what the hell would cause my ignition to just randomly retard like crazy, to where it barrely will rune, if im lucky
?

 

A bad knock sensor will cause false knock retard

 

hmm, good to know. im going to reset the timing in the morning, think i should just replace the knock sensor?

 

I hate to tell you throw money at the wrong parts. I think getting the aldl cable first and using tuner pro should be your next purchase. You can rap on the engine block with a broom handle and see how easily the knock sensor responds. I have never experienced a overly sensitive knock sensor but Im just guessing over time it can be.

 

seams that i have been throwing parts at it anyway, and new parts are never a bad thing, especialy on a car with lots of miles

 

i looked up under the car and noticed the connector for the knock sensor has pretty much disintegrated... im going to go on a whim here but could that have anything to do with it?
should i just fix the connector and replace the sensor?... i was looking up the specs to my engine and it also states to set base timing at retard by 10 degrees...i have it at 2 degrees retarded right now.

 

I would replace the connector and leave the sensor be. Yes, a bad connector will/can cause a lot of false knock reports.

As for the timing, stock is 10* BTDC. This is done on a warmed up engine with the EST BYPASS connector open.

Retarded timing would be ATDC.

RBob.

 

if stock is 10

would it be better to go 8? whould i get better throttle respone?

i baught a new sensor and connector, just need to put them in, i went to unthread the existing sensor and it is really tight, i dont want to break it, would it be better to let the block heat up first? before removing it

 

If your going to try to remove the knock sensor do it while the engine is cold or try heating up just the threaded base with a propaine torch. piple plugs can be difficult to remove with corrosion. You can buy just the delphi/packard connecter housing and repin or replace the pigtail and solder and shrink tube the splice.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...er=342403_0_0_

 

i got the pig tail. i need to either solder it, or some how get the pin out of the new housing so i can push in the old pin into the new plug housing

 

so take the knock sensor out while its cold? dont they use red locktite? the new one appears to have red loctite on it...?

 

What the stuff you see on the threads is just a thread pipe sealer. The knock sensor is not suppose to be real tight 14 ftlbs IIRC. . To remove the terminal housing you need a small tube or a repinning tool. The back of the connecter has two latch tabs and it will flip up.The inside terminal has two ears that need to be push in to release it so it will slide out of the back of the connecter. The terminal may need to be re tensioned be careful bending the tabs out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lisle-Terminal-Release-Tool-For-GM-Model-14900-/190380373283?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item2c538df523&vxp=mtr

 

yes, that tool lol, i have it, just not here lol, is about an hour away hahahaim sure i can make one though.... soooo how exactly does the sensor work ... does it just creat a ground? can i run it and if it still creats a problem, can i un plug it and run witout it without a problem? and trouble shoot that way? i dont run cheap gas so i dont think im pingin or knocking much anyway

 

another thing i was thinking about.... how hard would it be to turn the distributer when its clamped down? when i was putting my plennum back together and taking the fuel pressur gauge off i hit the distributer hard enough to skin my knuckles... and then replaced the ignition module also... i feel like im chasing a ghost lol
maybe it was as simple as me knocking it out of time? i just cant seem to think it would be that bad though... this all started with the engine killing itself and coming back up and tested the fpr and it was bad, but with in doing that, i hit the distributer... ??

 

Dropping the btdc timing isn't going to gain you anymore HP(for the most part) Adding timing could add minor hp gains and throttle response but were talking about the base timing only which can really toss your timing table out of wack when you add say 4* base to a total of 14*btdc. At 90+kpa and 4000rpms IIRC were around 35* of timing or so, so now with the added timing were up around 40 degrees of timing, and believe me that is a lot of timing. I don't see a sence in pushing your timing around to gain 1 or 2 or 3 hp when you don't know if you have KR or not since you don't have the tools to datalog at the moment let alone tune in the extra fueling to compinsate. Just leave it at the 10 degrees and call it a day when it comes to adjusting the dizzy.

 

ok eddi, thanks. kr meening knock retard?

 

repost...another thing i was thinking about.... how hard would it be to turn the distributer when its clamped down? when i was putting my plennum back together and taking the fuel pressur gauge off i hit the distributer hard enough to skin my knuckles... and then replaced the ignition module also... i feel like im chasing a ghost lol
maybe it was as simple as me knocking it out of time? i just cant seem to think it would be that bad though... this all started with the engine killing itself and coming back up and tested the fpr and it was bad, but with in doing that, i hit the distributer... ??

 

It's better to use the connector pin that comes with the new connector. Use a waterproof crimp to splice the pigtail.

 

If the hold down clamp is tight then you wont be able to budge the dizzy. Best way to know if its tight enough is to just try and spin it when the car is not running, also look for oil around the base of it. It never hurts to just toss a timing light back on it and check the timing with the esc wire unhooked, just to be sure the base timing is correct.

Yes KR is knock retard. It is when the knock sensor sences knock and the ecm cuts back timing in efforts to stop the knock event.

 

it just seams crazy to me that all of this happend all at once? the kr.. the fuel pressure reg ...the coil was weak... just doesnt all add up...what else can or will retard the timing like that
?

 

ok. so... the car still just dies... i replaced the fpr, now the air fuel ratio is more consistant.... i replaced the ignition control mod ..i replaced the coil.... i replaced fuel filter....i checked the tps and tested it.. it came up good.. no dead spot.... it first happens under a load.. i can put down the street and the moment you get on it, it dies.. no stitter no nothing.. just starts to pick up rpm then dead....some times it will pick itself back up, others not so much... fuel pump relay maybe?
once the first time happens then it just does it over and over on its own....... and still..i dont understand why the retard timing.. maybe everytime it would do this the knock sensor thinks it need to retard?...no ses light ,,,no codes... nothing

 

If the engine still has the OEM stock injectors, replace them.

RBob.

 

injectors are new also... and why would they all just cut off fuel at the same time? if it were the case

 

Did you set the timing to 10 before with the est connector disconnected? If not do that.

Your engine may also have jumped time do to a worn timing gear or stretched chain but check everything else first.

 

i just got it to stall in my drivway, and i had the timing light on it, if i rev it rappidly over and over. with the knock sensor disconected, it will eventualy advance like crazy, and kill itself, then you can re start and do it again... im thinking the sensor stopped reading knocks or just had a bad connection? and it continued to advance because it doesnt sence a knock or ping?

 

just ran it again.. it is now pulling 16bftc at idle.. and 20 kills it... gets farther and farther every time i run it

 

Because there is only one injector driver in the '90 - '92 MPFI & TPI ECM. It fires all six (8 for TPI) injectors at the same time via the one driver.

RBob.

 

Youll never get the timing to be 10 degrees btdc with the esc wire hooked up on a stock tune.

 

esc?
electronic something?
it sits around 11. and idles smooth.. its not the stock tune.. i dont remember who did it though.. but its nothing major.

i replaced the knock sensor and the wire was munched so i replaced that too... it was also a little cooked from the old exhaust being close to the wires so i cleaned it up, and put a heat shield wrap around them.now it stumbles every time you try to open the throttle more then about 1/4 of an inch...maybe less...if you open it very slowly it will get to 2000 rpm and fall on its face.. let off it and the iac catches up and levels off at about 800 rpm.. this is consistant

 

electronic spark control. It sits at 11 with the esc wire connected or disconnected? I hope its disconnected when you see 11* of timing.

 

yes its disconnected, what should it read when its connected?

 

All depends on your timing SA map. Could be anywhere from 22 or so when idleing to 30+.

 

oh ok, and i should do the idle learn procedure also right?