lemmy28

Good day to everyone at acurazine. I have gained immensely from this forum and if my memory serves me correctly, I haven't made any post up until this time. Now i need your help. To cut the long story short, here is the genesis of my travails.

1. I own an Acura tl 2004. I discovered that the radiator is weak. I was planning to replace it before tragedy struck. Below is the picture of the condition of the radiator.

2. I was on the highway cruising at 110 kmp/68mph and i suddenly noticed a drop in power. Before I could blink, the temperature gauge started rising. I was about turning off the ignition before the car switched off on me. I managed to park to a safe distance and pop open the hood. alas, i saw thick smoke of what looks like engine oil. in addition to this, my radiator was completely dry of coolant. wen i removed the rad, the leak was coming from the center.
3. I called my mechanic who asked me to allow the car to cool down and start it. when I did that, it started but sounded so badly and it won't even move. i had to switch it off. it was confirmed that the head gasket is blown.

PART TWO OF MY TRAVAILS
By the way, i am very good at troubleshooting and DIY(Especially ones that has to do with sensors) i have an above-average obd scan tools with specialised honda software that can read data stream, clear abs, srs and a host of other errors that the regular obd tool won't clear.

1. I have the vehicle towed to the mechanic who replaced the gasket. Now, the vehicle won't start. When we lose the plugs. I released that everything was fouled with fuel. I asked why and he said it was because they primed the fuel pump by spraying fuel on wherever to ensure the car starts quickly. I was scared as it appeared as if the car has zero compression.
2. H continues attempting to start it and after running down 3 batteries, and 12 plugs, the car started. however, it dies immediately. Now, they removed the plugs and heated them and the car would start only when you press the gas pedal. However, the car refuses to idle normally. When it is idling and you rev it, the rpm drops and the engine stalls(if it is a cold start). When the car has warmed up sufficiently, it will idle better and run fine. In all honesty, I do not notice any loss of power when accelerating or speeding. My problem is 100% on the hard starting especially when cold where I will have to crank for seconds or a minutes before it starts and once it starts, it idles rough with rpm going up and down between 1000 and 500.

THE STEPS THAT I HAVE TAKEN SO FAR
I scanned the vehicle and initially got the following codes:
1. 03-02(P0108) Manifold Absolute == This when away on its own after driving around for a while
2. 153-01(p0172) Rear bank fuel= (This also went away after cleaning the IAT sensor)
3. (P0175) This keeps reappearing intermittently especially after a hard cold start. I am confused as to what it means or how to fix it
4. (P0113) IAT Sensor circuit high (I fix this by cleaning the IAT sensor located on the throttle body with cab cleaner
5. i changed some of the ignition coils and the vibration reduced when cold and the idling is almost perfect when hot.
6. I removed all the plugs and none were fouled but two were misgapped and one has a broken electrode. Changing the plugs fix the requirements to press gas before the vehicle starts. Note: prior to my changing the plugs, i must press the gas pedal if I want to start the vehicle otherwise it will crank and attempt to start without starting.

I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC FOR RE-ASSESSMENT
My more reliable mechanic reassessed the timing belt and said it was off by a tooth. He claimed to have adjusted it correctly. When we started the vehicle without the drive belt, it started and idled smoothly. Sadly, when we installed everything, the rough idling with noticeable vibrations resumed.
2. My mechanic now concluded that the gasket jb was badly done that the person did not probably grind the valves. He said he needed to redo it and grind the valves or replace it if damaged. He said the valves are the reasons for the cold hard start and the thumping vibration during cold idle.

THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE VEHICLE

• No more code on the vehicle at the moment
• The AT is very responsive and sharp
• The engine sounds awesome when revved
• It manages to start now without having to press the gas pedal
• During a cold start, starting is a bit hard
• When the engine is cold, the rpm fluctuates and it idles very low and often stalls
• It has never stalled on me when the engine is warm. Even with the AC on, as long as the engine to reach the operating temperature, it won't stall. I do on the ac at idle speed and the ac works perfectly without the engine stalling. Also, there is no strange noise when the ac is run at idle speed. However, if it tries switching on the ac before the engine gets warm, the engine will stall. In addition, if I attempt putting it in reverse or drive immediately after starting the car, the engine will stall.
• Apart from the rough idling, the engine vibrates and the vibration is felt all through the body of the vehicle.
• I am not hearing any tapping noises like that of a loose valve.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. Is my mechanic correct, can a damaged value rod/train/head be causing this hard start, rough idling and low rpm? I don't want to be ripped off only to be back to square 1 or worse. he said he would need to replace the gasket and do everything all over.
2. Can a dirty EGR Valve or EGR port cause this issue? I am yet to do this. But i think i should get a code if this is dirty. am I wrong?
3. Can a non-premium fule cause this issue? Note: I have never used a premium fule in it before because we don't have anywhere I stay. I, however, used octane booster without any difference in performance.
4. Can dirt in the throttle body be responsible? If yes, I sincerely need a guide on how to clean it safely without damaging the butterfly tongue.
5. How can i solve the (P0175) error for good? where is the sensor causing this error located?
6. Finally, if my assumptions and that of my mechanic is wrong, how can I get my vehicle back to normal idling. It still currently runs fine.

