I have an 87 305 TPI A4 that has been nothing but problems since i picked it up. It always seemed to run rough, but it ran. It always seemed to miss and run rough. Figured it just needed a tune-up, so i put new wires, plugs, cap+rotor, and fuel filter on it. It ran better for a while, but now it's worse than it was. Now it takes forever to start when its been sitting, but if you shut it down, then start it up say in about 20 minutes, it would start fine. It also bogs down like crazy up till about 3500rpm, and has a very irregular, lopey idle. The only code the car throws is 54, and im fairly sure that's just cause i removed the smog equipment. What do you guys think? Injectors? Fuel Pump? ECM?, maybe something to do with my cold start injector? I started to think fuel injectors, but don't want to blow the dough on new ones just guessing. I was hoping maybe with the description i gave, maybe someone can give me a more accurate answer than just guessing. Thanks for any help you all can give me. (P.S., i was gonna post this in the tpi section, but it didn't seem specific enough.)

 

injectors wouldnt be a bad idea you can get ford 19lb injectors i believe they are orange in color on ebay and other sites. you can get them for 200 bucks.

well worth the money i must say. i also added new rebuilt maf sensor that was another problem my car had.

car runs great after i replaced alot. jsut the fact of our cars after 20yrs if not treated well and with age they need alot of work to run they way you want.

my suggestion is new/rebuilt maf sensor if you need it. even wiuthout a code being thrown id still get it checked.

definately new injectors. the ford ones are a nice replacement since the dealership wants over a 100 per injector for a stock replacement

look into a 14 dollar temp sensor. it goes into the front of your intake. not for the gauges its for your computer to see how old your coolent is for cold starts.


basically unless your willing to take it to a garage your not going to find what it is specifically. i played with my car and did this and that.

gotta take care of the basics.

air, fuel and electricity

new K&n filter with cold air induction kit for 70-100 is a nice upgrade.

new fuel injectors

and you alreeady took care of your distributor parts.

and make sure your ecm has been updated to knot look for a smog setup. not sure but that might be part of your issue.

when you remove key parts from your engien for a special setup you usually need to reprogram your prom chip to compensate.

but hopefully more ppl will post their opinions and you can figure out for yourself what is best for your car

goodluck
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also make sure you do an oil flush get all that old oil out and put some good stuff in there.
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and fuel injector cleaner/engine cleaer isnt a bad idea either

 

Don't throw parts at it. You need to measure the fuel pressure and see how quickly it leaks down. Also seeing all the sensor readings with a scanner will tell you a lot. It really could be many things and guessing will likely just cost you money and frustration.

 

yes i agrer dont throw parts at it but im just saying from experience with my car it didnt hurt at all to replace a feww tihngs with the condition it was in.

just depends how much this guy wants to do on his own. and when or if he wants to take it to a shop.

this was my project car not a daily driver. so i was just suggesting it wouldnt hurt to replace those key components

 

I thought about the smog and AIR being removed, but from everything I've read, it won cause any poblems, and it doesn't affect much except gas mileage, but I could be way off, can anyone confirm this?

 

My car was running really rough and I had a couple error codes. I bought a set of slp runners and a new mat sensor (it was one of my error codes) and when I pulled off the plenum it was filled with carbon build up. The old mat sensor was covered too. I got carb cleaner and sprayed the hell out of it. It took a lot of the crap off, unclogged some of the holes, and now my car runs great. Its much smoother than before and none of the error codes have come back. Now Im not saying to put slp runners on the car just clean everything up. it may help. Your car is 20 years old.

 

gooseman, i appreciate the help, but you have a 91 MAP sensor setup, i have MAF on my 87. Does anyone know about the smog and AIR being taken off causing severe problems without a tune?
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also, is my cold start injector the same as my regular injectors, or is it a special part?

 

Removing the Air Injection will not cause rough running, and should not set any error codes on an '87. That presumes the pump, diverter valve, and plumbing was removed with some care and not just hacked out. The A.I.R. distribution tubes need to be sealed. The wiring for the divert and port valves needs to be isolated.

jv9999 has offered good advice. Don't just throw parts at it without diagnosis. Code 54 reports low voltage measured at the fuel pump terminal. That seems to be reasonable, since you are reporting loss of power at higher RPM. Verify adequate fuel pressure, and if it is not at least 37 PSIG ±3 PSIG running, investigate why. Low voltage can cause low pressure, which can result in low power, apparent misfire, rough running, and other issues.

Treat your MAF carefully. If it is not setting an error code, it is likely intact. Test the MAF output under known running conditions. The procedures have been listed here hundreds of times. All you need to do is SEARCH for them.

If the fuel pressure is correct, perform a power balance test with the injectors. Those procedures are also archived here.

The cold start injector is completely different than the service injectors. It is also operated completely differently.