Today I had various problems with my '94 SC4 and I have no idea how to diagnose. I'd like to consult some of the experts here for some input. Here's the story.

I left the car parked outside last night, and it was only about -20. This morning I had a helluva time starting it. Cranked no problem, but would never really start. After about the 5th time, it finally started, but idled at about 100 rpm. At this point the car was also vibrating, likely because it wasn't supposed to idle at this speed.

I left it to warm up for a few minutes and drove it gently. There is no power and a high pitched whining noise which sounds like it's coming from the passenger side. When I let off the throttle, it feels like I'm using engine braking. When I do this, RPMs drop to zero briefly, then back up to about 500.

I pull into our shop and pop the hood. There's some smoke coming from the rear of the engine bay on the passenger side. It also smells like burning metal, like a welding shop.

I check under the car and can't see any leaking fluids.

Is there anything else I should check?

 

could be a clogged up cat....

 

Could be a cat but it sounds similar to a problem I had. My passenger side distributor went out and caused it to act very similar to what you're describing. But it could also be an ignition coil so I would start by checking the plugs on top of the distributor on each side. what happens is when it does not burn the fuel on whichever side is not getting spark it begins to ignite in the cat causing the smoking and burning metal smell. When it happened to me it was late and in the rear view mirror I saw a shower of sparks come out of the exhaust. It also messed up an O2 sensor so be careful driving it around. hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Really appreciate the response guys. That definitely makes sense. I will check today, thanks!

PS: I also notice that both cats are red hot, which I think is not normal. Does this give any further indication to whether it's the distributor or ignition coil?

 

It's more than likely the ignition coil but if you are going to change the coils, you might as well get new distributer caps and rotors. Its your ignition system which is all interconnected.

 

I just went to take a look at the car, and I came across a frayed wire that resulted from rubbing on the accessory belt. I took some pictures of what I found. This is on the driver's side.

If I'm using the wrong terminology, please feel free to correct me. I will describe it as best I can:



The wire comes from the timing belt cover (the metal part just below the cover for the distributor) and goes into the grey connector, which leads to the same place as the wire that goes to the driver's side ignition coil (lower). Is this where the problem is coming from?

A completely uneducated guess tells me this is the wire for the CPS. Can anyone confirm this, and whether it may be a source of the problem?

 

While I knwo what wire you are talking about, I have no idea what the wire does However, if it is frayed, you are going to have to fix it anyway so go ahead and do that, then see if that fixed the problem...I know, I'm not any help

 

oh yea if that connector is fried it will cause the car to act that way that is the wire that runs back to cam sensor behind the distributor cap...fixed the wire and the problem should go away same thing almost happen to me but noticed it was close to the belt before any damage was done

 

Thanks guys, this is definitely reassuring. Is this a special wire that I need to replace with one from the dealer? Or is it just a generic wire where I can cut out the bad piece and resolder another in place? What do you guys recommend?

 

Before you buy it at the dealer, check with Aliga here on the forums or one of the other parts people to see if they can get you the wire. Sure it will be used but it should be cheaper. Best bet is two get your hands on a 1uz-fe engine wiring diagram so you know exactly the name of the wire. you will also then find out what is involved in replacing the wire(could be a huge PITA). Then you can go to the dealer and check the new price versus a used part price.

 

Update: Made another discovery. Noticed the driver's side ignition coil is cracked. I will attempt to change that one first. Reason is because I came across this thread where another member had the same issue: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mai...ower-help.html

Also, I've had a CEL 71 EGR light for the longest time, but decided to check in case others came up. I didn't get any new codes, so it's unlikely the cam sensor wire. But I'll try to fix it anyway before it gets worse.

If it's up and running, then I'll go ahead and do rotors/caps, and maybe the other coil too. At least I'll be able to drive to the store! Very excited, will keep you guys updated.

 

Update: Just got it fixed today, and it was only the driver's side ignition coil. Hopefully the next guy who has the same problem will be able to find this thread.

Thanks for all your help guys! I would've had absolutely no idea, and definitely learned a lot. It's hard to believe that the burning metal smell could be traced all the way back to a bad ignition coil, it all makes sense now!

Though one thing I am still curious about is how to test whether it is the coil or whether it is the distributors? Some say to unplug one of coils, then start it, and if it doesn't work then it's the opposite one, but it's not always the case.

 

Those wires are for your cam housing pickup, kind of important. Can cause you to throw a code 13 (code 13 can mean other things too). Insulate the wire and position it so it doesn't rub!

 

Gotta love the forums. Glad you got it fixed.

 

how did you change the driver side coil? i couldnt get enough force on the screw driver.

tried doing it when i was diagnosing my car which ended up being a bad ecu. so i have a old driver coil but new passenger coil hahaha