Getting Blinking CEL at about 70mph

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Mon May 22, 2006 8:13 pm

Just got the new coil pack. I'll be installing it later and hopefully that will fix the problem (which is still occurring at high speed).

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Tue May 23, 2006 2:49 am

I think it's fixed. Road test at somewhere around 70mph (need to calibrate that). No blinking CEL.

More testing is needed I think to be a final fixed, but everything is looking good.

MMamdouh · Post by **MMamdouh** » Tue May 23, 2006 7:18 am

so you are telling me that the car drives OK with a faulty coil pack and only the ECU could detect that?... that could be my problem with the ever annoying idle that i am having.

my engine vibrates a little more than any other woo i have seen and i got a little "hop" at the begining of second gear... i suspected my coil pack but the cars runs vey fine at all other speeds specially at high RPM... HUMMM i think i got to harras a friend and take his coil pack for testing.

MMamdouh

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Tue May 23, 2006 8:52 am

My idle was smoother too... holding at a near perfect 900 rpms in idle... could have been 925 or so, hard to tell on my small gauge. But... it was rock steady.

lanowoo · Post by **lanowoo** » Tue May 23, 2006 1:48 pm

maybe thats what i need to do to my woo b/c it will kinda fluctuate on a certain cylinder and it will run a little shotty. How much was your coil?

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Tue May 23, 2006 7:20 pm

I paid $66 for the coil pack + some shipping costs on Ebay.

Though it looks like the guy I bought it from has run out of them. It was brand new in it's original package too... which I was pleased about. The real test is today. My wife has to drive on the highway for roughly 30 minutes or so. So I don't know if the problem is really fixed yet or not. She said she would call if she got a blinking CEL on the way to work, so I should know inside of an hour if the problem is really fixed or not.

My guess is that it is. The engine is running much more stable and solid. The RPM's aren't fluctuating like they were before... they lock right in at 900-925ish and stay dead steady at idle still.. Before, it would fluctuate between 800-950 rpms when idle.

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Tue May 23, 2006 8:00 pm

Well... just got the call from the wife. She said it went a lot longer until the check engine light came on... just did a little something different this time.

Aparently the check engine light came on and did not blink initially. Then a minute or two later it began blinking. I didn't ask her if it continued or anything.... but.. the problem obviously is not fixed by the coil pack. The new Coil Pack did improve/fix the idle being more stable I guess... but aparently nothing else.

Any help or suggestions as to what I should try next, please let me know... I'm running out of ideas? Fuel filter? Retarded ECU? Could it have anything to do with my cams or valves or anything?

*GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*... I'm so frustraited with this problem and thought I had fixed it... again... Oh... and again, there was no backfire or loss of power. It kept running smoothly and evenly... just with a blinking CEL... so I'll have to take it in and have the codes checked, something threw a code before the CEL started blinking this time, but I don't know what it is yet...

DomWoo · Post by **DomWoo** » Wed May 24, 2006 4:18 am

i didnt read the whole thread but i have the same problem on my daily driver lanos. i know its not the coil pack because the car ran fine with no CEL before i put a new head on it.. im thinking its plugs or plug wires, next payday im going to get me some 8.5mm msd wire and make some wires and get some NGK plugs

will let you know how it goes

mrbnew · Post by **mrbnew** » Wed May 24, 2006 12:46 pm

Mine does the same thing even after a new coil pack plugs and wires.

My coil pack was bad so I had to replace it anyway, the plugs and wires had 75k miles on them so I needed to replace them too...

DomWoo - Does your car drive any different? Rough idle or anything? What code is it? My code is similar to johnnyc but instead of misfire on 1 and 3 it is a "random misfire" code.

mrbnew · Post by **mrbnew** » Wed May 24, 2006 12:47 pm

Could it be a worn camshaft?

DomWoo · Post by **DomWoo** » Wed May 24, 2006 5:37 pm

its just a misfire on cyl 3 or something like that

DomWoo · Post by **DomWoo** » Wed May 24, 2006 5:39 pm

mrbnew wrote:Could it be a worn camshaft?

i dont think that is the problem either because like i said before the car ran fine before and when the new head was put on it came off a car that ran fine. it is most likely an electrical problem

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Wed May 24, 2006 7:34 pm

I'm trying an experiment today. With my newer set of ignition wires I was getting misfires on 2 and 3 and with my old set I was getting misfires on 1 only. So... what I have done is replaced the old ignition wire on 1 with the newer ignition wire. Lexie is out driving it on the highway now. She will call within' a half hour if she gets a blinking CEL... if she doesn't call by 4pm then I'll be in a better position.

So... we'll see.

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Wed May 24, 2006 7:34 pm

Johnny,

From the service manual the misfire code is set by monitoring crankshaft & camshaft relative speed. If a fast drop in crankshaft's speed occurs than you get a misfire on cyl X.
Since the error codes are always misfire cyl#1 or cyl#3 and that the ignition sequence is 1-3-4-2, could it be that you have a lazy #1 injector? Cleaned injectors lately? How looks the electrode's spark plugs?
Try to swap injectors 1 & 4.

2) Did you make any engine work before you get this annoying problem?

Daniel

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Wed May 24, 2006 7:47 pm

I have not pulled out my injectors at all, I did run some injector cleaner through the system.

The codes are always cylinder 1 now. The spark plugs are good. I could have some kind of crankshaft of camshaft problem, but I certainly hope not.

Are the injectors easy to remove to inspect them? I have never taken them out.