mikey2

iTrader: (1)

Hey all, i have managed to get hold of another ecu for the car, the Z4 one, now i plugged in and went for a reset, but i cant drive the car so couldnt do it properly, but it went most of the way and threw up only 2 error codes, better than the 14 it had with the old ecu. The ones i am getting now are the Wastegate control solenoid valve, and Idle air control solenoid, neither of these i have any idea about, or whether they are present because the car want moving!!!

Ontop of that it still only runs on 2 cylinders, no3 coil pack gets very very hot very quickly and i am sure it would explode again if i gave it the chance, the no1 doesnt change at all but if i unplug it it makes no odds to the running of the engine, which is lumpy at best.

One thing i did find, when i changed the coolant temp sensor, underneath the resonator box there is a round plug, not connected to anything, could this be an issue??

Unless the weather clears considerably i wont be able to get pics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, its been off the road now since october, and i want it back!!!!

Sorry for long post, and thanks for any help, and patience you can throw my way.

Mike

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

What year car?

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

its a 93 wrx mate, am at a bit of a loss now.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

anyone have any ideas?? is it worth replacing the injectors?? someone metioned if they are not working it might burn out the coil pack. Someone else mentioned it might be to do with wiring?? Where is the main wiring loom?? and does the round plug under the resonator need to be plugged into something?? I am desparate to get this running again, and i would quite like to do it without getting a garage involved.

is there any way to test the injectors??

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

that is the idle air control solenoid you can allegedly clean it (carbcleaner iirc).

i have a wiring diagram for the classic that i can send to you if you want.

tbh try the plugging in the plug but i don't think that will help with the running problems

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

if you could send me the wiring diagram then that would be good. Do you think the injectors would be part of the cause?? and the plug under the airbox?? As its more or less standard then i cant imagine why it wouldnt be plugged in. any ideas???

stockcar

don't know the history of your posting/problems - but would personally suggest a compression check first to see if you have a more mechanical problem??

alyn

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

i am not convinced its a mechanical prob, basically what happened is, i was driving up the a24, quite quickly, and as i approached a roundabout, i lost a bit of power, like it was running on 3 cylinders, so i stopped at the garage to see what it was, turned out to be the no3 coil pack, a charred smoking lump! i got it home and replaced the coil pack, which had exploded, after about a minute of running the new coil pack blew. i have tested the voltage to the pack, and its 12.7v, or 13, i forget which, i checked the wires as far as i could see, but the ecu was throwing up about 15 error codes, for all kinds of things, on the basis the ecu might be knackered i changed it, i have a z4 in there now, but it makes no difference, i am pretty sure its only running on the left bank of cylinders, unplugging no1 makes no difference to the running.
As far as i am aware, having not actually checked, the no1 coil pack is still servicable, i will check soon. I changed the plug on no3 aswell to be sure, but again, no change.
I am stuck about now, i cannot think of any reason why the coil pack would explode, other than severe over voltage.

any ideas are very welcome
mike

Scott.T@PolarPerformance

May be a fault with the ignitor that is mounted on the bracket behind the boost control solenoid on the drivers side wing.
The ECU drives this, which in turn send the signals to the coil packs.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

ah ok, now that makes sense, i was under the impression the coils were fed direct from the ecu, right ok, i think i know the one you mean, its behind the front wheel, with a funny rubber skirt type thing, i remember seeing some wires going in there, but i didnt look at it properly, where can i get another one, or how can i check to see if it is working right???
Thanks scott.

Scott.T@PolarPerformance

this is the boost control solenoid : Boost Solenoid Plumbing.

This mounts to a bracket (as seen in picure above) on the top of the drivers side suspension turret.
The metal bracket that this mounts to has the ignitor mounted on the rear.
You will not be able to see it without removing the bracket.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

ok cool, i will check this, although wont i need to replace it to be able to check it?? Where is the best place to get one??
Thanks Mike

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

right, i have the ignitor off, its all sealed so i cant really test it can i???
I also have the idle thingy off, as seen here, i noticed the flap inside wasnt closed or ope, it sits half way.



youcan just about make it out.

I also took out the no3 and no1 injectors, now, on looking at no3 the ceramic around the tip is cracked...........



but also, when i compared to no1 the pin in the top was sitting higher........



now is this because the injector has seized, or is it because thats the position it was in on the cycle when i shut it down???



are these standard size injectors?? i assume 340cc or thereabouts?? if not then there could be my over fuelling issue.





Thanks very much for your help.

Mike

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

do i need new injectors?? do you think it would solve the problem???

Thanks

scoobycraig

Well you need new ones mate if one is cracked

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

yeah i will replace that one anyway, are they the standard size?? i assume they are different colour for different sizes. Does the pin in the middle stay in the position it was in when the engine was shut down?? Or has it seized open??
Thanks mike

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

grey injectors are 380cc which is standard for 93wrx.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

winner, thanks for that, should the pin in the middle be stuck up tho???
TA

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

ok, on closer inspection, the pics are sitting at the same height, its just the cover around it that has been pushed down and making it seem like its sitting higher. pisses on my theory then.

sssssteeeee

where are u located??
i just had some work done by central subaru midlands.they did my petrol pump and some wiring plus my air con all in at 275 in one day! ;0) give them a ring .

