You can only try covering your @ss...

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  • Witsend
    Banned
    • Nov 2012
    • 2942

    You can only try covering your @ss...

    ... but some things are going to drop in The Plumber's crack eventually.
    Case in point , I did a timing belt , water pump, spark plugs , and a few other miscellaneous repairs on a 2000 Solara 3.0. The customer supplied his own parts from Rock Auto . Before doing any work I took it around the block , monitors completed with no drivability issues and no codes set or pending, so I didn't bother checking fuel trims or data pids.
    When time came to install the plugs I noted customer brought NGK copper plugs instead of the OE Iridium plugs that came out, very clean , white insulators looking lean , called him and mentioned that cheaper copper ones should work ok , but aren't the recommended replacement ones and wont last half as long as the dual electrode Iridium plugs I removed.He said he understands that and put them in anyway because he didn't want to spend $12-$14 each for Iridium ones.
    I re install the intake with new gasket after cleaning throttle body(cable type) , and EGR passages out hook up battery Start vehicle and it has a very high idle that won't settle down, even after a driving it. I notice my long fuel trims are too high but can't find any vacuum leaks, and even loosen the intake manifold braces, and retorque intake plenum, with no change in fuel trim.
    I pull the MAF sensor and cleaned it , and spray throttle body cleaner through Iac passage and blow through it to dislodge and carbon particles . Afterwards the idle comes down normal., drives ok , but long fuel trims still too high. I advise customer, it is running pretty lean and to put some injector cleaner in for the interim and bring a fuel filter next time and Ill check the fuel pressure if lean condition persists.
    Car run fine for awhile but developed a misfire as customer driving home , and he comes back the next evening with pending code P0300 random multiple misfire, but showing high misfire counts on cylinder 4. I tell him it is still running too lean and that the dual electrode iridium plugs probably fire in lean condition better, and installed one of the old iridium plug in #4 and it seemed fine, but he called on way home that it started missing again, and he would bring it back after 2 weeks, thinking I might have his T-belt a tooth off .
    He brings it back after 2 weeks and it has a P0300 and P0301 and P0304. Cylinder one and four share same coil so I swap #4 coil with #2 and miss goes to 2. I install a coil and no more miss, but still has high fuel trims. I turn car off and hear a hiss from brake booster for a second or two after turning off. Check valve checks fine. I plug hose at brake booster and fuel trims drop way down. Why does coincidental unrelated parts to a repair seem to fail right after you do other maintenance or repairs?
  • greasybob
    Senior Member
    • May 2008
    • 1590

    #2
    Because it's a 15 year old vehicle and while some things are engineered to last longer other are still made of plastic and rubber and copper and still deteriorate with time, or if you live in the rust (road salt) belt, it all goes to **** in about 10 years or less.

    Comment

    • Scott 79
      Member
      • Mar 2014
      • 41

      #3
      Makes me happy to be a tech in East TN.. the only ones we see rusted out come from up your way, LOL! Witsend, that does suck.. gotta love it when that coincidental happens... NOT.

      Comment

      • SnapOnKid
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2011
        • 870

        #4
        Witsend, I know this is an older post but I have seen this happen to other vehicles as well.

        Honda's can do some funky stuff like this too with the Coil on plug motors.

        We had the parts store tell us they did not have iridiums a few times but they had a double platinum that was just as good or Vice Versa . Guess What, they came back just like yours. Also saw this with some customers that changed their own plugs to whatever was cheapest or went to a cheap place that gave them a cheap tuneup because they didn't want to spend the money.

        To avoid comebacks and potential loss of customers, we always recommend and try to use the OE Plugs unless they were discontinued or replaced with something else. We also started informing customers that their vehicle with C.O.P. was designed around a certain plug. All manufactures build and test their engine management systems around that specific plug. If you change the plug type and some times even the brand, It can damage the coils as the resistance values of the system change.

        Not all plugs are the same even though they are made in a similar fashion.

        Even if they are the same exact plug but different manufactures, There are small differences inside that you can't see that can affect the system's performance. The New electronic systems are so sensitive in these new vehicles that the slightest change in one area can affect something in other area's.

        It's not bulletproof but helps as the customer's at least think twice.

        We always document it on the service report if the customer supplies parts But we also put another disclaimer when they are Not an OE Spec plug and may damage other components. We also ask them to initial the disclaimer on our copy. It has helped.

        Comment

        • Witsend
          Banned
          • Nov 2012
          • 2942

          #5
          Thanks Snap On Kid , i prefer to use OE plugs too , the Higher KV requirements of a lean air fuel mixture caused from the failing brake booster and copper plugs with the larger blunter tips than Iridium tipped ones unmasked a weak coil and miss fires occurred more often . Reminds me of back in the 70s I had a Yamaha 2 stroke Enduro that would foul a regular plug in less than a week , but if I splurged and put in an expensive gold tip ones with the skinny electrodes, it would run great. Later I changed the coil (after it kicked back once, back fired and ran in reverse, LOL . After a new coil then it hardly ever fouled the plug again.

          Comment

          • SnapOnKid
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2011
            • 870

            #6
            No matter what you do there will always be one that gets by. It's Murphy's Law

            At least with the disclaimer they expect it, If they should be unfortunate to have one let go and need to come back.

            Comment

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