Do a compression test to check the condition of the engine & check for DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes).

https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...d=e2bdac9f37da9dc8cf6e0672fe1eea08&sigr=11bd169aj&sigt=11n9j6r99&sigi=12jd8spgd

 

Hi thanks for your post, I have to fix the check engine light first, isnt working, I try to do all that I ca,n by my self. But Im not a mechanic, when I fixit I will wrote back again, maybe take me sometime thanks.

 

Good idea to get the check engine light working, as then you will know if there are codes in your computer that are telling you what the problem is. Hopefully it is just the bulb that is missing. When you get it fixed, note that the check engine light should be on with the key on and off once the engine starts.
But even so, Ranger’s idea is still good - you should do a compression test to verify that the engine timing is correct. Everything is based on good engine timing.

 

Hi Thanks for your time, I forgot to tell you that the car was working fine, one day I decide to push the gas completely in 3 and 4, then few minutes after that, when I stop in my house, it start the problem, the motor was shaking and a bad smell of fumes, but not black smoke, just a bad gas smell, thats when my nightmare began?

 

Did the engine begin to make a different kind of noise when you drove the engine so hard? Did it look like the engine was overheating? A compression test can indicate if there is some damage to the engine, so I would do that first before you do anything else. The check engine light and computer basically only deals with emissions, etc.
A compression test is easy to do. Get a compression tester, then remove all of your spark plugs and remove the F1 fuse under your dash. Make sure that your battery is well charged. Then floor your gas pedal while cranking about 5-6 times for best compression. Post your results, and advise if you have done this on an engine that is warm or cold.
You should also advise your location, and what engine is in your Tracker - an 8v or 16v engine. I assume from your posts that this is a 5 speed manual transmission.
Do you do any mechanics, or do you have a friend that does?

 

Hi thanks, (1995, 1.6 lts, 16 valv.)no didnt make any noise, that was 3 months ago I continue using it, I did a travel of 5 to 6 hours in montains (asphalt) a week ago and the only problem is that when I stop, it turn off, low rev. and the bad smell of gases, no overheating, new radiator, new coolant and new thermostat. All the stuff that can I do, I do it by my self, but when I can't, I search for a mechanic.

 

I would start with a compression test, just to confirm everything is ok. I’d also check the spark plug tips to see if your engine is running rich or not, as well as check the fuel pressure. You say you smell gas - have you pulled the vacuum line off of the fuel pressure regulator - it should be dry inside.
When you come to a stop, and your engine is going to stall, can you save it with the gas pedal? Will revving up the engine stop the engine from stalling?

 

By the way, have you ever checked or cleaned your EGR valve?? It is not supposed to be active during idle or wide open throttle, but if the valve or diaphragm is choked up with carbon, it will stall the engine out.

 

A mechanic tell me to put a aluminum paper to block that valve, I didit but every thing was the same, I didint tried to clean it. Can I clean it with. Fuel injector cleaner? Or with the test that I already did, it supose to improve? Or that was a wrong test?

 

From your post 8, not I didnt , I have to do that test, and yes I can save it with the gas pedal leveling up to 1000 to 1500 rpm and It doesnt stall.

 

The gas that it smell, is not like rich gas, is a bad odor different to a normal or rich mixture

 

You should put your car’s specs into your signature, so we don’t have to look back to see what you’re driving...
You have the 95 Trackick - first, you will have a thermoprobe on your EGR valve, so that just closing off the EGR valve will throw a code. Maybe that’s why you don’t have a working check engine light?? Personally, I wouldn’t close off the EGR valve unless you have a persistent code 51, where you’ve cleaned all passages, the valve itself, but the code keeps coming back. The EGR circuit will keep your valves a bit cooler.
Anyway, if you can save the stall with your gas pedal, it means that your issue is on the fuel side, rather than the ignition/electrical side. If it was part of the electrics, hitting your gas pedal would not stop the engine from stalling. I can’t, of course, smell the issue that you have, but there are perhaps a couple of things you can check, with regard to a strange smell. My first thought is your catalytic converter - if it is plugged up, it will run very hot (sometimes even glowing red) and the material inside can get very hot and give off a horrid smell. A plugged catalytic converter will plug up your exhaust, and can cause the car to stall.
I’d still do the compression test, check the condition of your spark plugs, etc.

 

Hi thanks for all your coments, Sorry I dont know how to put my car spect in the signature, I didn't find where I can do that. Yes is a Geo Tracker 1995, 4x4, 2 doors, soft top, 1.4 lts,16 valve, manual transmission with air conditioner. And the bad smell is just when is making the fail and the motor is shaking and is hot, because when I turn it on, in the morning it work perfect and doesnt have the bad smell, but I will have a lot thing to do for this Saturday?, begining cleaning the EGR valve, to see if that turn on the check engine light and improve the performance, if not, then I will going to see to work with fixing the light to see if I have codes, then analyze the codes to continue with your other recommendation, if I miss something, feels free to tell me, I appreciate so much all your help?

