Well, problem (one of two anyway) found.

[ssurgul]

STUPID COMPUTERS!!!!

You know, even in 1990, they were making the ECU's (Engine Control Units) far too clever for their own good.  They track, monitor and adjust for optimal emissions and fuel efficiency based on performance to that point.  However, when (say) a fuel injector insulator or two go bad and there's a new and exciting vacuum leak, they deal with it by oscillating the RPM radically to try and resolve it, even to the point of partially flooding the engine.  It's amazing what a pair of new grommets and insulators will do, when the engine has a few minutes to 'right' itself.  Hell, it even cranks itself down from the almost-3K RPM level to the 750 where it belongs, and doesn't stall out.  Who'da thunked it.

Comments

[a12oclockpunkin.livejournal.com]

breathe dear <3 you!

[ssurgul.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm breathing fine now. That was my last little venting post about the car, hopefully for a while. It's just been a steady fight with the damn thing for months now, and I'm just in ecstasy that the fight's end may be in sight.

[a12oclockpunkin.livejournal.com]

as soon as you get that new job, you should also get a new car that wont frustrate you so :)

[ssurgul.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, that's DEFINITELY on the menu too, fret not. :)

Don't even get me started on ECU's...

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

...let alone emissions-control systems.

Fuel injection? That I like.

EGR Valves? Catalytic Converters? O2 sensors? Gah... I DETEST these pointless MPG-sucking devices. Tune and maintain an engine properly, you need none of that crap.

[someguy805.livejournal.com]

New ECUs are actually suprisingly fault-tolerant, but the old ones did some crazy-ass things when sensors failed. A friend of mine actually had his old Eclipse catch fire because the stupid ECU compensated for a dead oxygen sensor by locking the wastegate shut. Worked great, until the turbo exploded and severed the fuel line.