Check Engine light on. Rough running engine. Need help!!

[lyonswm]

I have a 90 1g fwd and for the past few weeks I have been trying to figure out why the car has been running rough and the check engine came on. I used an analog voltmeter to figure out the code and came out with 23. According to manuals that means it is the Cam Angle Sensor. I bought one from a guy online and had to sauder wires together and i replaced it and it still did not fix my problem. This problem is conditional. When the car is cold and has been sitting for a good amount of time i can start it up and it will run just fine. But if i drive to say walmart park it and it sits for an hour if i start it then the engine runs very rough and when driving i have serious power lag. and the check engine light comes back on. I am not sure what could be causing this. It could still be that the CAS is defective however before I buy another I would like to figure out what else it could be. If anyone could help that would be great.

 

[92AWDHX40]

You need a logger to check the codes of some kind of diagnostic tol it could be anything, no way unless we know the code.

 

[lyonswm]

Well from what i can tell it is throwing code 23 once again. It has all the same symptoms as it did before i changed the CAS. I can't figure out what else would cause it to throw that code. and why it runs fine when cold but once i warm it up then shut it down it will run rough when warmed up.

 

[92AWDHX40]

do a boost leak, test, rough your too vauge, could be plugs, wires, lots of things.

 

[lyonswm]

I have checked for boost leaks, as well as the wires, and all. When i say that runs rough it seems to be that there is an ignition problem with the car but all of the obvious little things that i can think of such as boost leaks or the spark plugs and wires. It is something that is setting off the check engine light. It makes sense that it could be a cam angle sensor since that is an ignition problem. from what i can listen in the engine and out of the exhaust it sounds like the engine is firing wrong.

 

[1gchallenge]

It could also be the O2 sensor, egr, vapor lock, or even the ecu its self. If it were me i would test everything testable first, if you cant find anything and start replacing items, start with the cheapest! haha

 

[Helifax]

why did you have to solder any wires? i'd go back and check your solder connections, they may be breaking down from heat.

 

[lyonswm]

I had to soder the wires because i bought it used from a guy how posted it on this site and he sent it in the box and when i got it and pulled it out of th box the wires were hanging by a thread right at the sensor and they broke off. So i had to separate them and i told the guy who sold it to me about the problem and he just advised i soder the wires. So I did and i have checked them the wires are all well on there and have been holding up good. So i am not sure what to do

 

[LiquidX]

I would have sent it back to him if that was the condition you received it in without prior knowledge of it being busted.

You said you got a "new" on put on? Did you just plug it in or did you cut that harness too? I'm assuming your set your timing with a light afterwards? Also, did you check your transistor pack and coil pack at all?

 

[lyonswm]

I have checked to coil pack and made sure everything is in tight. The wires i have are about a year old and they are the NGK's. The timing should be fine but that is one thing i have not checked. However if it was a timing problem i would think it would run roughly all of the time. It is a conditional problem that only after the car has been started and warmed up then is shut down for a period of time when i come back and start it up the engine runs rough and the check engine light comes on. Is the timing something that could do that?

 

[LiquidX]

You do realize that the CAS adjusts your ignition timing right? Any time it's taken off or fiddled with while the bolts are loose you need to re time using a timing light. When I said testing the coil pack and transistor, I meant testing the units themselves.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-electrical-wiring/229419-how-test-power-transistors.html

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[lyonswm]

Yes I do. That is very helpful i did not know I had to re time it. Thank you very much, from what i have looked at with your diagram and the link you posted this is the way to retime it? I am not clear on how exactly to fix the problem with some of this info since it seems to be a way to check for problems but I am not sure what fully re times the car. Thank you for you help I really appreciate it.

 

[LiquidX]

Yes I do. That is very helpful i did not know I had to re time it. Thank you very much, from what i have looked at with your diagram and the link you posted this is the way to retime it? I am not clear on how exactly to fix the problem with some of this info since it seems to be a way to check for problems but I am not sure what fully re times the car. Thank you for you help I really appreciate it.

No, those are what I want you to test for your issue. Setting your ignition timing requires that you ground your timing connector.
http://members.shaw.ca/dsm.1000q/Engineprimer/1G/timingconn.htm

Hook up your timing light per it's instructions.

Then procede to set your CAS by following this (from RRE) :

Set the base timing:
1. Connect a timing light to battery power (+ and -) and the Number 1 spark plug.

2. Connect a data logger to the car and display timing advance and RPM

3. Allow the car to come up to temp. Coolant 212 deg F, 750 RPM +/- 100, Fan's should cycle on and off

4. Read the timing from the crank with no load on the motor. Each mark is 5 deg no fans, no lights, no A/C etc.

5. Adjust the position of the CAS until the readings from the TIMING LIGHT, match the timing advance displayed on the data logger. This is "stock" advance. If you have a mild setup with stock cam's you'll pass the smog inspection if your ECU timing and crank timing reads 5 deg +/-3 deg BTDC at idle

6. Add additional timing at own risk, (Timing light advance) - (ECU advance) = (Base Timing Shift) see: "The bad"

7. Tighten the 12mm nuts/bolts that hold the 1G CAS


Grounding out the plug that I mentioned above will keep the timing at 5*BTDC so you can then just adjust the CAS to 5* advance via the light without needing to do all the math with the logger.

 

[DSM1G90]

I had to replace the CAS in my vehicle, but I had to be careful with the exposed wires in that early 1990 CAS since the heat all but dried out the insulation in as well as the color code were hard to read. When that insulation gets all dried up, it will make the wires easy to break and I've resoldered and added shrink tube over them for protection.

Inside the old CAS was all but corroded. Also, thing about switching out the CAS is the little "house" symbol on the end of the EXHAUST cam, with the setup in TDC, has to be up and the one end (the grooved end) of the rotor key has to point to the dot on the CAS housing itself.

Also, an ECU rebuild and a coil pack was in order to get my ride back on the road...this was two years ago...

- good luck - DSM