 

See if you can determine if the bad smell is coming from the engine itself, or out of the exhaust (or around the catalytic converter). If the catalytic converter is the problem it will smell like rotten eggs (sulfur).

 

You said that when it's cold it runs normally but, how it runs at the first start? It should get to 1500 RPM and after warm up drop to 800.
So, what changes when it's hot? The first thing that comes to my mind, the "air valve" or, the thermo controled valve, that opens an air passage when coolant is cold. It seems that when that valve closes, at idle, the engine is running out of air. I would check if the IAC setup screw is messed, that happened with me. In my case that screw was too far in. Another thing you can do, check for the idle signal at the TPS, if it's not sending the correct signal the ECU will probably manage the ignition timing incorrectly and the engine will run a bit crazy at low revs.
I guess you could also try opening the idle setup screw, NOT the one from IAC, to see if it stops stalling.

 

Hi my friend, look how I am !!!!?!!!!!, yesterday I clean the EGR valve, and because I had the iddle air control out, I clean it too, and I test it today, for 30 minutes, and It improves like 99 percent, didn't stall and the engine maintain 900 rpm in iddle, I conclude and you can correct me, that the problem was de EGR valve, because the IAC, I test another one from a working sidekick and the problem was the same. I took pics of the spark plug, one of the pics the spark seems bright, but is the picture(attached). Thank for everything, if the car begging to do the same again I let you know. Thank you so much ranger and bex, especially you bex???, if you have something to let me know I will appreciate that?or any comments of the spark pics, thanks!!

 

Thaks for your comments too, ldvllasco!!

 

I meen thanks?

 

Ah, well done, and glad that things seem to be sorted out now. Just a couple of notes - the EGR valve (and its passages) may need to be cleaned a couple of times. You clean them with carb cleaner, make sure that the diaphragm on the EGR valve snaps back strongly on its spindle when you release it. Sometimes the valve is so dirty you need to soak it overnight - but do not soak the diaphragm itself. I don’t know if you reamed out the passages that you see when the EGR valve is off of the car (you should), but if so, note that sometimes you loosen carbon inside the passageways that will need to be cleared out again. I suppose that now that the EGR is clean, you don’t need that metal plate, blocking that circuit (and without a resistor of some sort, dealing with the thermoprobe that comes out of your EGR valve, I imagine that your ECU was throwing a code 51 - which is perhaps why the CEL bulb may have been removed from the dash.).
Be VERY careful in cleaning that idle speed solenoid. You are only supposed to electrically bench test it for a couple of seconds, and then let it rest before testing it again. Anyway, hope all is well now.

 

Hi the problem arrived again, for reference (geo tracker 1995, 2 doors, 4x4, 1.6 lts. 16 valv. A/C), it work fine, but after one hour driving began again with revs of 400 rpm, I took out the EGR, and find that I wasnt doing any vac, so I bouth a new one in advance and nothing happend, they sold me part # EGR 1098 DURALAST, it was pretty the same, I did a test that I saw in you tube with the iddle air control valve, I take it out, but connect it, then I switch on the key, and I saw that the pin get up, but goes down very fast, it never stay open, just go up and down very fast, then I installed back and I took the speedometer out to check the engine light, that wasnt working and it wasn't there, I took one from the seatbelt and use it in the check engine site, I put on the key and the light came on and doesn't turn off (I took off the positive terminal before to reset it), then I jump the conector, put on the key and the check engine doesn't do anything, it stay on all the time, what can I do? I doesn't get any code but the light remain on all the time. I hope, that doesn't mean a bad obd 1.

 

Ah, ok, let’s see if I can decipher your message here...LOL.
First, your check engine light goes on, stays on and even with jumping the connector (in the engine bay, the small white box with the black locking top, possibly up by the passenger headlight in your car - it was moved from near the battery - and you are jumping the blue/yellow to black wired pin, correct??) your light stays on, which would indicate that you ‘service engine soon’ function is on. With that function on, you will not be able to get codes, and your light will not go out. You need to flip the ‘SES’ switch, and this video may help you locate it. It’s VERY tiny:

With regard to the idle ‘air control valve’ - usually called the idle speed solenoid (or ISC) on this forum, be VERY careful testing that - you are not meant to give it voltage for more than a couple of seconds at each test. In any event, it is SUPPOSED to ‘go up and down’ very fast - 20 times a second. It would appear that yours is working properly.