BTW: when the head was opened, the pistons were saved even though coolant mixed with the motor oil.

El_Cheapo

This is the wrong forum



So all you have is a rough idle at cold starts and intermittent P0175?

P0175 is Front Bank (Bank 2) System Too Rich

Perhaps you have a leaky injector.

Do you have a rough idle when the engine is warm?

lemmy28

1. IN addition to the rough idle, I also have fluctuating RPM during cold start. This also affects the movement when I want to accelerate from a stop.
2. Secondly, I have a hard cold start. but I am able to work aroudn this in two ways. Switch the ignition to II and let it wait for 5 seconds before turning on the vehicle. Secondly, if I press the gas pedal, the vehicle will start at once. sadly since the gasket job, I can't start my vehicle promptly anymore the way I used to.
3. Yes. the P0175 code comes intermittently but one thing that triggers it for sure is a cold start and refusal to allow the vehicle idle before accelerating.
4. I don't notice many problems when accelerating.
5. How can I troubleshoot a leaking fuel injector I can't smell gas while driving.

El_Cheapo

It sounds like you have a fuel pressure problem.

The fuel pump primes the system by turning on the fuel pump for 2 seconds while on the ignition on (II) position. That might explain why its easier to start when you wait.

I recommend you test fuel pressure with a fuel pressure gauge. Primed system is 48-55 psi. Since you have a scanner you can also command each injector on and see the pressure drop for each injector with the pressure gauge.

Can you see misfire counters on your scanner? If you can, see if you have any when you cold start.

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lemmy28

I can see some misfire data stream like misfire cycles, misfire for each cylinder and so on. my cylinder 6 seems to always misfire at idle speed, my cylinder 4 misfires intermittently at idle. No misfire when the vehicle is warmed up and moving. be misfiring at idle. when i start accelerating the value becomes 0. can I upload the result from my scanner? i have attached some pictures from my scanner.

El_Cheapo

I'm not sure what that injector value is for.


Do you also have short term and long term fuel trims at cold start and when warm?

Injectors 4 & 6 are on the front bank (Bank 2). Maybe they are bad.

lemmy28

Now it's getting technical. Does the cylinders have individual injectors? How can i locate them in order to replace them?

Let me try and get long time idle steam. When the vehicle is warm, none of the cylinders misfire.
Please what about the fact that my mechanic is saying my valve train/rocker/rod is the culprit?

El_Cheapo

Each cylinder has an individual injector. They are on a fuel rail under the intake plenum.

​​I don't think that's the case because you will probably have issues at all speeds.

You can verify by doing a compression test.

If it were me, I would check fuel pressure and compression.

TheSauceBoss

On a slightly related topic, what kind of fuel are you putting in the car? I'm not sure what kind of fuel you guys get in Nigeria, but if your plugs were indeed fouled, on top of those codes thrown, it could definitely be a fuel system issue. As others have stated, I would look into gauging your fuel pressure. Honestly, even adding some fuel system cleaner probably wouldn't hurt.

El_Cheapo

I forgot to add to my previous reply.

You should probably check the timing marks to make sure they are on correctly. You've had two mechanics work on it at this point and it's still a mess.

How did he conclude that the valve train is the problem? Did he explain how he diagnosed it or is he guessing?

Honestly, he should have done a compression test and/or leak down test to confirm.

It's possible that the valves were bent if the timing was off, but it has to be tested to confirm. Otherwise, it's just a guess.

El_Cheapo

lemmy28

We use fuel rated at octane 89 in Nigeria. We don't have the 90+.

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lemmy28

Thanks for the helpful advice. I managed to open up and clean injectors 4, 5 and 6. Injector 1 2 and 3 are somehow difficult to loose and the number 6 injector was blocked from the gasket glue that the mechanic who repaired the gasket used. I guess he applied it in excess.
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Apart from this, I removed my fuel pump and cleaned the fuel filter.
Further more, I used the opportunity to also clean my egr port(caked not plugged) and my throttle body(the reverse side was totally black from carbon i removed before cleaning and avoided the sensor).

I used carb and choke cleaner but i removed the injector seals. I don't have other form of cleaners so I won't advice Everyone to usr carb cleaner for injectors.

I have order two bottles of seafoam which i will pour into the tank when it arrives.

Result!
I noticed instant improvement. For one, my car now turn over and start immediately.
Secondly, the vibration is reduced to the bearest minimum.
Lastly, the idling is no longer erratic.
Important notice: the butterfly plate within the throttle body was closed when i opened it but i made sure i didn't force it open. I just sprayed the carb cleaner generously on it and it was good.
No code not even the p0175.

A new issue emanated though. I am now hearing a ticking sound like that of a tapping valve. It tends to be coming from the engine.
I will do a video and upload tomorrow if you can help me isolate the issue.

Thanks everyone for assisting me is sorting out my erratic and stalling idling.

lemmy28

I think he was guessing. After charging me for redoing the tb and no changes, he simply said he would need to strip everything open and inspect the valve has it might have broken because a teeth was off. He told me a teeth was off i didn't find that out myself. He might have lied about the timing belt being off who knows.
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