said screw this, I'll just push the clutch switch w/ my toe and I'll just lurch over to the side on the starter. After a few lurches, the car started and I hauled ***, giving the guy behind me a big middle finger for being a butthole.

So right at 180~ish. Not sure why mine would flood on hot starts though. My sensor failed completely open. This reminds me now that I had even brainstormed a deflood switch that would use the cold start pump to inject oil in the intake, and at the same time would energize a relay that would open contacts to the EGI fuse. Crank for a few seconds, flip the switch back to normal, smoke out the asshats honking behind you, be on your merry way.



Remember what I said though, make sure your maintenance is up to date before thinking it's a non-maintenance item. Obviously you don't need to go out right now and get belts and hoses, just do the stuff that makes sense; like fuel filter, check the spark plugs and wires, etc. Even the fuel pump pickup sock is quick and easy to change.

 

I had a idle issue kinda like that and thermowax/dirty throttle body flaps were the issue lol.

 

NICE - Sorry to get off topic, def check what AGreen said though.

Also, it is super easy to make the 'homemade' code checker for 86-88 FC's if you haven't already. A trip to radio shack and 10 minutes you will be done.