greggash
12-23-2010, 06:16 AM
The other day I remote started my car before going to work to warm it up.
While it was running, my son comes home from work.
He says "Hey dad, your car sounds like pop corn"
Well it sounded like it was missing on numerous cylinders.
It had been running a little funny for a while, since I put in a new set of plugs(Hmmm).
off to the auto parts store for some Carb cleaner and a fresh set of plugs.
I first removed the IAC and cleaned it for the first time in 91K miles. It was a little carbon black, but a quick squirt or two or three of carb cleaner made it look fresh and ready for reinstallation.
When the plugs came out they looked fine, they had only been in the car 3K miles.
on close inspection I found the problem with the plugs, 4 were made in China and 4 were made in Mexico, a match not made in heaven.
Anyway..the 4 Mexicali plugs had a black paint like substance on the Anode causing a very bad connection to the coil pack. All the affected plugs were on the passenger side of the engine.
New plugs inspected, Gapped and installed.
I even cleaned the MAF, I have the cleaner spray, so USE it!
The outcome:
So far it is just really smooth as compared to the heaving it was doing .
Foot off the throttle slowing down it no longer is idling badly while slowing down as it has for years ( I atribute that to the IAC cleaning).
No More Popcorn.
While it was running, my son comes home from work.
He says "Hey dad, your car sounds like pop corn"
Well it sounded like it was missing on numerous cylinders.
It had been running a little funny for a while, since I put in a new set of plugs(Hmmm).
off to the auto parts store for some Carb cleaner and a fresh set of plugs.
I first removed the IAC and cleaned it for the first time in 91K miles. It was a little carbon black, but a quick squirt or two or three of carb cleaner made it look fresh and ready for reinstallation.
When the plugs came out they looked fine, they had only been in the car 3K miles.
on close inspection I found the problem with the plugs, 4 were made in China and 4 were made in Mexico, a match not made in heaven.
Anyway..the 4 Mexicali plugs had a black paint like substance on the Anode causing a very bad connection to the coil pack. All the affected plugs were on the passenger side of the engine.
New plugs inspected, Gapped and installed.
I even cleaned the MAF, I have the cleaner spray, so USE it!
The outcome:
So far it is just really smooth as compared to the heaving it was doing .
Foot off the throttle slowing down it no longer is idling badly while slowing down as it has for years ( I atribute that to the IAC cleaning).
No More Popcorn.