Having issues with a 92 SSEi
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 11:09 pm
I acquired a 92 SSEi in a rather odd manner. My accountant decided to go 4 wheeling with it (not intentionally) and he tore a hole in the oil pan and the transmission pan. He had the vehicle towed to my house where I was going to get it up and running again for him. This as in November and I do not have a garage and I live at 8500 foot elevation in Colorado. So needless to say the repair was going to be a spring time project. Well spring comes as does tax season and called him to get mt taxes done and phone number was disconnected. Both his personal cell and his office. Called his house and left a message. Turns out the guy died about 2 weeks after he had the car towed to my house. After about 6 months of trying to get a hold of his wife to either get the car or sign the title over to me I decided to give the car to a 19 year old kid that needed transportation. The trade off is he is the one that has to put the work in to fix it.
I had not entered the vehicle at all since it had been towed to my house. Turns out the seal on the sunroof was no good and it had turned into a lake inside of it. I opened the hood and discovered the engine leaked more oil then it burned gasoline. Now I knew this was going to end up being a much larger project then I initially thought. I instructed the kid how to remove everything in the interior except for the dashboard and I ten handed him a finger nail brush a 10 pack of blue scotts shop towels and 16 cans of sprayway glass cleaner (alcohol based) pointed at the pile of parts and said have fun. I know the engine had been rebuilt some 60K miles ago and why it was wearing a fur coat after 60K confused me. Turns out the person that did the rebuild apparently didn't know how to put rubber gaskets on properly or follow directions when putting the bathtub gasket in and didn't RTV the 4 points where the heads come to the block where the gasket sits...
After lots of scrubbing and cleaning and inspecting and installing new oil pan and trans pan and all the gaskets that were leaking and putting the interior back in. The 19 YO didn't know better and decided to clean the throttle body and while he did do the smart thing and remove the the sensors he didn't know that the TPS had to be adjusted. So had to take the throttle body back off and get that all adjusted. Crank it over and it coughs and that's about it. No check engine light at all and the check engine light doesn't even flash when doing the paper clip deal. The radiator fan does turn on high when the paper clip is inserted and KOEO. no blinking of the check engine light...After cranking it a few times it seems like it is spitting back out the throttle body and there is a heavy gasoline smell as if it is running rich. I am thinking maybe the idle air control solenoid possibly? But if that was bad I should be able to start if while opening the throttle and it doesn't start when I do that.
The DIC lights up when the key is turned on and it is flickering when it is lit, then it does out and nothing is on the display at all. I am thinking there has got to be a ground issue somewhere I am thinking. All of the accessory electronics are working except for the compass and I think that might be tied into the same circuit as the DIC. If there is a ground issue for the IPC I would imagine that would be the cause of the check engine light not lighting up.
If anyone has any suggestions on where to start looking it would be greatly appreciated.
I had not entered the vehicle at all since it had been towed to my house. Turns out the seal on the sunroof was no good and it had turned into a lake inside of it. I opened the hood and discovered the engine leaked more oil then it burned gasoline. Now I knew this was going to end up being a much larger project then I initially thought. I instructed the kid how to remove everything in the interior except for the dashboard and I ten handed him a finger nail brush a 10 pack of blue scotts shop towels and 16 cans of sprayway glass cleaner (alcohol based) pointed at the pile of parts and said have fun. I know the engine had been rebuilt some 60K miles ago and why it was wearing a fur coat after 60K confused me. Turns out the person that did the rebuild apparently didn't know how to put rubber gaskets on properly or follow directions when putting the bathtub gasket in and didn't RTV the 4 points where the heads come to the block where the gasket sits...
After lots of scrubbing and cleaning and inspecting and installing new oil pan and trans pan and all the gaskets that were leaking and putting the interior back in. The 19 YO didn't know better and decided to clean the throttle body and while he did do the smart thing and remove the the sensors he didn't know that the TPS had to be adjusted. So had to take the throttle body back off and get that all adjusted. Crank it over and it coughs and that's about it. No check engine light at all and the check engine light doesn't even flash when doing the paper clip deal. The radiator fan does turn on high when the paper clip is inserted and KOEO. no blinking of the check engine light...After cranking it a few times it seems like it is spitting back out the throttle body and there is a heavy gasoline smell as if it is running rich. I am thinking maybe the idle air control solenoid possibly? But if that was bad I should be able to start if while opening the throttle and it doesn't start when I do that.
The DIC lights up when the key is turned on and it is flickering when it is lit, then it does out and nothing is on the display at all. I am thinking there has got to be a ground issue somewhere I am thinking. All of the accessory electronics are working except for the compass and I think that might be tied into the same circuit as the DIC. If there is a ground issue for the IPC I would imagine that would be the cause of the check engine light not lighting up.
If anyone has any suggestions on where to start looking it would be greatly appreciated.