See my last post about the EGR - I don’t understand your issue about the ‘vacuum’ - the EGR valve responds to vacuum, it doesn’t create it. That being said, often you have to clean the EGR passages a number of times before you get them clean. Again, with the EGR off the car, ream out the passages and then start the car for about 2 seconds, which will rev very high and blow out more carbon for you. The EGR valve does not work while the engine is idling (so no vacuum to it, while idling). IIRC, you will be unable to test this for vacuum, on your car, unless the rear wheels are actually moving.

 

Hi Bex, thanks for your time, I really appreciate that. Now that I arrive to my home and do what you toll me, I can write you back. I found the switch like you said and changed, turn on the engine and the light came off, before that, always was on. It didn't came on, to make the test and jump with the cable to see any code, maybe because I had the battery disconnected over night and I just connect it right now, I couldn't go to a ride because is too rainy and It doesn't have the top on. I leave the engine on, for 20 minutes, the revs was like 600, never stall, but at thats revs the motor was shaking a little, but never came on the check engine, I think that I have to take it, for a good ride, to see If the check engine light came on and then run the test.

Taking about the EGR, what I mean was, that the old EGR has the diaphragm broke, thats why I has to put a new one.

With the ISC, it just went up and down fast only one time and stop in the close position, every time, I put the key in the on position, just do that, one time and stop.

Thanks!!

 

Ah, I’m glad that you found the switch. Some people completely disconnect it, but I think that once you know where it is, it is easy to locate again, when the ‘service engine soon’ function comes on. That usually comes on at an ‘even’ number of miles, like 50,000, 100,000 etc. It’s just a reminder.
You had the battery disconnected, for whatever reason, but just to advise that if you wanted to clear the codes in the computer, you can also remove the fuse for the dome light for a minute, which will also re-set the codes. Then you need to drive around a bit for the computer to see if there are any faults. You can also check (with the check engine light off) to see if you get the code 12 from the computer, indicating that the computer does not see any BIG problems (note that in our old cars, it pretty much has to be a big problem and one that involves the emission system, for codes to be thrown).

I think that perhaps your engine is shaking a bit, as the 600 rpm is a bit low for the idle. I imagine that if you revved the engine slightly, so that the rpm was sitting at 800, it wouldn’t shake.

Regarding the ISC - you will have a vacuum line that runs from the air pipe from the air filter, to the ISC. If you take a pliers and pinch that vacuum line, your idle should drop down considerably - when you let it go, the idle should come back up again.

Anyway, take your car for a good ride, and report back as to what (if any) problems you have. We can try to sort them out.....

 

Thank you so much, as soon I can, I will write you back!!!

 

Hi Bex, I just did a small ride, because the rain, but what I found: when I turned on, it revs 1500, then fast went down until it rich 500 revs (if I turn the A/C on, it almost don't do anything), then I went to a ride, when you change to 2nd, until 5, that first puch of the gas isn't clean (it hold the vehicle a little), then continue normal and after a stop it almost stall and the check engine turn on, but after a few minutes going back to my house to get the code, it turn off by itself.

When I arrived to my house, I did the test you told me to do with the ISC, and yes, it did exactly what you said. (First picture)

Then I did something that I will like that you can analyze. (2nd picture) when I pich the line thats go to the canister, the problem was gone, it revs 900 like nothing happens, I put the gas to 4000 revs a few times and go down to 900 revs without any problem and the check engine didn't came on when I did that. Can this tell you something??

Something more, I note that the selenoid (if that is a selenoid) that is attached to the thin line (the one with the black connector) that I pich in the second picture was cold and the one that is in the left (blue connector) was very hot, maybe thats normal but I want to tell you that, to see, if tell you something.

I did the test as you said with the light off, but when I put the key on, it just was off, never gave me any code, just the light came off.

Maybe tomorrow I can have a long ride to see if the check engine came on and I can get some code.

 

Then I did something that I will like that you can analyze. (2nd picture) when I pich the line thats go to the canister, the problem was gone, it revs 900 like nothing happens, I put the gas to 4000 revs a few times and go down to 900 revs without any problem and the check engine didn't came on when I did that. Can this tell you something??

yep, that tells me its sucking air from the evap system and causing a faulty mixture which explains the funny idle. Either the solenoids stuck open, or theres a split in a line somewhere causing an air leak. Take the line off the canister that you pinched in the pic, put a bolt or something in it to seal it and go for a drive and see how it behaves. This might be where the problem has been for a while. I'm sure Bex will have further information for you, but that will at least prove whats happening. If it all comes right, then you know where to start fault finding, and driving it like that for a few miles won't cause any damage.