Warm up, sputters, dies... wtf??.. >:(

[Andrew Aadland]

So, My Boy and I just picked up a 99 gsx shell and a 6 bolt with new gaskets (same internals). we dropped in the motor and trans, hooked up our 2g engine harness, fire the car up and think wow it sounds great!. upon letting it warmup, it starts to miss/sputter (sounds like ignition timing is off?) then proceeds to die. i need some ideas on culprits here..

Mods are as follows..:

Evoscan software on ecu tuned for the 7 bolt predcessor (which was all stock)
tuned for E85
new stock fuel filter
FIC 950 low Z"s
BC 272's
Kiggly HLA
black cover CAS
egr is deleted

I also am curious to see if the Power Transistor unit that came with the 1 g coils is a necessity? no CEL either

 

[dustyboner]

are you running e85 in it now?

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[pauleyman]

How long did it sit? Fuel tanks and pump can get nasty.

 

[Andrew Aadland]

We drained the tank before putting the motor in, and put 5 gallons of fresh e85 in it. It starts up and and runs good for like 2 and a half minutes before it begins to stutter for another 30 seconds, and then it just won't have it anymore and dies. Try to start after that and can only keep it alive with the pedal, at which point it just sounds like it's out of time.

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

 

[ohjunkitswindy]

I would start with checking that new fuel filter, you may have sucked up some debris. Next, you could check the injectors, some times they can suck air in, if the insulator or o-ring is sufficiently old try spraying a dab of ether around the area and if you have a change in idle that might be your culprit. Probably not it. Other that that, have you checked the OBD 1 port? Pin 1 and 12, take a multimeter to it. Long responses are equal to a 10 and short to 1. Two long blinks and two short blinks should be a 22.

Could also be the fuel pump. Try re-priming the pump. Turn the car to the position before crank, or "on" 5 times, waiting for the click, to build pressure up in the line.

 

[Yellow Talon 2d]

Only because it is a warm up issue, have you ohmed out the computer coolant sensor warm vs cold and checked spec? It can be toast with no CEL...
Just a shot in the dark, not knowing the car:
Coolant Temperature Sensor a) Sensor testing
i) Make sure the car is cool
ii) Drain enough coolant from the car so that the lower 2 sensors under the rad cap can be removed
iii) Unplug the sensor under the rad cap that has a plug and connections in the shape of a “T” with 2 wires. The single wire sensor is for the coolant temp gauge on your dash. The upper normal plug sensor is for the AC coolant temp sensor
iv) Put the tip of the sensor in a pan/pot of water on a stove (I put it in vicegrips that sat on the edge of the small pot v) Connect a multimeter and check the resistance between the terminals as follows:
(1) Water temperature of 32°F (0°C): 5.1-6.5 kilo-ohms present
(2) Water temperature of 68°F (20°C): 2.1-2.7 kilo-ohms present
(3) Water temperature of 104°F (40°C): 0.9-1.3 kilo-ohms present
(4) Water temperature of 176°F (80°C): 0.26-0.36 kilo-ohms present
vi) If the sensor is outside the above range then replace it otherwise check the wiring in the next step
b) Wiring testing
i) Check signal - Test for continuity between pin 2 of the coolant temp sensor wiring harness and pin 20 of the ECU wiring harness.
(1) If no continuity is found check the connection between the wire and the sensor plug

 

[pauleyman]

Only because it is a warm up issue, have you ohmed out the computer coolant sensor warm vs cold and checked spec? It can be toast with no CEL...
Just a shot in the dark, not knowing the car:
Coolant Temperature Sensor a) Sensor testing
i) Make sure the car is cool
ii) Drain enough coolant from the car so that the lower 2 sensors under the rad cap can be removed
iii) Unplug the sensor under the rad cap that has a plug and connections in the shape of a “T” with 2 wires. The single wire sensor is for the coolant temp gauge on your dash. The upper normal plug sensor is for the AC coolant temp sensor
iv) Put the tip of the sensor in a pan/pot of water on a stove (I put it in vicegrips that sat on the edge of the small pot v) Connect a multimeter and check the resistance between the terminals as follows:
(1) Water temperature of 32°F (0°C): 5.1-6.5 kilo-ohms present
(2) Water temperature of 68°F (20°C): 2.1-2.7 kilo-ohms present
(3) Water temperature of 104°F (40°C): 0.9-1.3 kilo-ohms present
(4) Water temperature of 176°F (80°C): 0.26-0.36 kilo-ohms present
vi) If the sensor is outside the above range then replace it otherwise check the wiring in the next step
b) Wiring testing
i) Check signal - Test for continuity between pin 2 of the coolant temp sensor wiring harness and pin 20 of the ECU wiring harness.
(1) If no continuity is found check the connection between the wire and the sensor plug

I'm in agreement this sounds like a control issue. Additionally an IAC valve can cause problems if the idle is not set correctly. When the car is cold it runs. After it warms up you run out of range on the IAC. Setting the idle correctly May fix this problem.

 

[Andrew Aadland]

Hey! That is alot for yoyr replies guys! I think we just figured it out though (we'll find out soon as we get the EvoScan Software and cable).

The ecu was tuned on e85 for the 7 bolt that was originally in the car before it was blown up some years ago. Now thinking back to what the value on the AEM Wideband upon startup (14.8) it all just clicked for me like 20 minutes ago!

I don't know if any of you have any experience with EvoScan, but I'm thinking that if I change the base A/F to 11.5, that the computer would automatically make A/F corrections from there throughout the rev range. Would this be a correct assumption? Or will the Evo need a full retune?.

Again thank you all for your input