In Trouble. Need Help!
 

Car is

My 2$
 

Check that the plugs are seated...if you have the rubber seals
around the extensions, and the plugs are screwed in, you should
not be feeling air being pumped out. This would also account for
rough running. Also, make sure the plug wires are on the proper
plugs...the mechanic could have crossed a couple.
Good Luck!

Sounds to me like the plugs wires are crossed and a lot of raw fuel is burning in the cat. Sort the wires one by one.

NO they are not crossed. LOL! Everyone is suggesting this one as a possible solution...but its 100% sure that they are all properly connected. Thanks though. :)

If you're feeling air coming out of the cylinders on firing your plugs are not seated.

If your cat converter is glowing read, sounds like it's plugged up. check your exhaust and see if you are getting good flow. I have seen cat converters glow read for this reason. I would definitely check it out - potential for fire.

Steve

"A Porsche does more then just go fast in a straight line"

Plugged-up cat.

of course it is plugged...

where are you located in So Cal

1. Find out why the two plugs aren't seated and install them correctly ... assuming you haven't crooss-threaded the heads!!!

2. If you still have mis-firing after the above is done ... take the car to a shop with an ignition analyzer scopem, or borrow/rent one, and find out if there is an ignition system problem ... the distributor only has one possible setting on a Motronic engine, so ANY timing problem is an ECU problem, not a mechanical adjustment problem.

3. Quit 'guessing' about the cause, and try to use some logic and gather data as requested here ... troubleshooting & repair by 'shotgunning' this problem could get very expensive!

6 years ago the first time i had my car painted, somehow they knocked the wire off for the oxygen sensor, i got about 4 miles car shuts down same problem, by the way I think your o2 sensor is right by the cat, Kevin

Thanks Warren. .

Did you have the valve job redone by a mechanic?

1st time I did my valves I had exactly the same rough running/missing/no power problem.

I thought it was wires also especially since I saw some arcing on one.

I did the adjustment again and rechecked each one afterwards and a couple were tight.

If I remember correctly you only did #1?

Are you sure you used the correct mark for Z1?

Om my car it is the 1st of the 2 notches on the pulley and the rotors leading edge, not the middle of the contact, should be pointing at the notch on the dizzy.

Good luck.
Scott

stomachmonkey...

Yes, .1mm is small, but poor valve clearance will not cause the symptoms you are reporting. Frequent firing failure could. that is, if your spark plugs are not firing but half the time, then raw fuel will go into the CAT and it would glow and run REALLY poorly. Perhaps borrow a set of known good plug wires. I'd agree with Warren that you can easly spend a LOT of money trying to fix this by purchasing and trying (shotgunning) parts.

My guess is ignition trouble. My strong guess.

Have you measured the 02 sensor output? Running rich or lean? As others have said, cat can cook if mixture isn't right. If plug isn't firing at all, that may actually lower cat temp because of excessive fuel not actually burning, but dissipating heat. Excessive retard will usually heat it up very quickly.

It sound like very lean condition. This cause severe high temperature in the exhaust system. Check the air/fuel ratio to see is correct.