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

i am in worthing sussex mate, its a bit far for me!!!! the car isnt taxed or mot'd either so i can really take it anywhere other than an moit station.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

is the wastegate control solenoid the boost controller???? if so i havent got this plumbed in at all, does the ecu need that for a boost pressure????

debbiesonic

iTrader: (7)

It would be worth checking the wiring to the ignitor as this is usual quite taught, and it's possible for it to chaff against the chassis, if it were to short out on the chassis it could cause a similar problem.

Could you elaborate on not having a wastegate controlller plumbed in? If the wastegate never opens your turbo would spool up until it self destructed. Do you mean the wastegate actuator is piped directly to manifold/turbo pressure, or that it has a aftermarket controller fitted? It won't be the cause of your coil failure either way.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

i have an mbc instead of the ecu controlled wastegate. I know that wont cause the coil to fry, but would it throw the wastegate solenoid code??

i tested the injectors from a 12v supply and they both clicked and i could see the pin at the bottom movnig in and out, but i buggered one anyway getting the guaze filter off. Not overly worried cos am gonna replace anyway. what does the pin head at the top do? i noticed it comes out, with help, but nothing i cuold see changed, and was very very stiff. i will ckeck the wiring when i am back ther again, see if can find any chafage.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

i havent been able to check the wiring yet, but is that a pretty strong candidate for the trouble i have had?? Would the injector not working cause the coil pack to overheat?? with regards to the wiring, i checked the voltage going to the coils and no1 had 12.7 and no3 had 13.7, would that 1v cause it blow so quick?? it goes withing 2 minutes of running.

debbiesonic

iTrader: (7)

Regards to the wiring, realisticly it would more likely damage the ecu before it affected the coilpack, but as this is quite a rare problem you have, i'm just going through all the possibilities that come to mind really, and it is a possibility.
Regards injector causing the fault, very unlikely in my opinion, but i never say never on a fault like this, it would be at the lower end of the check list, put it that way.
Regards the voltage, it's not the actual scale, i.e number that would concern me there, it's the difference between the coils! Why are they different, they should be identical. 13.7 is fine as with the alternator charging, the whole electrical system will be running at this. Although in reality 12.7 or 13.7 is perfectly acceptable and would'nt cause an issue, it would certainly make me curious as to why they are different. And could possibly lead you in the right direction of finding the underlying fault. But before we go jumping to conclusions, when your testing, make sure you have a really good connection with your probes, as a poor connection will give an untrue reading. I don't know what quality of avo/multimeter your using, so if it's a cheapie/un-calibrated type, i would test it on a known source to see if it gives an identical reading each time (put the probes directly on to pos and neg terminals of the battery) read the exact voltage, and then repeat 3 or 4 times. If the reading is the same every time, you can now trust your meter. If not throw it away, lol.
If your satisfied that the above is good, we'll move on. Baring in mind, these checks might be totally irrelivant to the actual fault, but we have to rule them out, otherwise we could be jumping ahead of ourselves.
If the voltage check shows a definate varying of voltage between the coils, first things first, check you have a good earth to the engine and chassis, take the connections off and give them a good clean up.
Next i would go to the connectors on the fly leads from the coilpacks, again give the terminals inside the plastic housigs a good clean up, and make sure there is no moisture present. While your in that area, inspect the wiring insulation for cracks or tight bends that may have caused internal damage.
Then check the connectors that plug into the ecu, check for moisture, check the pins or receptacles are'nt damaged, or being pushed back into the housing when it mates up against the ecu.
If all seems ok, retest the voltages.

Backtracking slightly, check the resistance of each coilpack, just incase you have varying load impediences.

Keep posted, Debs.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

Hi, i trust the multimeter, i tested the battery while it was charging and i tested when it wasnt running, i cant remember what i got but i know i was satisfied. I tested the coils more than once and got exactly the same reading, i was comparing the 2 together. Injector wise, i have them both out, 1+3, and am gonna replace anyway as one is cracked, but they both work. I am pretty sure that the no1 is not firing when running anyway, i disconnected it for the test and it made no difference to the running of the engine, i would expect quite a difference from 3 to 2 cylinders. I checked the pins in the plugs and i checked the wires as far as i could see them, they dissapear into a loom. The resistance is something i didnt check, do you know what it should be?? i cant check now anyway as the engine is in bits so might be kinda pointless. I have also changed the ecu, so its a good ecu now for sure so i can rule that out, i was kinda hoping that was the prob! i havent done anything to the engine to change the wiring positions or anything, its totally standard other than the boost controller, which is set at just under 1 bar. There is one plug not accounted for, whether it mabe for the abs unit, which it doesnt have, i dont know, its pinned to the strut under where the boost controller solenoid would be (its all off). Its a big round connector, but i cant find the other end of it at all, or another plug to fit it.
Everything i know, and common sense is pointing to wiring or malfunctioning unit, its just which one. The coil shouldnt just blow, thinking that, it was a permanent 13.7v, it never fluctuated, surely it should. I am beginning to get the limit of what i can do in a carpark, its not good.
Thanks for help tho.
Where are the main loom connectors?? and the main earths? i see one on the starter motor, which looks absolutly fine, but is this just for the starter??

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

any ideas??

hamyam

Hi Micky, the plug you were referring to might be whats used for the "cat on fire senser" which would have been in the down pipe of the original exhaust.

mikey2

iTrader: (1)

ah ok cool, thats good then, one thing down!
Thanks