[bog]

OP = original poster. PO is prev. owner, dont mix it up , there is test at 11pm.
ssdd ,same sh|tt different day.


of the 4000 SAE and (ASE) jargon words, i use only about 30
the ones the make car go, only
well cept SSDD.

 

[bog]

vsig :Escudo, 1600cc, Manual 4wd, G16A, NZ model 89 (mfg in fiscal year 88)
we can fix it. but it must stay broken long enough to do so
only god him self can fix working cars. i sure can not. nor can walk on water.
lets pretend its broke.

what do i do when idle goes mad (wonkey, berserk, crazy, flapping about, or varies)?

gee this is 8v car , so easy.
the rule of TBI.
all air leaks cause high idle at all times all 8v. and never never ever goes lean.
any air leak results in full power and fast idle.
with that one bit of knowledge you are empowered.

so with idle going nuts.
i say to self, gee is ECU doing that ,or is bloody AFR lean.
lets find out.
its racing hot and varying.

i unplug the ISC (on 89 that is PITA, on last one i did had to cut the wire)
the ISC is shared with 1 more vital so you can just simply unplug it alike 91s.
i kill the ISC, did idle drop to 400 rpm and stop hunting
NO ? major vacuum leak.
yes, ECU is doing. ?

i will stop here because this test , sends me on 2 differnent long paths.
and i refuse to do both.
id put a toggle switch in the ISC wire and have the test gun loaded for failure.
see?
idle goes crazy and snap the switch to open.

 

[bog]

varying idle is symptom. HOPE THIS POST HELPS YOU other 8V owners......
leave the screws alone, do not tweak it.

it means :
1: ecu is lost. (lots of paths here)
2: AFR is bad. (few paths)

(usually not spark)
think about the ISC
what is it , what does it do.?

it regulates idle
if there is an air leak and ECU closes down the ISC to compensate and the ECU cant get 800 rpm; the ecu then starts resetting and trying over and over,, it's maniacal.
(to a fault)
NEXT:?
same story, idle is too low now, iSC opens and fails to reach 800RPM
ECU hunts the ISC, that is its bailiwick. It's "JONES". (software really)

now imagine, no air leaks, no lack of air. no bad iSC , no dead TPS. no bad MAP
no bad ECT, no bad IAT
the motor is running and all senors are good, (no scan tool right, sadly)
NEXT 2: ?
but the ISC is hunting
well imagine again. that the AFR is lean (forget why now)
but is lean
well, what happens?, well, i can tell you,the rpm dropd like a rock.
why, well motor is starving for fuel and you motor cant make power, so RPM drops
what does ECU do.?

well, it opens the ISC. ( what else?) (ok it tried to inject more and failed)
OOPS. it went more lean, ooops,,,,,,, and ISC cycles like mad, why because the
stupid ECU dont know that a lean motor cant idle, it's stupid as a brick.
so i add propane and the idle goes smooth.
oh my, it was lean, see?
gee fuel pressure is 10psi. oh my, no wonder stupid 80s designed dumb brick ecu cant figure this out. (it was really toy ecu back then)

that is how i think about this car , this year, other cars are diffr.

the ecu controls spark, fuel and idle.
and does a piss poor job of systemic ops. (inter-relationships)
but does drop to limphome and forget to tell you.
and has zero or 1 monitor. piss poor. to a fault.

but we love it.. LOL

 

[bog]

for others 91+
you only need to pinch the ISC air hose.
1 second test to see if iSC hunt (seemingly) is , ECU derived.? or not.

if 89/90 others block ISC with , guess what, duct tape. yes, believe it or not.
and is effective.
I off the bastard and pack the ports with monkey sh|t
called in the electric trade that or white collars say electrical mastic putty.
never gets hard. putty.
monkey poop it and be happy.

 

[bog]

auto choke has bubbles

, you better find a real EFI mechanic.
he is right with water heated choke carbs , right as rain.
but not for you.

you car has magic choke. call it a virtual choke.
the ECU can SEE the water jacket temperatures at all times, and does look constantly
the ECU then :
Injects fuel based on: (but not spark in 89, your ecu is sparkless)
water temperature
altitude.
air temp.
rpm
engine load
throttle angle (driver demands)
air flow into the induction. (reality)
and does so , so perfectly it puts all carbs ever made, to shame.
ever run a carb at 10,000 feet and -40F.?
your EFI will. (well after we fix the lil bugger)

 

[Bear]

Thank you Bog! VERY informative.

I've now changed an obviously cracked and leaky vacuum line. This seems to be the solution - I'll monitor it and let you know. Cautiously optimistic. and now to the other issues - clutch, ball joint, sway arm bushes, CV boot and rust spots.

I have to admit to feeling pretty gutted by this vehicle. I had a 'mechanic' look at it and give it the thumbs up prior to purchase. But the issues have left me feeling deflated to say the least.
We'll call it a learning curve.

Thank you all for your help and directions (thus far)

 

[Bex]

Don't be 'gutted'. Remember, this car is almost 25 years old, and may not have been maintained well by the previous owner. Tons of info here for you:
The KickFix Repair Pages, for Sidekicks and Trackers.
These cars are pretty easy to fix, Suzuki still supports them so parts are available, and if maintained properly, can last for a very long time. Also quite fun to drive. Be optimistic!

 

[bog]

1 prob a day.
and the doctor , takes them all away.

 

[Bex]

Does an apple help??

 

[bog]

hey i give thumbs up to all car owners ,with palm greased.

 

[Bear]

Well ya know, ya try and take into account all the variables (and I know ya can't cover all the bases) before ya pay the $$. But in this case I guess I was surprised at how much I missed (yes I take ownership of that) but also how much the f*cker that sold it to me hid from me. Maybe just bad luck.

Cest la vie and move on!!

As stated I have enough mechanical knowledge to be able to do most of the work myself and enough attitude to be truly dangerous (with tools) so I'll plough on and get it sorted. Braak called and offered some support so that made me feel good and you guys are legends!

Be prepared for more dumb questions!

Now, follow me over to my thread about sway arm bushes and suspension... before we talk about clutch replacement...

 

[braack]

Great news Bear, from our discussion it sounded vacum related, like on my boys 4WD. I hope all that's it is. If you get stuck with the clutch issue, let me know as my son or daughters boyfriend are in the trade and may be able to help.

 

[bog]

the car is a virtual antique,
you expect it to not have 10 things. bad.
you need to work more antiques....

your experience on car is way better than my par. ( 4 cars running)

rusty tank or whole car.
ISC bad.
TB gasket mid section blowin, sucking outside air (i have a list for my 91 here is short)
ECT bad
bad RAD
bad water pump
bad o2
2 studs missing form header making new 02 fail.
bad muffer.
all shocks and struts bad, no dampening end to end..
i wont list the things PO lost on car... huge....
all hoses and belts , bad.
bad tranny (PO had head space issues. nuts is the word) he made a half 2wd /4wd....
RWAL dead, (bad axle pickup)
brakes crap , and a cracked rotor, found that in first 10min inspection.

what did i expect? (worse it is 22 years old ,after all)
YMMV