94 Liberty running rough and down on power

someaussieguy · Post by **someaussieguy** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:11 pm

Hi Guys, I recently bought a gen2 94 Liberty sedan really cheap as it had a few problems. All of these have been attended to (oil leaks etc) however there is still a major lingering issue, the engine is running quite rough, the exhaust not is wrong and it almost sounds like it is mis-firing or the timing is out etc. When under load, the car seems to hesitate and "miss". It still drives and accelerates but is down on power and using too much fuel.

This problem has been there since I bought the car, and when I bought it, the owner said that the timing belt had recently been changed, and I was wondering if it is possible that it was put on incorrectly and the timing is out? There is spark to all 4 cylinders however I don't know how to check if the ignition timing is ok? I was also wondering if the fuel pump/filter/injectors could be playing up, but not sure how to check.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Josh

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:37 pm

could be the timing belt could be the ignition relay

this theard deals with the relay
showthread.php?t=19809

the only easy way I know of checking the timing belt is to remove the end caps on the covers, then put the engine to top dead centre. the timing pulleys should line up with the marks on the timing covers.

TOONGA

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 6:44 am

all the usual things like plugs, plug leads before coil, Nulons Total injector cleaner at about $30 a 750ml bottle ? gets some praise for cleaning injectors, using too much fuel is a little too technical - compared to what ? O2 snsor can do this if not in good health or no signal to ECU it richens the scene up a bit

someaussieguy · Post by **someaussieguy** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:53 am

Thanks for all the replies, I'll try to check the timing belt, seems simple enough. There's a nice big arc coming from all 4 leads so it seems the leads/coil are ok. Thats why I am more inclined to believe it's a timing/fuel issue

Using more fuel than what most people say it should, but then again, I am having to put my foot down a fair bit more because of the issue.

thunder039 · Post by **thunder039** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:07 am

does it miss fire while idling or rev the car when not moving?

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:18 am

Compression test and check your HT leads are within spec as these can work well until they are under compression.

someaussieguy · Post by **someaussieguy** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:46 am

Thunder039 - it is barely noticeable at idle or free reving, mainly when under load, but is definitely still there.

RSR 555 - By HT leads do you mean spark plug leads or something else?

Didn't get a chance to check anything today, will take a video tomorrow and upload it. I may not be describing it very well

Cheers
Josh

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:54 am

HT is mechanic speak for high tension leads - yer spark plug leads/wires. It is harder for spark to be maintained under load if coil or lead is pooping itself. SP - spark plugs

in poor shape stress out coil - can lead to coil faiure in time, which is one good reason to replace plugs before they completely crap out.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 10:17 am

+1 for the above

These are first checks. I'd also check the fuel pressure at the engine and check for any 'check engine' codes.

someaussieguy · Post by **someaussieguy** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:52 pm

Video Link to exhaust note:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSAyRbj7 ... e=youtu.be

It has new plugs in it and this didn't make a difference. Still haven't been home during daylight hours to take a look at cam timing. I'm not overly knowledgeable mechanically and not sure how to check if HT leads are in spec? Also don't have a gauge to do compression test.

If it gets to that stage I'l have to take it to a mechanic, and on that point, can anyone recommend a decent mechanic in South East QLD? I'm on the Gold Coast and don't have someone that I normally use.

Cheers
Josh

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 1:26 pm

If it's idling fine and cruising fine when not under load it won't be cam timing. Some people mistakenly line the cam up with the arrows on the cam sprockets, not the little notch on the outter edge of the sprocket.

I'm having the same issue with a mate's liberty and suspect that it's the spark plug leads - one has a wear mark in it from rubbing on another component. I'm 99% sure that the wear patch is creating an issue and it's time for a new set of leads. Also make sure they're all connected properly to the spark plugs - I've seen one pop off enough to run fine until under load. I don't know how this happened but once it was back on all was good again.

Spark plugs and leads are much cheaper than the ignitor etc...

Cheers

Bennie