I just noticed tonight that the car is spitting and the interior of the exhaust tips are black with soot
(97 z24)
lack of power (and rpm's reaching no higher than 3k rpm) caused me to throw saved money in to the car for repair
I just replaced the cat about 700 miles ago (last week) ($250)
spark plugs, oil, distributor cap 800 miles ago (2 weeks ago) (springs in spark plug "wires" (springs) were cleansed and regressed (dialectic) ($20)
coil's replaced less than 3k mile ago (last spring)
map sensor wire was broken when i bought it...
The soot is dry black with no apparent loss of oil from the engine (1/4 qt per 3k miles normal) and no blue/gray smoke from the tail pipe just the soot.
rpm are steady on idle to about 50-75 rpm and i have an full power.
its hard to describe the spitting like the cylinder is misfiring but with out lack of power i guess is the best to say...
I have no engine code/light (finally after 2 years fighting this damn ignition spark problem)
i will check the car tomorrow to see if the plugs are out of gap or cover in soot as well.
any thought on what could be causing the black soot in the tips of the tail pipe or the "spitting"
Is this soot normal?
I really don't want to crawl back under the car in 6 months to replace the cat again.
i don't have to pass emissions so i really don't care what come out the rear of the vehicle as long as it does not pertain to me having to work on the exhaust in the near future (except for possible upgrades i have planned)
jgilk1 wrote:distributor cap
really?
what brand plugs/hows the gap? fuel filter? o2 sensor? tps? air filter? these cars do run quite rich form the get go, so some soot is normal.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
distributor cap... aka the coil housing...
plugs are bosch platinum I was not able to check the plugs today sorry (gap was according to the manual whan i installed them)
i replaced fuel filter when i bought the car 13k miles ago (i guess i should replace it didn't think it was that long ago...)
air filter was in the last 6 months and it looked clean when i checked it 2 weeks ago when i changed the plugs
what can i possibly do with..
the 02 sensor/s?
or the tps?
other than replace them?
i have never had the car run normal (optimal) since i bought it so i don't know what is normal and what is not normal for this car i may just be paranoid but hay it's an honest group of questions...
jgilk1 wrote:plugs are bosch platinum .
most likely the problem right there. bosch plugs suck, plain and simple. ac delco or ngk (who is now making delco plugs.) only.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
thanks i will change them out...
should i stay with platinum plugs or go with iridium? either one better than the other?
when i first got the car i originally replaced them with standard champion plugs and burnt the electrode off in less than 300 miles and had next to no power driving home...
no power is to be had from spark plugs on these (for that matter most) cars. if all you're doing is using it as a daily driver, then go with the stock delco plugs, shouldnt cost more than $3 each.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
Thanks rich.. If i need anything else i know where to go...
after reading an alternator related question i remembered i broke the chassis ground about 6 months ago (the grounding bolt on the battery tray)
so as a temporary fix i put a nut on the battery tie down post 2 washers a lock washer and another nut and have left it that way...
could this problem be caused by an impartial ground?
any where specific you suggest i tie down the chassis ground?
the original ground bolt if frozen in place and is not comming out with out brute force...
