DIY Car servicing

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A code reader is a good investment, not cheap but it will pay for itself.
I always had an interest in mechanical things. So working on vehicles is something i do in my spare time. I been doing most of my own maintenance for almost 40 yrs. Did my first engine swap in a snowbank, in april , when i was 16 .
 
I borrowed a cheap chinese made one from a friend the other day. It seems to work very well. I got the Torque app on the Android store. It reads error codes as well as stores real-time information on performance and fuel use etc. You basically just leave it plugged in to the ECU and it communicates by bluetooth with the phone.
 
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I have not kept up with the times my newest vehicle is a 1996 model. Surprised my friend with a 2006 Tahoe. He needed a pickup so i offered to drive but he fills the tank. My 1981 carbed 350 delivered just as good of mileage as his tahoe. I refreshed a rebuilt engine new rings and bearings and heads. Put new ball joints,brake pads,shocks, complete new rear brake system. So for less then $3000.00 i have a vehicle that has not let me down for over six years.
 
Guess i should not have been bragging about my old truck the rear end piled up the other day lol.
 
Anyone have any advice on how to fix a rough idle. Started up in the last few days.

The engine vibrates a bit at idle and seems a bit louder when accelerating.

I changed the spark plugs and it’s a little better but still a lot of engine vibration.

I’m thinking MAF sensor or dirty fuel filter or injectors?

Anyine else ever experience this problem?
 
What did your spark plugs look like? If they were sooty black i would vote map sensor. Brown to white, dirty injectors. not saying i am close to being correct… Any change in gas mileage?
 
Spark plugs weren’t too bad. I was hoping the change would fix the issue. They were kinda black but not too much. Yeah. MPG is gone down a bit and the engine sounds louder.

I also ran very low on fuel one day last week.

Not sure when the fuel filter was last changed. And two ignition coils are old. One failed about 7000km ago and was replaced.

I’m off work tomorrow so I have a list of things I’m going to try to rule out:

MAF sensor dirty/faulty
Vacuum Leak
Dirty Air Filter
Fuel filter.
Dirty injectors

I can still drive it and no engine light is appearing. It’s just annoying me now as I do notice the fuel going faster and I feel like the acceleration is a little slower than usual. I want to figure out the problem.
 
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So how did the weekend go?
Out on the farm we have little friends that love to make a cozy home in the air filter boxes.
 
Well I checked the MAF sensor and tried running without it for a short drive. No change. I gave it a clean and put it back and it was the same.

I checked the vacuum hoses and there are no obvious leaks.
The air filter isn’t particularly dirty, though I might change it anyway.
The fuel filter looked like it had never been changed and the screw holding the clip in place was rusted to oblivion. I removed the old fuel filter and put a new one in and the car seemed to run better for a while. The idle smoothed out too. I filled the tank and drove about 75 miles last night and it was very smooth, almost quieter than it was originally.

Parked it overnight and in the morning the low growl on accelerating was back. And while the idle is now consistent, there is more vibration than I remember. It holds steady at about 750RPM

The only thing I’m thinking now is some valve issue or fuel ignition coils, or injectors. If that was the case though, why was it so smooth last night?

Still no engine light though, so whatever it is is not regstering in the ECU. Maybe I’m just paranoid and it was always this way? I have been told that my model engine can be very loud when revving.
 
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We’ve experienced rough idling when we’ve had clogged injectors.

The other obvious things were the spark plugs, which you’ve checked.

And, like you’ve mentioned, some engines don’t have the smoothest idle.

We had been driving larger sedan-sized cars for many years, and then when we needed to get a new car, we went back to a smaller-sized car due to fuel economy.

I had to get used to feeling all of the bumps in the road again in a smaller car, and I also had to get used to the smaller engine size again, too.
 
Yeah. I might just pull the injectors and clean them manually. That’s probably it.

The more I poke around the engine the more I realise that a lot of stuff looks like it hasn’t ever been serviced. And I do a fair amount of driving now as I am on call as a taxi driver. That’s the fun of being a husband, the eldest brother of six, and living near my teenage siblings!

😉

It probably just needs more regular attention now that it’s being driven into the ground.

Any suggestions for getting the best life out of the engine, making stuff last longer?
 
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AdamPeter said:
Well I checked the MAF sensor and tried running without it for a short drive. No change. I gave it a clean and put it back and it was the same.
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Not like the old days when one could tap the carb to cure it sorta. To me when something is unhooked and there is no change that part would be defective. The mass air flow sensor measures air coming in the engine to adjust fuel rate.So with it unhooked should it not run worse.
 
I think my problem must be injectors.

Looking for a way to clean them now.
Any suggestions?
I have a multi point injection system fed be a fuel rail. (Unleaded Petrol fuel)
I’ve looked at a few different methods. Just wondering which is best.
 
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I’m pretty sure the ECU in my car can compensate for that to a point. Would there not be a yellow engine light of death if a sensor failed?
 
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Seafoam is supposed to clean out your fuel system. dump a can in your gas tank and see if that helps.
 
oldgraymare2 said:
We have a small Hyundai that’s a few years old.
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I have a 2006 Hyundai Elantra! I love my car. Only 84,000miles too! Had to get the water pump and timing belt changed. That’s expensive 😦 Hose clamp got loose and my antifreeze went everywhere 😱

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Oh nooo!

That’s horrible! 😟

Luckily nothing was damaged.

We have over 100,000 miles on ours by now, with the type of driving that my husband does. He has a long commute to get to his job each day, during the week.

It’s a great car. Very reliable.
 
It’s getting detailed tomorrow for the winter😊 Gonna get the engine wiped down too👍
 
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